The following is an article submitted to the latest issue of KUDZOO Magazine by Angelo Saska. We hope it helps to explain the goals of the Hall of Fame. Thanks for reading!
Buffalo
The Drive for a Southern Rock Hall of Fame & Museum
by Angelo Saska
The initial idea for The Southern Rock Hall of Fame & Museum can be traced back to 1982, when Michael Buffalo Smith first began taking notes and making plans to see his dream come to life. Beginning in the late ‘80s, Smith set about interviewing and recording conversations with hundreds of stars of the genre, and in 1998, he started
Gritz Magazine, featuring many of these interviews, before changing over to the e-magazine,
KUDZOO in 2011. Smith has since published seven books on the subject of Southern Rock, with his three latest books landing on the prestigious Mercer University Press imprint of Macon, Georgia. After over 25 years of covering the music of the south,Buffalo has come to be known as “The Ambassador of Southern Rock.”
“I’ve always felt that the South has given the world some of the greatest music ever,” says Smith. “From Elvis Presley and Little Richard to Hank Williams, as well as all of the Southern blues legends, all the way up through the Allman Brothers Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Drivin’ ‘n Cryin’, R.E.M., Hootie and the Blowfish, Blackberry Smoke. . . All of these artists and so many others deserve a Southern Rock Hall of Fame.”
Smith’s dream includes a permanent, world-class home for the Southern Rock Hall of Fame. There has been interest expressed by City Leaders, musicians and others in several cities throughout the south.
“The main thing we want is a city that will get behind the project completely. We are a 501 (c) (3) non profit, tax exempt organization, and we are looking for someone to step up and donate an old building that we can renovate into a great museum, with historic character,” says Smith. “It needs to be easily accesible via the interstate. I truly feel the Hall of Fame will be a major asset to the city it is located in, bringing in commerce through vistors and shows staged by the HOF.”
The SRHOF will serve as a great destination for music lovers and those interested in Southern music history. Easily accessible and all inclusive, while also warm and inviting, the design will center on numerous gallery spaces of interactive exhibitions that will cover all aspects of Southern Rock’s musical history, from Capricorn Records to The Allman Brothers Band, The Marshall Tucker Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Charlie Daniels Band and more, including later bands such as REM, Drivin’ n’ Cryin’, Hootie and the Blowfish, Edwin McCain, and the B52’s. There will also be exhibits on various Southern artists whose music helped to give rise to rock and roll, and therefore Southern Rock. Artists such as Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Otis Redding, John Lee Hooker, Blind Willie McTell, Robert Johnson, Hank Williams, and many others. There will be permanent exhibits as well as special temporary displays.
Future plans for the Hall of Fame property include a small to mid-size Southern Rock Cafe, featuring a variety of lunch items, including favorite foods of various Southern Rock stars, sandwiches named after musicians, and various fresh items. The decor will be distinctly ‘70’s, with many framed album covers on display, and a large jukebox will house hundreds of the South’s most popular recordings.
In this facility, The SRHOF will be able to present and share an impressive collection of recordings, photographs, interviews, and other artifacts pertaining to the heritage and roots of Southern Rock and other styles of Southern music. Innovative cataloging and management systems implemented in the new space will also facilitate the use of the collections within the Museum by scholars, the public, and other interested organizations. Future plans also include Electronic devices which will enable patrons to hear a narrator talk about that particular display or item. We hope to use the voices of narrators including Billy Bob Thornton, Charlie Daniels, and others. There will also be video screens featuring performances by the artists that can be heard through the devices as well.
Besides clothing, instruments, and records and artifacts, the museum will also include an interactive database where visitors can search for photos, videos, songs, biographies, and album covers.
Additionally, a gift shop with an extensive collection of Southern Rock recordings, books and other Southern Rock related items will be included, as well Hall of Fame branded items and area related items. We’d like for the museum to draw attention to the area in which it is located, so that merchants and businesses may profit from the influx of museum patrons. In addition, we hope to work with existing businesses in the city to support one another, as well as cross promote with The Allman Brothers Band Big House Museum in Macon, The Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, Alabama Music Hall of Fame, The Blues Hall of Fame in Memphis and others.
The SRHOF web site is active at
www.southernrockhalloffame.org, and we have an active
Instagram account that has amassed close to 1,500 followers since its launch a month ago. There is an active
Hall of Fame Facebook page, as well as a new Twitter account launching soon. Plans will soon be set in motion for the first annual Southern Rock Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies and Concert.
We welcome donations via the website, and are actively seeking team members to bring the project to life. If you are interested in being a part of the project, we need volunteers. We are especially looking for a volunteer lawyer, CPA, and folks to help solicit donations and publicize. We are also seeking a t-shirt printer willing to trade shirts for ads in KUDZOO magazinre. Anyone willing to volunteer please e-mail the editor at
buffalo@southernrockhalloffame.org •
