Music History - Atlas Obscura
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Music History

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Harley performing with Sonny Rollins at Switzerland's Montreux Jazz Festival in 1974.
music

Meet Rufus Harley, the First Jazz Bagpiper

Jazz met the Highlands when Harley met the bagpipes.
Ashawnta Jackson November 10, 2017
The Kalamazoo Gals.
Kalamazoo, Michigan

The Old Gibson Guitar Factory

The Kalamazoo factory has 100 years of instrument-making, and one big wartime secret.
A 1970s Portapak. Affordable and portable video made it possible to democratize television.
television

The Revolution Was Televised, Thanks to This 25-Pound Video Rig

In the 1970s, the Portapak gave a voice to outsiders and changed media forever.
Ashawnta Jackson November 3, 2017
Just a bit of the BPL's 200,000-piece record collection.
libraries

Digitizing the Boston Public Library's Forgotten Record Collection

It will take years, but all 200,000 pieces of vinyl discovered in a basement will one day be available to the public.
Ashawnta Jackson October 24, 2017
The Wurlitzer 4/26, named for its four keyboards and 26 sets of different sounding pipes.
music

In Brooklyn, a Rare Concert Organ Takes a (Hopefully Temporary) Bow

Long Island University's 1928 Wurlitzer will go quiet for at least the next two years.
Ashawnta Jackson October 24, 2017
Henry VIII: Recorder Hero.
music

Celebrating Henry VIII's Love Affair With the Humble Recorder

The infamous king wrote original compositions for everyone's grade-school flute.
Eric Grundhauser October 17, 2017
Beatles Park
Walnut Ridge, Arkansas

Beatles Park

This small Arkansas town once had a close encounter with the Beatles, and are determined never to let anyone forget that. Ever.
"All the people that come and go..."
Liverpool, England

Penny Lane

The Liverpool street made famous by the Beatles is real.
The former Washington
Washington, D.C.

Washington Coliseum

A historic arena where the Beatles played their first concert in the U.S.
Hare Krishna Tree in Tompkins Square Park main plaza
New York, New York

Hare Krishna Tree

One of the few remaining American elm trees in New York’s Tompkins Square Park was the birthplace of a new religion.
The entrance to Strawberry Field in 2021
Liverpool, England

Strawberry Field

The quiet field that inspired one of the most famous songs of all time.
The Lennon Wall.
Prague, Czechia

Lennon Wall

Despite attempts by local police to discourage it, Beatles-inspired graffiti has been a means for artists to air grievances for decades.
Queens, New York

Steinway Piano Factory

Piano-making empire filled with 200-year-old steam machines still churning out 1,000 instruments a year.
A locally made sign points the way to the complex.
Rishikesh, India

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Ashram

The abandoned site of the Beatles spiritual awakening and subsequent revolt.
Moscow, Russia

A.N. Scriabin Memorial Museum

A museum dedicated to controversial Russian pianist Alexander Scriabin.
New York, New York

Strawberry Fields Memorial

This mosaic dedicated to John Lennon was tended for years by a Beatles super-fan.
Berlin, Germany

Ramones Museum

Blitzkrieg bop your way through Berlin's Ramones Museum.