This is American Music
Find out more about the history of your favorite style of American music while exploring the country or attend an amazing music festival. Here’s a sampling of what you can find, so put on some traveling music and hit the road!
American Jazz Museum
Kansas City, Mo.
It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing. You’ll be humming that tune at this museum that celebrates the days when swing was definitely the thing. As you enter, glowing neon lights advertising 1940s’ juke joints happily greet you. Artifacts like Louis Armstrong’s trumpet, Ella Fitzgerald’s dress and Charlie Parker’s saxophone are next in line. Kids who’ve never been exposed to this genre can make instruments, while jazzophiles tap their toes listening to selections from the music library. Stay late for a show in a copycat of a 1930s nightclub that’s also part of the museum.
EMP Museum
Seattle, Wash.
Unlike many museums, there’s lots to do here, not just see: you can record a CD, jam with other wannabe rock stars in a soundproof room and take a computer-led guitar lesson at this AAA GEM® attraction. “IF VI WAS IX,” a 2-story-high sculpture composed of 500+ instruments, plays music that you listen to through earphones; it will blow your mind. Kurt Cobain and Jimi Hendrix devotees will be in seventh heaven as each Seattle-born artist has his own gallery jam-packed with memorabilia. Finally, forget stage fright and indulge your inner rock god as you perform on stage while the audience shouts for more.
Graceland Mansion
Memphis, Tenn.
Memphis has a rich musical history, and Graceland’s homeowner is a big part of it. After all, the mansion is on the bucket list of every Elvis fan, and 50 million Elvis fans can’t be wrong. And if a man’s home is his castle, then the king of rock and roll’s residence should be rockin’. Graceland doesn’t disappoint, although its 1970’s décor doesn’t match today’s concept of bling. Think shag carpets, gaudy jumpsuits, movie costumes and countless gold and platinum records, for starters. The Jungle Room, with its Polynesian carved wood furniture and tropical foliage, shouldn’t be missed.
Motown Historical Museum
Detroit, Mich.
Step inside this shrine to the Motown Sound and the early days of artists like The Supremes and The Jackson Five. Peek into the second-floor flat where founder/mogul Berry Gordy lived, above the first-floor recording studio Hitsville USA, where hits like “Baby Love” and “Dancing in the Street” were recorded in the early 1960s; you’ll see a lot of original recording equipment and instruments like Stevie Wonder’s piano. Ogle tons of memorabilia and elaborate costumes (Michael Jackson’s glove! Sparkly girl-group gowns!) and sing an a cappella rendition of “My Girl” with your group in the studio at this AAA GEM® attraction.
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland rocks, in part because it’s home to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, a AAA GEM® attraction, and its comprehensive collection. Here you’ll find an immense range of artifacts from a myriad of artists representing many subgenres, including alternative, soul, hip-hop, rhythm and blues, gospel and punk. Its huge collection of prized memorabilia ranges from ‘70 Beatles’ pieces, such as John Lennon’s black coat from “Help!”, and Hendrix’s handwritten lyrics to “Purple Haze” to Johnny Cash’s acoustic guitar and Joey Ramone’s leather jacket. The museum also pays tribute to today’s popular artists, whether it be Rihanna or Grace Potter.
South by Southwest (SXSW)
Austin, Texas
This music showcase got its start in 1987 with 700 attendees and has grown exponentially since; in 2016 some 2,200 bands from 62 countries played on 100 stages. That’s a lot of music! Of course, the crowds are humongous, but that doesn’t stop tens of thousands from attending this AAA GEM® event every year for six days in March. If you go, your biggest problem will be who to see, but we suggest creating a list that includes your favorite artists, add some you’ve heard about but never heard and, if there’s room, throw in a few who have really cool names.
Sun Studio
Memphis, Tenn.
Housed in a nondescript brick building, Sun Studio may not look very impressive (except for the gigantic guitar outside that hints that this place is very special) but it figures prominently in rock history. In 1953 young Elvis Presley cut his first single at this little recording studio that still looks like it did then, and Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins recorded here in the 1950s. Some great blues and country artists also laid down tracks here early in their careers, including B.B. King, Charlie Rich and Conway Twitty.
