Omaha Black Music Hall of Fame Facts for Kids

The Omaha Black Music Hall of Fame (OBMHoF) is a special group started in 2005. Its main goal is to celebrate and remember the amazing singers and musicians who began their music careers in Omaha, Nebraska.

It especially focuses on African American music from North Omaha. The Hall of Fame also honors Omaha's long history of blues music, from the 1920s until today. Every two years, the OBMHoF holds ceremonies to welcome new members. These ceremonies highlight many types of music, like classical, rhythm & blues, big band, jazz, and gospel.

About the Hall of Fame
Induction Ceremonies
Recipients
See also

About the Hall of Fame

Vaughn Chatman, who used to be a rhythm-and-blues musician in Omaha and later became a lawyer, created the Omaha Black Music Hall of Fame in 2005. A local newspaper said the Hall of Fame was made to give credit to Omaha's own musicians.

It noted that "Enough Omaha artists have impacted the industry to rival the legacy from historical music hotbeds like Kansas City, Mo." This means Omaha has produced many talented musicians. The newspaper also said that the contributions of these Omaha-born artists might be "one of black music’s largest untold stories." Omaha was also a famous place where many national jazz, blues, and rock stars performed, often at the Dreamland Ballroom.

Induction Ceremonies

The Omaha Black Music Hall of Fame holds its induction ceremonies every two years. These events happen at the same time as the Native Omaha Days. This big event brings thousands of people to the Near North Omaha area to celebrate the history of the African American community in Omaha. The ceremonies take place in different locations, and the number of new members changes each time.

First Ceremony: 2005

The very first Hall of Fame ceremony was held on August 4, 2005. It took place at Harrah's Casino in Council Bluffs, Iowa, which is right next to Omaha. At this first event, 40 talented people were welcomed into the Hall of Fame.

2007 Ceremony

The 2007 induction ceremony was held at the Qwest Center, Omaha. During this event, there were different awards given out. Some were for Gospel, Civic, and Sports achievements, while others were for Blues, Classical, Jazz, and R&B music.

The Hall of Fame honors "inspirational community leaders, exceptional musicians and vocalists." This includes gospel pioneers and top civic leaders. It also celebrates musicians and vocalists who started in Omaha but then moved to other cities to continue their professional music careers. In 2007, a total of 67 people were inducted. This included 23 who were no longer living and 54 who were still alive. They represented many different music genres and had strong ties to Omaha's Black music community. The categories included gospel, R&B, Jazz, Rock & Roll, and Classical music.

2011 Ceremony

The 2011 Omaha's Black Music Hall of Fame inductions happened on July 29, 2011. This ceremony was held at the Slowdown in Omaha, Nebraska. A special moment was the historic performance by the MAN vs MAN Band. This celebrated their 40-year concert reunion! Other artists who performed at the event included Maxayn, Ahnjel, Sam Singleton, and Hank Redd Jr.

The people inducted into the Omaha Black Music Hall of Fame in 2011 were: Hank Redd Jr., Jeanne Rogers, Charles "Chuck" Miller, Red Higgins, Bertha Myers, Adrienne Higgins Brown-Norman, Preston Love, Sam Singleton, Maxayn Lewis. Also inducted was the MAN vs MAN Band, including 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 Davis were also honored.

Recipients

Inductee	Born	Died	Active from	Major Skill(s)	OBMHoF profile	Notes
Lester Abrams	1945		1960s	drummer, vocalist, keyboardist, songwriter, producer	[1]
Wali Ali			1970s	Guitarist, singer	[2]
Donnie Beck	1951		1970s	Drummer, bass guitar, organ, piano, singer, composer, arranger	[3]
Ron E. Beck	1951		1970s	Drummer, singer, composer	[4]
Larry Bell	1941	2004	1960s	Guitar, piano, drums, saxophone	[5]
Percy Le'Roy Chatman		1990	1950s	Singer	[6]
Wesley Devereaux			1950s	Singer	[7]
Joe Leslie Edmonson	1947	2002	1960s	Organist	[8]
Glenn Franklin			1970's	Drummer, Percussionist, Vocalist	[9] [10]	2011 Inductee OBMHoF
Lonzo Franklin		2009	1970's	Vocalist, Songwriter	[11] [12]	2011 Inductee OBMHoF
King Richard Gardner	1932	2016	1950s	Guitar	[13]
Vernon Garrett			1960s	Singer	[14]
Melvin Hall.			1970's	Bass Guitar, Acoustic Bass, Vocalist	[15] [16]	2011 Inductee OBMHoF
Donald Harris.			1970's	Tenor, Alto and Soprano Sax, Vocalist, Songwriter, Producer	[17] [18]	2011 Inductee OBMHoF
Kevin Harris.			1970's	Trombone, Vocalist, Drummer, Songwriter	[19] [20]	2011 Inductee OBMHoF
Len Harris.			1960s	Keyboardist, Organist, Songwriter, Producer, Recording Engineer	[21] [22]	Recording profile aka "The Duke" [23], also known for his Perfect Pitch note recognition abilities. 2011 Inductee OBMHoF
Wynonie Harris, aka "Mr. Blues"	1920	1969	1940s	Singer	[24]
Lloyd Hunter		1961	1920s	Trumpeter, Band Leader	[25]
Stemsy Hunter (Stemziel Hunter)			1960s	Saxophone	[26]
Sylvester (Syl) Johnson (deceased)	1948		1970s	Singer	[27]
Helen Jones Woods	1925		1940s	Trombone	[28]
Calvin Keys	1942		1960s	jazz guitarist	[29]
Michael Andre Lewis			1960s	Singer, keyboards, synthesizers, band leader, composer, producer	[30]
Merle Lewis			1970s	Singer	[31]
Victor Lewis	1950		1960s	Drummer	[32]
Preston Love	1921	2004	1940s	Alto sax, Band Leader	[33]
Arno Lucas			1970s	Singer, songwriter	[34]
Eugene "Booker" McDaniels			1950s	Songwriter, producer	[35]
Walter McKinney			1960's	Guitarist, Songwriter, Vocalist, Studio Musician	[36] [37]	2011 Inductee OBMHoF; Performed and recorded with many artists including Rose Royce
Lois “Lady Mac” McMorris			1970s	Lead guitar, rhythm guitar, upright bass, electric bass, keyboards, drum programmer, arranger, vocalist, composer	[38]
Ernest "Curly" Martin			1960s	Drummer/percussionist	[39]
Buddy Miles (George Miles)	1945	2008	1960s	Drums, vocals, band leader	[40]
Professor Charles Miller			1970s	Trumpeter, conductor	[41]
Ruth Norman			1950s	Composer, pianist	[42]
Mason Prince			1950s	Trumpet	[43]
Billy Rich			1950s	Electric Bass Guitar	[44]
Carolyn Rich			1960s	Vocalist	[45]
Herbie Rich		2004	1950s	Keyboards, saxophone, singer	[46]
Billy Rogers	1950	1987	1970s	Guitarist	[47]
Carol Jean Rogers	1954		1970s	Singer	[48]
Jeanne Rogers	1934		1960s	Pianist, singer	[49]
Keith Rogers	1954		1980s	Producer	[50]
Sam Singleton.	1943		1960s	Promoter, Producer, Vocalist	[51]	2011 Inductee OBMHoF
Leslie Orlando Smith	1949		1970s	Singer	[52]
Steppen Stonz	1972		1970s	Three vocalists supported by two musicians (drums and keyboards)	[53]
Luigi Waites			1950s	percussionist	[54]
Lalomie (Lomie) Washburn		2004	1960s	Singer, songwriter	[55]
Richetta (Lewis) Wilson			1950s	Singer	[56]

During one ceremony, the group Steppen Stonz also received a special "Showcase Legend Award."

Omaha Black Music Hall of Fame facts for kids

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