The Omaha Black Music Hall of Fame, or the OBMHoF, is a nonprofit organization founded in 2005 to celebrate, document and honour the legacy of the many top vocalists and musicians whose musical careers began in the metropolitan area of

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest city ...

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

. It has a particular focus on

African American music African-American music is an umbrella term covering a diverse range of music and musical genres largely developed by African Americans and their culture. Their origins are in musical forms that first came to be due to the condition of slaver ...

from

North Omaha North Omaha is a community area in Omaha, Nebraska, in the United States. It is bordered by Cuming and Dodge Streets on the south, Interstate 680 (Iowa-Nebraska), Interstate 680 on the north, North 72nd Street on the west and the Missouri River a ...

, and is committed to honoring Omaha's

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

tradition from the 1920s to the present day. The OBMHoF holds induction ceremonies every two years that highlight, but are not limited to, classical, rhythm & blues, big band, jazz and gospel music.

About

Vaughn Chatman, a former Omaha rhythm-and-blues player and attorney in

Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento C ...

, formed the Omaha Black Music Hall of Fame in 2005. According to one local newspaper, the Hall of Fame was formed to acknowledge Omaha's own musicians. "Enough Omaha artists have impacted the industry to rival the legacy from historical music hotbeds like Kansas City, Mo. The contributions of these Omaha-bred-and-born may add up to one of black music’s largest untold stories." Omaha's significance has been better known as a venue for nationally popular African American jazz, blues and rock greats, many of whom performed at the

Dreamland Ballroom The Jewell Building is a city landmark in North Omaha, Nebraska. Built in 1923, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Located at 2221 North 24th Street, the building was home to the Dreamland Ballroom for more than 40 years, a ...

Ceremonies

The Omaha Black Music Hall of Fame hold ceremonies every two years to coincide with the bi-annual

Native Omaha Days Native Omahan Days is a bi-ennial event in North Omaha, Nebraska celebrating the community's historical and cultural legacies. Held since 1976, the Native Omaha Days include picnics, family reunions, class reunions and a large parade. The event is l ...

event, which draws thousands to the

Near North Omaha The Near North Side of Omaha, Nebraska is the neighborhood immediately north of downtown. It forms the nucleus of the city's African-American community, and its name is often synonymous with the entire North Omaha area. It is bordered by Cuming St ...

neighborhood to celebrate the history of the African American community in Omaha. It's ceremonies have different locations, and there are varying numbers of inductees every biennium.

2005

The first inductions to the Omaha Black Music Hall of Fame were in 2005. The induction ceremony was held on 4 August 2005 at Harrah's Casino in neighboring

Council Bluffs, Iowa Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The city is the most populous in Southwest Iowa, and is the third largest and a primary city of the Omaha–Council Bluffs ...

. There were 40 inductees:

2007

The 2007 Omaha Black Music Hall Of Fame inductions ceremony was held at Qwest Center, Omaha. Other musical awards were made in the Gospel/Civic/Sports Awards Ceremony, and the Blues/Classical/Jazz/R&B Awards Ceremony. "The Omaha Black Music Hall of Fame inductees are inspirational community leaders, exceptional musicians and vocalists, including gospel pioneers who left their mark on the civic and music scene. This includes top civic leaders, musicians and vocalists who started in Omaha and moved on to other cities to pursue professional and music careers." In 2007 there were 67 total inductees into the Hall, including 23 who were deceased and 54 living. They represented a variety of

music genre A music genre is a conventional category that identifies some pieces of music as belonging to a shared tradition or set of conventions. It is to be distinguished from ''musical form'' and musical style, although in practice these terms are some ...

s and connections to Omaha's Black music community. The categories included gospel, R&B, Jazz, Rock & Roll and Classical music.

2011

The 2011 inductions to the Omaha's Black Music Hall of Fame were held on July 29, 2011 at the

Slowdown A slowdown ( UK: go-slow) is an industrial action in which employees perform their duties but seek to reduce productivity or efficiency in their performance of these duties. A slowdown may be used as either a prelude or an alternative to a stri ...

in Omaha, Nebraska. MAN vs MAN Band's historic performance at the awards ceremony celebrated a 40-year concert reunion. Other artist performing at the event included:

Maxayn Maxayn was an American soul group of the 1970s. The band took its name from the lead singer Maxayn Lewis (born Paulette Parker), former Ikette and wife of band keyboardist Andre Lewis. The band also included Marlo Henderson (guitar) and Emry Tho ...

, Ahnjel, Sam Singleton, and Hank Redd Jr. The 2011 inductees to the Omaha Black Music Hall of Fame were: Hank Redd Jr., Jeanne Rogers, Charles "Chuck" Miller, Red Higgins, Bertha Myers, Adrienne Higgins Brown-Norman, Preston Love, Sam Singleton,

Lewis, MAN vs MAN Band: Walter McKinney, Len Harris M.D., Donald Harris, Kevin Harris, Glenn Franklin, Lonzo Franklin, Melvin Hall, Leroi Brashears, & Nils Anders Erickson; The New Breed of Soul Band and Andre Davi

web page.

Recipients

During the ceremony the Steppen Stonz were also awarded a "Showcase Legend Award".(2005
Awards
Steppen Stonz website. Retrieved 20 May 2007.

Notes

References

External links

Omaha Black Music Hall of Fame
website {{DEFAULTSORT:Omaha Black Music Hall Of Fame Halls of fame in Nebraska Music of Omaha, Nebraska Music museums in the United States Museums in Omaha, Nebraska Organizations based in Omaha, Nebraska African-American history in Omaha, Nebraska North Omaha, Nebraska Awards established in 2005 2005 establishments in Nebraska African-American history of Nebraska