The Stax Museum of American Soul Music in Memphis, Tn. is one of my favorite music museums in the country. I’ve been chronicling the museum since 2003 when it opened on the site of the original Stax studio, which was razed in 1989.
I’ve leaned into the way the museum connects with local students through their Stax Music Academy. I had some of the inspired students on my WGN radio show in 2017 as they prepared to go to France, England, and Ireland to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the historic Stax/Volt European Tour.
I’ve also made a minor nuisance of myself wondering aloud for 25 years why Chicago hasn’t been able to [...]
Let’s say you assembled a team of friends to make a comprehensive documentary about some precious but overlooked musicians and the unique small-town community that surrounded them. You did this for love. Friends jumped in on faith and fellowship. It took more than seven years and $250,000 out of your own pockets to get this project to the finish line.
Last year, in the middle of a pandemic, you found a distributor who believed in the doc. Wow.
Many DIY documentaries don’t get that far.
Our documentary “The Center of Nowhere (The Spirit and Sounds of Springfield, Mo.)” got off to a [...]
Hobo Marlin Wallace (Courtesy of Marlin Wallace)
SPRINGFIELD, Mo.—Of the many things to know about Marlin Wallace, it all starts with a strong handshake. His meaningful grip was once seen on a union waterfront and along a cattle trail.
Say hello to forgotten America. With his right hand the songwriter creates a vice-like covenant that flattens the fingers of a stranger. It is an old hand that has been hardened from 17 years of riding America’s rails as a hobo. Connections can be made in trains and in music and Wallace has spent his life chasing them down and taking notes.
He is America’s [...]
