The North Carolina Music Hall of Fame is located in Kannapolis, NC. It shares a building with the…read moreCurb Museum for Music & Motorsports. So you get two museums in one.
Both admission and parking are free. Donations are accepted, though. The parking lot is behind the building, and you need to ring the doorbell to get inside, as they keep the doors locked.
The Music Hall of Fame was started in 1999, but moved to Kannapolis in 2009. It was first in a renovated old jail before moving to this 20,000-square-foot location near West Ave.
I'd been excited to visit this museum since I saw a sign for it on the highway. It met my expectations and then some. When you walk inside, you see some of the inductees on the wall. The other half is just down the hall.
Those in the Hall of Fame need to have been born or raised in North Carolina. The public can submit nominees, and the board selects based on longevity, industry awards and cultural impact. It is not just singers in the Hall Of Fame, but songwriters, composers, producers, conductors and promoters.
The large map of North Carolina with the numbers of the artists from there was well done. Then next to it you could listen to songs of these artists in their part of the state.
The museum is divided into music genres, and similar artists are grouped together. R& B; Soul; Beach Music: Country & Bluegrass; Jazz & Blues; Gospel & Contemporary Christian; Hip Hop; Rock; Pop; and Indie Rock. Then, performers and non-performers.
Memorabilia is included for each artist as well, from clothing to lyrics to instruments to awards.
I liked that some of the exhibits were interactive. You could listen to their stories or hear their music.
I was excited to learn even more about the history of the inductees who were also on Scott Nurkin's North Carolina Musicians Mural Trail. John Coltrane, Elizabeth Cotten; Thelonious Monk; George Clinton, Nina Simone; Earl Scruggs; Don Gibson; Ben E. King; Link Wray; Blind Boy Fuller; Maceo Parker, Max Roach; Roberta Flack; Randy Travis Mary Cardwell Dawson, J. Cole; and 9th Wonder.
There were other legends I was not familiar with, but some like Robert Moog and more modern stars like the Avett Brothers, Scotty McCreery, Clay Aiken, Luke Combs, Fantasia and Petey Pablo.
I gave myself two hours to view the museum so make sure you give yourself enough time. The museum does close for lunch from 12-1. There is a small gift shop in the front. Don't forget the items you bought, as I did, though.
Give yourself time to visit the Curb Museum too. You can see legendary race cars like Richard Petty's #43 and Dale Earnhardt's #2 just steps away from the music exhibits.
When in Kannapolis, make sure to stop and see the George Clinton mural. I actually went to the mural first, then headed into the museum to see his inductee exhibit--it's a great way to see how the town celebrates its musical roots, both inside and out!
