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National R&B HOF Looking At Augusta as a Possible Site

National R&B HOF Considering Augusta as a Possible Home

Augusta, Georgia and Southfield, Michigan – June 10, 2020 –
On June 13th, 2019, The NRBHOF held its 8th Annual Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in Detroit, and now the number of inductees has risen to over 200. That is why LaMont Robinson has stated: “Now, it is more imperative than ever, for the NRBHOF to find a home for its inductees. I feel that the city of Augusta is the right destination for this project.

Along with the possibility of the annual Induction Ceremony Weekend moving to Augusta in the summer of 2021, the ultimate goal is to build a 30-50,000 sq. ft state-of-the art interactive museum featuring 3-D virtual reality exhibits, which will also house memorabilia of past inductees such as Michael Jackson, James Brown, B.B. King, Sam Cooke, Jackie Wilson, Jimi Hendrix, Prince, Aretha Franklin, Elvis, and Whitney Houston. It will take visitors on a journey of the history of R& B music from the days of the “Chitin’ Circuit”, to historic venues and nightclubs, while also highlighting radio personalities, and unsung heroes. This project will have a Hall of Fame “Walk of Fame” (statues lining the front of the museum), music themed restaurant, gift shop, exclusive wings, such as The Georgia Experience, highlighting the R&B greats of Georgia like Ray Charles, Otis Redding, Little Richard, and The Godfather of Soul, James Brown, Hip-Hop of America, which will highlight the history of hip-hop and it’s strong connection to R&B via sampling, and other wings dedicated to the offshoots of R&B (jazz, rock, funk, etc.).

The NRBHOF is not seeking taxpayer dollars to finance this endeavor, but rather, will seek corporate/private donations, proceeds from naming rights, public fundraising drives, etc. The estimated cost of the museum ranges from 10-50 million dollars, depending on the size and building from scratch vs a pre-fabricated building renovation.

The NRBHOF will be an integral part of the local community, which includes the educational system. In addition to working with local musical programs already established, there are even plans for many year-round activities and programs to engage the youth of the CSRA.

Members of the community that have been made aware of the preliminary plans to move the NRBHOF to Augusta have been very supportive. Augusta County Commissioner Marion Williams is very excited about the prospects of the NRBHOF locating to Augusta. Deanna Brown-Thomas of the James Brown estate has been a long-time supporter of the NRBHOF (Her father was inducted twice as a musician-2013, and as a songwriter-2017).

Robinson has stated: “Our goal now, is to have a face-to-face meeting with the mayor of Augusta and its city officials to get their support for this project, that will bring over 500,000 visitors to Augusta, as well as providing over 250 local jobs

Many already consider Augusta the Golf Capital of the World because of the Masters, now Augusta would also be considered the R&B Capital of the World, as the home of the National R&B HOF.

Visit the website: https://www.rbhof.com.


LaMont Robinson the Founder/CEO of the National Rhythm and Blues (R&B) Hall of Fame (NRBHOF) has announced: “Cleveland has the Rock HOF and Nashville has the Country Music HOF. Now Augusta has the opportunity to be considered the home of the National Rhythm & Blues HOF, which will be a national and international major tourist attraction for the City of Augusta.”

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Last updated on July 24, 2020

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