Just months after Thomas Edison unveiled the phonograph, the oldest playable recording of an American voice and the earliest known recording of a musical performance took place in St. Louis in June 1878.
Known as the “St. Louis Tinfoil,” this oldest existing piece of American sound recording featured a reading of “Mary Had a Little Lamb” and “Old Mother Hubbard” by St. Louis journalist Thomas Mason, as well as a cornet solo of an unidentified song.
The St. Louis Tinfoil is among the approximately 200 artifacts on display for “St. Louis Sound,” a major exhibition that opens at the Missouri History Museum on Saturday, Aug. 28 and runs through Jan. 22, 2023.
“St. Louis offers this fascinating cross-section of America in a way no other place can – we’re sort of equal parts north, south, east, west, connected in every direction by river and rail,” said Andrew Wanko, public historian and content lead for the exhibit. “This cross-section is so rich and full of stories, and you can see that in the music. We have musicians who are not just popular in music, we have musicians who were genre-definers – people like Chuck Berry, Tina Turner and Scott Joplin – who reinvented what music meant. Those who came after them would never be the same. St. Louis is unique that we are not just tied to one genre or one sound, we have been vital to just about every genre you can think of.”
The exhibit chronicles the history of popular music from the dawn of recorded sound to the heyday of ragtime with Scott Joplin; to the early years of world-renowned entertainer Josephine Baker, who staged dance performances on the streets near Union Station; to the rock ‘n’ roll years of Chuck Berry and Ike and Tina Turner, and all the way to the turn of the 21st century when an aspiring rapper who called himself Nelly hit it big with his chart-topping “Country Grammar” debut album.
“Nearly a decade ago, when (the museum) began talking about St. Louis’ music legacy, we realized we have never done an exhibit that looked across St. Louis’ spectrum of popular music in one place, where people get a big sense of what has come out of St. Louis,” Wanko said. “St. Louis has long been under-represented nationally in terms of its music heritage. We aren’t often talked about as one of the first cities for music – we definitely deserve to be.”
After years of planning and hundreds of meetings involving artists, musicians, historians and other sources across the St. Louis community and beyond, Wanko says the museum uncovered “massive stories waiting to be told.”
“We’re learning the real stories behind early country music, punk rock and hip-hop in St. Louis,” he said. “Many of these stories hadn’t really been catalogued in a definitive way – a lot of it was talking to people and getting their first-hand accounts – it was a huge undertaking.”
Some examples include bands like The Welders, an all-girl ‘70s punk-rock band from North County whose recordings preceded the acclaim of The Ramones and The Clash. There’s also a section that details the St. Louis hip-hop scene in the 1980s, pre-Nelly. One display tells the story of St. Louis blues great Henry Townsend, whose career spanned nine consecutive decades! The piano he used to compose, record and play music is making its public debut at the exhibit, complete with notes on the keys done by permanent marker, which Townsend used to aid in teaching his students.
Among other artifacts culled from national artists, local legends and concert venues are a dress worn by Tina Turner on “The Tonight Show;” guitars owned by Chuck Berry, Jay Farrar, Jeff Tweedy, Albert King and Mel Bay; pieces of the stage from Mississippi Nights, which hosted acts such as The Police and Nirvana (the band’s only St. Louis appearance); and items from historic Gaslight Square, including one of the iconic street light fixtures that once dotted the district.
In addition, the exhibit offers an interactive “St. Louis Sound” Spotify playlist featuring songs from St. Louis artists. Bring headphones to listen to the playlist from your smartphone.
To celebrate the exhibit’s grand opening, the Missouri History Museum is presenting a weekend lineup of free indoor and outdoor performances, including a concert by Grammy Award-winning artist Murphy Lee of the St. Lunatics. Others slated to perform include the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Funky Butt Brass Band, Bobby Norfolk as Scott Joplin and pianist Brad Ellebrecht. A complete schedule of events for Saturday, Aug. 28, and Sunday, Aug. 29, can be found by visiting the exhibit’s event page.
“St. Louis Sound” runs Aug. 28 to Jan. 22, 2023. Admission is free.
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