Radio icon Bernie Hayes, the Wolff Jazz Institute at Harris-Stowe State University, and the National Black Radio Hall of Fame invite all education and music lovers to tribute Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in a virtual ceremony streamed from the National Blues Museum on Saturday, March 27, 2021, 3pm – 4:30pm.
The ceremony will also induct four blues legends into the St. Louis Jazz Hall of Fame and celebrate numerous trailblazing African-American cultural and education icons.
“The purpose of this ceremony is to honor musical greats who have attended HBCUs or were not able to attend yet supported the role of higher education in our society,” said Hayes, a legendary journalist, curator for the Wolff Jazz Institute, and interim director of the National Blues Museum. “Inducting them into the St. Louis Jazz Hall of Fame will help make sure that their legacy is not ignored or lost.”
The inductees are St. Louis natives and fellow greats who were influential in the St. Louis and global music scene, including:
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Hugh “Peanuts” Whalum (1920 – 2019), a multi-instrumentalist renowned for his performances on the tenor saxophone.
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Kirk Whalum (1958), nephew of “Peanuts” and 12-time Grammy-nominated jazz saxophonist.
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Clark Virgil, Terry, Jr. (1920 – 2015), a pioneer of the flugelhorn in jazz, American swing and bebop trumpeter, and mentor to Miles Davis, Dianna Reeves, Herbie Hancock, Quicky Jones and many others.
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Kim Massie (1957 – 2020), an American blues and soul-singing legend from St. Louis.
The virtual ceremony will feature a blues tribute by renowned vocalist Marsha Evans and The Coalition band, streamed from the Harris-Stowe and National Blues Museum Facebook pages.
It will also illuminate a visual, multimedia tribute to HBCUs and several pre-recorded messages from family and friends on behalf of the four legends.
The Tribute to HBCUs and Local Jazz Legends will be live-streamed from the Harris-Stowe Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/HarrisStowe/) and the National Blues Museum Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/NationalBluesMuseum/).
Malena Amusa is communication specialist at Harris-Stowe State University.