Multiple SXSW Protests: Festival Organizers, Texas Governor respondSXSW is under fire on at least three fronts from musicians and panelists who are unhappy with how the festival, now co-owned by Penski, the publisher of Rolling Stone, Billboard, and Variety, does business.....
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TIDAL adds Circles for musician-to-musician networking, career adviceTIDAL has added Circles, a new space for artists to connect with and learn from peers with similar challenges and experiences. ....
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Fighting Streaming Fraud at the Distributor Level [Symphonic’s Jorge Brea]Fraudsters "redirect royalties away from rights holders and artists and into their own pockets to the tune of millions per year," writes Jorge Brea, the CEO of Symphonic Distribution, but there is a solution.....
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Country Music Hall of Fame(R) and Museum to Explore Nashville's Pioneering and Influential R&B HistoryJohnny Jones Electric guitar and amplifier. Photo by Bob Delevante for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

Nashville’s pioneering R&B scene and its important role in the city becoming a world-renowned music center with its latest exhibition. Night Train to Nashville: Music City Rhythm & Blues Revisitedis a 20th anniversary edition of the museum’s award-winning original exhibit, which was featured in its galleries March 2004 through December 2005. The exhibit will include many of the same items and themes, as well as recently discovered artifacts and photographs. The exhibit, which is included with museum admission, opens Friday, April 26, and runs through September 2025.

Night Train to Nashville: Music City Rhythm & Blues Revisited explores Nashville’s R&B activity in the decades following World War II, spanning 1945-1970. As Nashville’s country music industry was just getting started, the city was also a hotbed for R&B, with celebrated performers contributing to the community’s rich musical heritage, including Country Music Hall of Fame member Ray Charles, Hank Crawford, Bobby Hebb, Jimi Hendrix, Etta James and Little Richard, among many others. During this time, R&B reigned alongside country music in the city’s clubs and studios, on radio and on nationally syndicated television.

The exhibit is supported by a free-to-access Night Train to Nashville online exhibit, which launched last year and was made possible by a major grant awarded from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). The exhibit is also supplemented by a newly published companion book and an opening weekend program examining the influential television show "Night Train."

“This exhibit and its related resources offer opportunities to revisit Nashville’s often overlooked R&B legacy and its important role in our community becoming ‘Music City,’” said Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. “As Nashville developed into a major recording center, it did so against a background of urban change and at a time when racial barriers were tested and sometimes broken on bandstands, inside recording studios and on the airwaves.”

The exhibit will explore:

The ways that iconic musicians including Little Richard and Jimi Hendrix honed their skills on Nashville bandstands.

How Nashville led the way in broadcasting groundbreaking and influential R&B on the50,000-watt powerhouse WLAC radio station and through syndicated TV shows such as “Night Train” and “The!!!!Beat.”

The musical collaborations of R&B and country musicians.

The recording of Etta James’s scorching live album Etta James Rocks the House at Nashville’s New Era Club.

Key developments of the late 1960s, from the soaring height of Robert Knight’s R&B-pop crossover hit “Everlasting Love” (recorded in Nashville), to the depths of so-called “urban renewal” and the routing of Interstate 40 through Jefferson Street, which eventually devastated the city’s vibrant R&B nightlife.

Some artifacts to be displayed include:

Gibson ES-345 electric guitar and Lab Series L7 amplifier used by Johnny Jones in the later part of his career. Nashville’s premier blues guitarist, Jones performed in the house band on “Night Train” and “The!!!!Beat” and influenced Jimi Hendrix in the early 1960s.

Letter sent by blues singer Bessie Smith to Hatch Show Print in 1927, accompanied by a photograph to use for designing her posters.

Etta James-signed cover of Etta James Rocks the House, recorded in September 1963 at Nashville’s New Era Club.

Three-piece suit worn onstage by vocalist and bandleader Jimmy Church. A Nashville native who recorded with an R&B group while still in high school, Church was regularly featured on television shows “Night Train” and “The!!!!Beat.”

Spoons used by Bobby Hebb as percussion instruments and Hebb’s Gibson JS-200 guitar. Hebb, a Nashville native, wrote and recorded the million-selling crossover hit “Sunny,” and performed on the Grand Ole Opry in the early 1950s as a member of Country Music Hall of Fame member Roy Acuff’s band.

Hand-painted bandstand used by star saxophonist and bandleader Hank Crawford in the 1960s.

Several original Hatch Show Print posters from the 1950s and 1960s advertising appearances by Gene Allison, Earl Gaines, Little Willie John, Jackie Shane, Joe Tex and others.

A scrapbook of vintage photographs belonging to Nashville entertainer Frank Howard.

Exhibit companion book 

In support of the exhibit, the museum is publishing a companion book, “Night Train to Nashville: Music City Rhythm & Blues Revisited.” The book includes a foreword by Nashville entertainer Frank Howard and explores the themes and stories in the exhibit. It also features more than 100 photographs and descriptions of classic R&B records cut in Nashville.

The book is now available to preorder on the museum’s website and will be available April 26 to purchase in the museum’s store or on its website. The book will also be available in bookstores nationwide through a distribution partnership with the University of Illinois Press. 

Online exhibit

The free-to-access online exhibit, Night Train to Nashville: Music City Rhythm & Blues, 1945-1970, revisits, updates and preserves the museum’s original physical exhibit of the same name, which was featured in the museum’s galleries 20 years ago.

The multimedia exhibit showcases a vast array of historic photos, performance videos and audio recordings, as well as instruments, show posters, stage wear and other rare items featured in the original exhibit. Online visitors can also access a full video archive of public programs hosted by the museum in relation to the original Night Train to Nashville exhibit and Nashville’s R&B history, including concerts, panel discussions and more.

Opening weekend program

To mark the opening of the exhibit, the museum will host a panel discussion on Saturday, April 27, about Nashville’s groundbreaking television series “Night Train.” Participants will include performers Jimmy Church and Frank Howard, who appeared regularly on the show, along with Katie Blackwell (wife of late “Night Train” creator and host, Noble Blackwell) and Tracye Blackwell (daughter of Katie and Noble Blackwell). The discussion will be illustrated with video clips from “Night Train.” The program will happen at 2:30 p.m. in the museum’s Ford Theater. 

Night Train to Nashville: Music City Rhythm & Blues Revisited will also be supported by additional public programs during the exhibit’s run, presented in collaboration with other nonprofit partners.

The original Night Train to Nashville exhibit earned the museum a Bridging the Gap Award (2006)­­ from the Nashville chapter of the NAACP for the promotion of interracial understanding. The exhibit’s companion album of the same name received a Grammy award for Best Historical Album (2004). Throughout the exhibit’s run, the museum produced a pair of retrospective compilation albums, published three books, and hosted dozens of panel discussions and concerts in support of the exhibit.

TikTok’s parent ByteDance has locked down AI-music patents in the US – as its researchers develop a model trained on 257,000 hours of songsTikTok's AI music ambitions are bigger than you think...
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UMG’s East Coast labels officially restructured under ‘Republic Corps’ banner; Def Jam, Island, Mercury, Republic will operate ‘independently’ while sharing ‘integrated departments’Jim Roppo named President and Chief Operating Officer of Republic Corps reporting directly to Monte Lipman and Avery Lipman
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MusicWatch study points to continued growth but offers some surprisesA new MusicWatch study says 90% of US internet users stream music, and consumer willingness to spend money on music points to more strong growth ahead. But there were also several surprise findings.....
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How to maximize a music release’s potential for success [VIDEO]The right planning and preparation can make or break how well a music release does. This guide breaks down the steps needed to put out a successful song.....
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Alert to users did the impossible and united Congress against TikTokTikTok's attempt to rally users and replicate big tech's Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) protests seems to have backfired, and Congress and President Biden have united against the social video platform.....
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Indie Folk Artist Mon Rovîa Talks Hope, Inspiration, and Echinacea TeaAllMusic had the chance to speak with Liberia-born, Chattanooga-based folk musician Mon Rovîa about his most recent single, "Don't Lose a Good Thing," how he holds onto his optimism, and his favorite type of tea.

Celestion Introduces Truvox 0615 LoudspeakerCelestion, manufacturer of professional audio loudspeakers for sound reinforcement, has introduced the Truvox 0615, a new six-inch mid-bass driver focused on superior quality at an affordable price point across a wide variety of use cases. Applications in which the Truvox 0615 excels include replacing six-inch drivers in fixed P.A. installations, OEM use in new portable or fixed cabinet construction, improvement upon factory car audio speakers, or virtually any situation where a compact, lightweight driver must perform bass-midrange or even primary woofer duties.  The Truvox 0615 is equally at home as the principal woofer in two-way cabinets or as the mid-bass/midrange element in three-way systems. It is also an ideal choice for door placement in cars, as many vehicles share its mounting specifications.

 The Truvox 0615 is the first member of a new product family drawing on Celestion’s long tradition of the company producing high-performing general-purpose speakers as well as the world’s most sought-after drivers for guitar amplification. Truvox was a brand known for its P.A. speakers throughout the mid 20th century, and in 1949, purchased the company then known as Rola Celestion. Thus, the Celestion brand added a broad range of P.A. drivers to its stable. Celestion will expand the Truvox line throughout 2024 to include eight-, ten-, 12-, and 15-inch sizes. True to Celestion’s ethos, each model will combine rigorous research and development with today’s best materials science, manufacturing processes, and quality assurance metrics. Celestion thus aims to make Truvox speakers the obvious choice when end users and installers alike are in search of outstanding value that refuses to sacrifice quality. “This latest incarnation brings the famous Truvox brand back to life in the form of a superior performing sound reinforcement transducer,” says Celestion Head of Marketing Ken Weller. “The Truvox 0615 meets or exceeds competitors’ specifications in all areas, with greater power handling and at a competitive price.” Learn more about the Truvox 0615 on Celestion’s product page here.

Warner Music Group and Denis Ladegaillerie’s tussle over buying Believe is hotting up – as France’s SEC equivalent gets dragged into the drama.Believe's board is turning to France's equivalent of the SEC to decide whether Denis Ladegaillerie's actions are approved or otherwise
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Because Music boss Emmanuel de Buretel sides with Universal in TikTok dispute, laments ‘platform that feeds on artistic creation by destroying it’Music industry veteran argues that the platform can't 'do without' music
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Bandcamp announces 2024 Bandcamp Friday scheduleWhile Bandcamp Fridays will no longer be monthly, new owner Songtradr is continuing the indie platform's tradition of waving their revenue share on select days to give 100% of funds to the artists and labels.....
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Take Action Music Summit & Concert Marketing Panel Tuesday in AustinThe free Take Action Music Summit & Showcases are happening tonight and all day Tuesday at the Mohawk in Austin during SXSW, and you don't need an official festival pass to attend the daytime Summit on Tuesday, March 12th.....
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