By Logan Langlois
The Jefferson Street Sound Museum is hosting the “Black History In Music: Work Worship, and Celebration” showcase, which will highlight both the past and future of Jefferson Street artistry. The showcase features seven artists presenting both sculptures and canvases and will run every Saturday throughout February from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The museum is free to visit; however, there is a charge for tours given by the founder and curator of the museum, Lorenzo Washington.
The Vice President of Jefferson Street Sound Museum, Karen Coffee, emphasized the importance of remembering the history and culture that has made up the legacy of Jefferson Street, back when it was in its heyday, once dubbed “Black Wall Street.”
“You could live your entire life on Jefferson Street and never leave,” Coffee said. “Everything you needed was at your fingertips from jobs, to churches, to schools, to hospitals… everything you could think of was on Jefferson Street.”
Coffee mentioned that some of the art depicted showcases lesser-known Black Nashvillian artists whose legacy is tied with Jefferson Street but didn’t have a chance to enjoy the limelight as much as their more famous counterparts. She highlighted one such artist, Jimmie Lunceford, a big band leader who graduated from Fisk University, and whose music is currently enjoying a resurgence among jazz enthusiasts and musicians.
Washington said he is appreciative to be able to represent the legacy of all of these great artists and musicians that played on Jefferson Street.
“A lot of them that I represent and put emphasis on representing them were the local artists that didn’t make it to stardom, and there was a lot of great artists,” Washington said.
Coffee mentioned that she’s been able to hear the local community get excited about the upcoming exhibit after the museum released the roster of artists who would be featured. She said that not only did it feel good to promote the art and theme of the exhibit, but the exhibit itself was easy to put together with Jefferson Street Sounds Museum’s respected reputation and the excitement shown by the artists themselves to contribute.
“They were very eager to hop on,” Coffee said. “Anytime that you can do something that is positive and uplifts other artists, uplifts your community, people are eager to go ahead, and support, and help, and participate in any way they can.”
Washington shared that many who took part in Jefferson Street’s history became fearful that its legacy would be lost forever at the demolition of much of what was once a self-sufficient and thriving Black-owned stretch of Nashville and the building of I-40 North. Sharing this concern, Washington decided to turn his own home into a museum for Jefferson Street and began to receive many different donated items from many who played there.
Coffee said, “What history is here, the stories that he shares, are priceless.”
Washington said that he was around during the heyday of Jefferson Street, seeing legendary live shows firsthand. He said he also personally came to know many of the artists that played there such as Jimi Hendrix, Billy Cox, Little Richard, and Ike & Tina Turner. He said in this time, he offered up his house to many of his local musician friends who would often come over to jam, many of whom he could tell would use the time to vent many of their frustrations in the music industry.
“When you’re shaking hands with those folk, you got a story, you got your own stories,” Washington said. “When you come to the Jefferson Street Sound Museum, you hear a lot of my own stories.”
