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Fine Tuned Delivered: Motown anticipates homecoming of restored piano

April 27, 2012 in Historic Preservation, Music, News | No comments

Sir Paul McCartney and chief curator Linda Stephens during the former's visit. Photo: Motown Museums

By Sheryl Davis

The original studio piano of Hitsville USA will soon return home to Detroit following its restoration at Steinway & Sons in New York. A visit to the Motown Historical Museum prompted Paul McCartney to commission the effort.

Before his concert at Comercia Park last July, McCartney paid a visit to Motown, or “the holy grail” as he referred to it later when reflecting on the experience.

While in Studio A, he requested to play the 1877 Steinway grand piano he recalled on many of the records he listened to as a kid in Liverpool, England. “He was disappointed when we told him it didn’t play,” remarked Motown Historical Museum CEO Audley Smith, Jr.

When McCartney learned of the instrument’s fragile condition, he immediately offered his assistance, calling the museum a day after his concert. In October 2011, the museum officially announced McCartney’s support and the Victorian rosewood piano was carefully transported by train to Queens, New York.

The Motown Historical Museum’s chief curator Lina Stephens accompanied McCartney on his tour and received the call from him later about his excitement and confidence in the project following a conversation with Steinway & Sons.

Myriad recently connected with Ms. Stephens to ask her about the forthcoming special occasion.

Myriad: What are your thoughts as curator on the piano’s restoration and anticipated return? Will there be any special events for its homecoming or have there been any changes at the museum to prepare for its arrival?

Stephens: I am very excited about the return of the piano. The restoration is only a plus as the piano will be playable with the sound quality a Steinway piano should have.  As far as a special event to mark the homecoming of the piano, there have been many things talked about, but nothing concrete.

Myriad: Will the piano now take a more active role in the museum’s tour experience?

Stephens: I don’t think the general tour will change with the return of the piano.

Myriad: Is there any chance that Sir Paul will return to Motown to inspect the restoration work for himself?

Stephens: We would love for Sir Paul McCartney to come back and see the piano, but there are no plans for that to happen.

The piano contributed to the “Motown Sound” on recordings from 1960 to 1972, including tunes such as “You Are the Sunshine of My Life,” “What’s Going On” and “Tracks of My Tears.” It was last featured on The Commodores’ “Machine Gun” album in 1972.

“Steinway & Sons is honored to restore the historic Steinway piano that was used by such legends as Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson and Stevie Wonder – and to do so in the very same New York factory where it was originally built in 1877, “ said Ron Losby, President of Americas, Steinway & Sons. “We’re especially proud, as an American company, to help the Motown Museum in preserving the legacy of the Motown Record Company, whose artists and albums played such a vital role in one of the great eras of American music.”

Reports from the field: The Johnny Cash Boyhood Home Restoration Project

March 7, 2012 in Historic Preservation, Music, Reports From the Field | 1 comment

The restoration of Johnny Cash's boyhood home is a labor of love and economical hope. (Source: Sony Legacy)

By Sheryl Davis

On Sunday, Feb. 26, the 80th birthday anniversary of Johnny Cash was commemorated with the official restoration launch of his childhood home in Dyess, Arkansas.

Beth Wiedower, director of the Arkansas Delta Rural Heritage Development Initiative, acknowledged this as a moment of real gratification and excitement for the potential success of revitalizing a fading community through its native son.

Wiedower said of the project, “Although much work has gone into the project to date – researching, uncovering, and planning for the restoration, this Sunday’s ceremony will mark the visible start to the preservation of an American icon’s home leading to the revitalization of the town of Dyess and the Arkansas Delta region.”

 

In April 2011, the house was acquired by Arkansas State University after over forty years of private ownership. During that same month, Dr. Ruth Hawkins, Director of the Arkansas Heritage Sites program at ASU, joined the Cash family in making the official announcement of the project and the inaugural Johnny Cash Music Festival benefit.

“We are pleased that the Cash family has gotten behind this project.” Dr. Hawkins said, “The occasion of his 80th birthday is certainly a perfect time to raise national awareness of the efforts that are ongoing to restore his boyhood home and other properties in the historic Dyess Colony.”

Last summer I was very fortunate to have connected with Ms. Wiedower and Dr. Hawkins who made possible my proposed visit to the Johnny Cash boyhood home as part of a field study and research project for one of my historic preservation graduate classes at SCAD.

On a Tuesday morning in early July, in the 104-degree heat, I made the hour’s drive from Memphis through the stark landscape of northeast Arkansas. It was beautiful. The thick cover of dust from the long, narrow gravel road obscured the home’s initial approach but as I turned into the drive, I saw the historical marker and the house appeared.

At first glance it had a striking and almost disparaging normalcy but even more resonant was its rugged and quiet perseverance, which it almost seemed to don as a badge of honor. Perhaps it was the residual pride of the Arkansas Delta sharecropper, a toil-worn survivor of the Great Depression.

The work of the land and their way of life was very difficult, and Cash never wanted it to be “mythologized,” as his daughter Rosanne has recalled. I think the home’s plain and forthright honesty as an architectural symbolism of this hard knocks shot at the “promised land,” as he referred to it, continues to successfully wield the character and soul of the Cash catalog and the man himself.

With the announcement in April and the inaugural concert fundraiser in October, I had gotten to experience the project during a very active and exciting time, particularly with regard to the removal of the home’s non-historic material and the unanticipated reveal of such high integrity. 90% of the house was found to be original and had been protected beneath over forty years of mostly cosmetic or superficial modernizations like linoleum, faux wood paneling, wallpaper and dropped ceilings.

I was very honored by the opportunity to visit this place where the legend of Johnny Cash was cultivated. To me, this musical prophet of the heartland, his lyrics and signature sound, the biting grit of reality and heartened messages of everyday life are profound, philosophical. The transference of time and place and the humbling authenticity of his early life are forever emblazoned in the storied material culture of his boyhood home that will soon be ready for the world to experience.

To learn about these tender and prolific years before celebrity in one of the most genuine, sensory and intimate of ways is truly a gift that I hope many will come to know personally as it lifts the little town of Dyess into prosperity again.

When I asked childhood friend and classmate A.J. Henson about Sunday’s event in Dyess he responded: “I plan to be there. My memories of J.R. aren’t about his singing although I really enjoy that, but of a good friend and the things we shared together as young men.” Mr. Henson is an honorary co-chair of the project’s Arkansas Steering Committee.

The Johnny Cash Boyhood Home Project is a community revitalization effort via cultural heritage tourism that includes restoration of the boyhood home as well as the rehabilitation of two buildings in the historic town center of Dyess to be utilized as the museum complex. For more information on the project or the Johnny Cash Music Festival, visit www.johnnycashmusicfest.com.

World’s largest library and archives on rock and roll music opens in Cleveland

February 10, 2012 in Music, News | Permalink

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum's new library offers new ways to learn about rock history. (Source: http://library.rockhall.com/home)

by Sheryl Davis

In January the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum hosted the soft launch of its new library and archives located at the Center for Creative Arts of Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, Ohio.

At 22,500 square feet and pending LEED Silver certification, the facility is the world’s largest, most comprehensive and sustainable authority on rock and roll music, providing a rich expanse of primary and secondary resources including personal artifacts and multimedia never before accessible.

What could be better, you ask? How about the fact that it’s free?

The Rock Hall’s library and archives are open to the public throughout the weekday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. with free admission.

Whether you’re on a mission to Cleveland as a scholar or a music enthusiast (or both), here are a few quick tips to help get you oriented to make the most of this exciting new resource.

Check it out online.

The library and archives website is equipped with search features to allow for easy browsing of the catalog, archival collections and databases. Each of these areas can be further explored in the drop-down menu of the Resources tab. The website is still a work in progress and subject-based user guides are currently being developed to assist with specific information needs.

The What’s New page maintains current lists of the latest library acquisitions and processed archival collections (including links to each resource) as well as general news and social media. A research portal by the Rock Hall’s award-winning Education Department is organized by tabs and includes general music and music industry research resources, roots music resources, sociology, education and culture resources and music resources from the 1950s through the 1990s.

Contact the library with questions or to schedule an appointment.

Find out more about the library and archives, as well as partnering institutions by visiting the drop-down menu of the About Us tab. If you have additional questions, reach out to the staff via the Contact Us page with any questions you may have regarding your search or the facility’s available services. If you’re planning to access the archives, be sure to contact the library to make an appointment.

Get your backstage pass (aka the “Researcher Card”).

How many times have you been asked for your photo ID as a college student? Still, this is one sweet library card you shouldn’t miss out on. Be certain to bring a photo ID with you to obtain your free Researcher Card. It will be your all-access pass to the Archives Reading Room and archival materials. Otherwise, there are no requirements for visitors to peruse the majority of the facility’s resources in the Library Reading Room. Learn more about accessing materials here.

Visit and support the museum.

And while you’re there, why not visit the museum, too? The Rock Hall is a non-profit organization. Your paid admission (and any purchases you make at their awesome store) will go to support the world’s first museum dedicated to the history and preservation of rock and roll.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Library and Archives will be dedicated at its grand opening April 9 as part of the 2012 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony events. For more information, visit www.rockhall.com.

Rock and roll is here to stay…

February 2, 2012 in Music, News | Permalink

Officially a part of rock music history, the Surf Ballroom serves as a link between eras. Image courtesy of Craig Kienast of Images Photography

By Sheryl Davis

The Surf Ballroom in Clearlake, Iowa, will be celebrated this week for its recent listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

If you’ve seen the movies “La Bamba” or “The Buddy Holly Story,” you’re already familiar with its place in rock and roll history as the last performance site of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. “Big Bopper” Richardson on the 1959 Winter Dance Party tour.

This landmark building, constructed in 1948, is also being recognized for its exceptional Moderne architectural style and association with the local and national history of mid-century recreation and tourism.

Maintaining its historic role as a longstanding key player in the economic and social prosperity of Clear Lake, the Surf Ballroom is now a 501c3 nonprofit organization, owned and operated as The North Iowa Cultural Center and Museum. The organization’s mission is “to preserve, maintain and manage the historic Surf Ballroom property as a center utilized to enhance the quality of life in the North Iowa area by providing cultural, educational and entertainment opportunities.”

In addition to retaining its historic integrity and function, the Surf also serves as a museum where artifacts are continuously being collected and archived for future generations. “Those of us in North Iowa have long felt that the Surf is truly a national treasure. This designation has validated our beliefs and we are incredibly proud to be listed,” explained Jeff Nicholas, the organization’s president.

This year marks the 33rd anniversary of the commemorative Winter Dance Party event, which has grown into a highly anticipated four-day affair celebrating music of the 1950s and 1960s with national and international draw.

Architectural historian Alexa McDowell and consultant for the Surf’s National Register nomination remarked, “Buddy Holly’s legacy has become intimately connected to the Surf Ballroom as his final performance venue. This connection shines brightest each February during the Winter Dance Party held at the Surf, when fans from around the world gather to celebrate the musical achievements of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. Richardson and their contributions to the history of rock and roll.” The 2012 event opened February 1 with the unveiling of the National Register of Historic Places plaque and will continue through February 4.

In recent years, as mid-century sites cross the National Register’s commonly referred 50-year threshold and become more widely accepted as “historic” resources, the Surf Ballroom has emerged as a viable brand in heritage tourism. “We are the premier fifties music tribute event in the country,” says Executive Director Laurie Lietz.

The ballroom has received national and international media attention from sources such as NBC, ABC, CBS, Entertainment Tonight, PBS, the BBC, Associated Press and UPI as well as from over 400 radio stations throughout the U.S.

In 2009, the Surf Ballroom formed a partnership with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum for the “50 Winters Later” 50th anniversary project which included the Rock Hall’s “Landmark Series” designation and special events. As a result of its success, Winter Dance Party was named the 2009 Iowa Tourism Event of the Year.

There is great irony in a successful living legacy so closely linked to “the day the music died.” Darryl Hensley, the creator and founder of the tribute event, received recognition from the Clear Lake Area Chamber of Commerce in 1999.

The words inscribed on the plaque they presented him read: “In recognition and appreciation of your bold and visionary efforts from conception to production of the first annual Buddy Holly Tribute. Because of your efforts, the music will never die.”

For more information, visit the Surf Ballroom and Museum on Facebook or at www.surfballroom.com.