WHAT: Musician Bobby Rush will donate objects related to his 50-year career as an
internationally recognized blues singer-songwriter from the American south.
WHEN: Tuesday, Sept. 19
6:30 - 9:30 p.m.
WHERE: Smithsonian's National Museum of American History
Constitution Avenue entrance, between 12th and 14th streets N. W.
Wallace H. Coulter Performance Plaza, 1 West
WHO: John Gray, director, National Museum of American History
John Troutman, museum curator, Division of Culture and the Arts
Bobby Rush, blues musician, composer, singer and Grammy Award-winner
During an American History (After Hours) program, blues musician Bobby Rush will donate the green jewel-studded suit depicted on the inside cover of the 2016 Grammy award-winning album Porcupine Meat. The harmonica Rush will also donate was used at a post-inaugural performance with James Brown in Washington, D.C., for President Bill Clinton in 1993 and in the recent recording of Porcupine Meat.
The donation ceremony will occur during “The Sound of Memphis,” an event that will include William Bell, Boo Mitchell, Martin Shore, Deanie Parker, Al Kapone and Al Bell. Prior to a live performance with these musicians from the Memphis and Mississippi Delta region, the museum will recognize the legacy of a community that helped chart the musical evolution of the region from blues to soul to hip-hop. Rush’s suit and harmonica will become part of the national collection that includes Sting’s 1978 Fender Stratocaster guitar, a 1975 Fender Telecaster from a scene in The Blues Brothers and Dizzy Gillespie’s angled trumpet.
Note to editors: Media are welcome to attend by registering with the Office of Communications and Marketing at 202-633-3129 or garlidm@si.edu.
Laura Duff
(202) 633-3129
duffl@si.edu
Michael Garlid
(202) 633-3129
garlidm@si.edu