Just a few months after its opening, the National Museum of African American Music has made a major announcement. The newly launched venue will honor the great Lionel Richie, Quincy Jones, Smokey Robinson and the Fisk Jubilee Singers during African American Music Appreciation Month. The quartet of Black Music pioneers will receive the museum’s “Rhapsody & Rhythm” awards.
“NMAAM showcases Black music excellence every day, but this year’s Black Music Month will be a special one as we celebrate the museum’s opening with phenomenal music icons and Black music fans across the world. We can’t wait to open our doors and share in the joy of Juneteenth weekend with our supporters, fans and a few musical legends, as well,” museum president Henry Beecher Hicks III said.
“One of Amazon’s core values is to think big. We know that we can only do that when we all work together to recognize, elevate and celebrate all voices. We are excited to be NMAAM’s partner and the presenting sponsor for this year’s Black Music Month celebration. The work the museum is doing is essential to helping our wider community expand the way it thinks, and it’s an honor to be a part of it all,” Courtney Ross of Amazon added.
The awards ceremony is set to take place the weekend of June 19 at the museum’s headquarters in Nashville, Tennesse.
