Rebranding could broaden hall of fame’s appeal
It’s almost a museum inside a museum.
Tucked away upstairs in a back room of the Alabama Music Hall of Fame are numerous items that have been donated since the museum opened in 1990.
Climb a ladder and you are greeted by an old two-track, Scully one-fourth-inch tape recorder and a Mellotron keyboard.
David Johnson, executive director of the hall of fame, picks up a dusty-framed acetate, a lacquer-coated aluminum record used mainly for reference purposes, from Memphis Recording Services.
A rack of clothing includes a red jumpsuit bearing the name of Jimmy Buffett and an old outfit worn by Jim Nabors, the Alabama performer known for his portrayal of the lovable Marine, Gomer Pyle.
Johnson points to a box of photographs of country music pioneer Buddy Killen that were given to the hall of fame after Killen’s death in 2006.
There is an old device that records sound onto a thin strand of wire. Johnson said the unit still works.
Against a wall are file boxes containing various items that belonged to Hank Williams, Hank Williams Jr., Sonny James, Jimmy Buffett, Alabama and Tammy Wynette.
David Johnson said he would like to display those items, but there isn’t room.
There also isn’t enough money to expand the museum, which is about to reach its 20th anniversary.
Johnson said the museum had plenty of room for new exhibits when it opened in 1990, but hundreds of items have been added.
The museum features several static exhibits, such as the tour bus belonging to the country group Alabama, a working recording studio, the golden country convertible and wax figures of Hank Williams and Nat King Cole that cannot be removed.
It also has glass display cases that house exhibits and items that can be removed, and Johnson said they try to rotate exhibits about twice a year.
There have been special occasions when something in particular needed to be exhibited, and the hall of fame will make space for a temporary display.
The board of directors is working on a variety of ideas to create a renewed interest in the museum, which has been mistakenly referred to as a “country music museum” or a museum of Muscle Shoals music.
In early 2010, the board will reveal a new Alabama Music Hall of Fame logo and a marketing strategy that will reach out to other parts of the state and the Southeast.
John Briggs, chairman of the Alabama Music Hall of Fame’s board, said the Birmingham marketing firm Big evaluated the overall image of the hall of fame.
“Based on their input, we collectively felt we should move forward with a new coat of paint by rebranding the Alabama Music Hall of Fame,” Briggs said.
Board member Sara Hamlin, vice president of the Greater Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau, recruited Big and provided insight into the creation of a new logo and the strategies related to rebranding the hall of fame.
“Our ultimate goal is to increase the awareness of the museum from a state, national and international basis,” Briggs said.
Hamlin said she is thrilled at how the board has united to create a strategic plan to reach this goal.
“We see the hall of fame in a great position to move forward,” Hamlin said.
One way to take advantage of some of the items in storage is to take the Alabama Music Hall of Fame on the road in the form of traveling exhibits that could make stops at various places throughout the state or at festivals such as Big Spring Jam or the BamaJam.
“There’s quite a bit of inventory, and certainly that could lead to some traveling exhibits and changing the current look of the museum,” Hamlin said.
Johnson said the original plans for the hall of fame consisted of a museum, a library and a performance hall.
So far, only the museum has been built, but Johnson is confident the remaining buildings will be completed.
One way the board hopes to accomplish these goals is through forming a foundation to raise money.
Money, board member Buel Springer said, is the main thing holding back the hall of fame.
Johnson said most museums are supported by separate foundations.
“It’s not that we don’t have the ideas or the people capable of getting this stuff done, we just have to have the money,” Springer said.
By Russ Corey
Staff Writer
Times Daily
