02-04-2025
A small museum on Jefferson Street honors Nashville's Black music history
The third annual Lorenzo Washington Gala to benefit the Jefferson Street Sound Museum takes place Thursday evening.
Why it matters: Jefferson Street is Nashville's original Music Row, once home to over 20 music venues where iconic Black artists including Etta James, Little Richard and Ray Charles performed.
Washington launched the nonprofit museum in 2011 to preserve the stories of the famous artists and local legends, including Marion James and Ted Jarrett, who performed on Jefferson Street.
Zoom out: Washington, a businessperson who frequently attended shows at Jefferson Street clubs, has earned recognition from well outside Nashville for his work.
He was given the prestigious Keeping the Blues Alive Award from the Memphis-basedBlues Foundation earlier this year for his work at the Jefferson Street Sound Museum.
Last year, the Bloomberg Map Lab profiled another of Washington's projects: a genealogy tree that mapped out nightclubs that used to operate on Jefferson Street and the artists who played there.
Driving the news: In recent years, Washington has been recognized by state and local officials, several of whom will be on hand for this year's gala.
At this year's benefit gala, which costs $161.90 to attend, organizers will honor the legendary country music harmonica player DeFord Bailey.
His grandson Carlos DeFord Bailey is scheduled to take the crowd through a quick harmonica lesson.
Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell tells Axios he met Washington shortly after he created the genealogy tree. "We've been friends ever since, and I'm attending the gala because Lorenzo is a living legend and keeper of memories that need to live on."
What he's saying: Asked what it feels like to have the mayor, state leaders and the Blues Foundation and many others honor his work, Jefferson redirected credit to the artists who played in Jefferson Street's clubs.
"I can just say Jefferson Street is being recognized more than it was," Washington tells Axios. "Everybody's jumping onboard with seeing that Jefferson Street has all of the history it has, and untold history."
Flashback: In addition to the clubs on Jefferson Street, Nashville became known for expanding the reach of R&B music. In 1946, WLAC became the first radio station to broadcast R&B music, an especially noteworthy strategy during the Jim Crow era.
"Night Train," filmed in Nashville, became the first syndicated TV show to focus on R&B music.
When the government built I-40, it disrupted business and life on Jefferson Street, leading to the shuttering of live music venues.
What's next: The Jefferson Street Sound Museum has made education a cornerstone of its work. The museum hosts events aimed at school-age children several times a year.
Washington tells Axios his next goal is expanding the history of Jefferson Street and North Nashville into schools' history curriculum "so kids can learn about the Black community here in Nashville."
