The Motown Sound :: at the LBJ
As a relative newcomer to Austin, I have to admit that visiting the LBJ Presidential Library had not been a real high priority. Like New Yorkers who maybe one day will get around to visiting the Statue of Liberty, I figured when the time was right, I'd one day get on over to the LBJ, maybe with the next out-of-town visitor.
Don't get me wrong! I think that if you overlook Johnson's Vietnam policy, we'd be looking at one of the greatest presidents we've ever had. The more you learn about the hardscrabble background he had to overcome to get to where he got to, there's even more about the man to be impressed about.
Anyway, I'd figure I'd get there soon enough someday.
Then one day this past summer, I heard about the Motown Exhibit at the LBJ, and that was something I was gonna rush down there to soak up, and hoo-wee, am I glad I did.
Motown: the Sound of Young America, curated by the Grammy Museum, is a comprehensive and wonderfully entertaining exhibit, billed as the first major museum exhibition to embrace all facets—music, culture, and politics—of the 1960s biggest sounds in soul.
Of course you'll find a trove of personal artifacts: guitars, fabulous dresses and tuxedos, a notebook of BB King's from the 1950s, and so much more. There's a working jukebox, and audio-visual displays where you can don a pair of headphones, and listen to recently recorded interviews with some of the big names in Motown. I got a big kick out of listening to (and watching twice) Mary Wilson of the Supremes talk about what it was like back in the day.
The folks at the Grammy also thought to include interactive exhibits where you can sing with the Supremes, dance with the Temptations. You can also write lyrics to complete a song, or play along on drums to some classic tunes. Just before leaving, you'll catch a few minutes of The Motown Sound - in Performance at the White House, hosted in Feb., 2011 by President Barak and First Lady Michelle Obama.
If you're visiting from out of town and don't have a lot of time, I'd recommend at least an hour for a quick tour. But if, like me, you might want to spend a little more time with those Motown interviews, and dive a little more deeply into the history of the sound, a couple of hours is still gonna fly right by.
Better hurry, though. The last day to catch Motown: the Sound of Young America is Sun., Jan. 26, 2020. Admission to both the LBJ and the Motown exhibit are included in one ticket, and you'll find info about ticket costs, hours and directions here.
Don't get me wrong! I think that if you overlook Johnson's Vietnam policy, we'd be looking at one of the greatest presidents we've ever had. The more you learn about the hardscrabble background he had to overcome to get to where he got to, there's even more about the man to be impressed about. |
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Then one day this past summer, I heard about the Motown Exhibit at the LBJ, and that was something I was gonna rush down there to soak up, and hoo-wee, am I glad I did.
Motown: the Sound of Young America, curated by the Grammy Museum, is a comprehensive and wonderfully entertaining exhibit, billed as the first major museum exhibition to embrace all facets—music, culture, and politics—of the 1960s biggest sounds in soul.
Of course you'll find a trove of personal artifacts: guitars, fabulous dresses and tuxedos, a notebook of BB King's from the 1950s, and so much more. There's a working jukebox, and audio-visual displays where you can don a pair of headphones, and listen to recently recorded interviews with some of the big names in Motown. I got a big kick out of listening to (and watching twice) Mary Wilson of the Supremes talk about what it was like back in the day. 
The folks at the Grammy also thought to include interactive exhibits where you can sing with the Supremes, dance with the Temptations. You can also write lyrics to complete a song, or play along on drums to some classic tunes. Just before leaving, you'll catch a few minutes of The Motown Sound - in Performance at the White House, hosted in Feb., 2011 by President Barak and First Lady Michelle Obama.If you're visiting from out of town and don't have a lot of time, I'd recommend at least an hour for a quick tour. But if, like me, you might want to spend a little more time with those Motown interviews, and dive a little more deeply into the history of the sound, a couple of hours is still gonna fly right by.
Better hurry, though. The last day to catch Motown: the Sound of Young America is Sun., Jan. 26, 2020. Admission to both the LBJ and the Motown exhibit are included in one ticket, and you'll find info about ticket costs, hours and directions here.
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