North Carolina Music Hall of Fame
George Clinton, Coltrane and Thelonious
What do Earl Scruggs, Thelonious Monk, and Shirley Caesar have in common? They are all Grammy Award Winning Musicians from the state of North Carolina. Earl Scruggs (Shelby), Thelonious Monk (Rocky Mount), along with fellow North Carolinians, John Coltrane (Hamlet) and Doc Watson (Deep Gap) have been honored with the Grammy lifetime achievement award. Shirley Caesar (Durham) has received 11 Grammy awards and 7 Dove Awards throughout her career as a gospel singer. In fact North Carolina has produced some of the finest musicians in the modern world, but surprisingly, very few people are aware of North Carolina’s rich musical heritage.
North Carolinians have helped shape every category of the music world, from country to rap, indie to pop, and from big band to jug band. Nina Simone (Tryon), Tori Amos (Newton), Charlie Daniels (Wilmington), George Clinton (Kannapolis), and of course Andy Griffith (Mount Airy), all have received numerous awards for their various contributions to the field, yet where would a person go to be explore this history?
Many people might believe that the young James Taylor was baptized in the ol’ well at UNC on the day of his birth, although he was actually born in Boston. Both he and Tift Merrit were born outside the state, but graduated from the University of North Carolina. John Coltrane was born in Hamlet and grew up on High Point.
But nowhere in the entire state are all of these musicians and their achievements showcased. Why doesn’t North Carolina have a Music History Museum? Also, why is North Carolina creating the NC Music Hall of Fame in Kannapolis?
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TSnow27604
10/01 05:04 PM
Kannapolis!? I didn’t know Dale Earnhardt sang.
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Acree
10/01 06:55 PM
“‘I think it’s going to be great. Anything that draws business is good. You know, since the textile mill closed business has not been that great,’ he said.”
Yeah, sounds like local legislators fought for this one.
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Stacy
10/01 10:36 PM
Interesting concept. Wish it wasn’t in Kannapolis, though…
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Miles
10/02 02:18 AM
Link Wray.
Born in Dunn. -
sarah emily
10/02 04:38 PM
Carolina Chocolcate Drops
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Henry
10/02 06:11 PM
For a “full” list of musicians from NC. check out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:North_Carolina_musicians or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:North_Carolina_musical_groups
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TSnow27604
10/02 07:48 PM
They don’t have Raleigh’s own C.O.C. or DAG in Wikipedia. And where is Petey Pablo and Fred Durst from Limp Bizkit? And while they were born in Queens, the guys from Black Sheep grew up in NC. You can get with this, or you can get with that…
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