Nebraska Music History Articles
Stories, guides and background reading about the people, places and records behind Nebraska rock and roll, R&B, jazz and country music.
The Nebraska Music Hall of Fame has honored the state's musicians, ballrooms, record labels and music stores since 1994. These articles add context to the inductee pages: how the ballroom circuit worked, why Omaha matters in radio and jazz history, how to collect and care for regional records, and how to preserve the photos, tapes and memories that make a local music scene worth remembering. Each article links back to the related Hall of Fame inductees.
Latest Articles
How Omaha Gave Birth to Top 40 Radio
Todd Storz, a jukebox and a small daytime station called KOWH: the Omaha story behind the Top 40 format.
Read article →Nebraska's Ballroom Circuit: Where Rock and Roll Came to Dance
From big bands to teen dances: how King's, the Pla-Mor, the Skylon and other dance halls built Nebraska rock and roll.
Read article →North Omaha Jazz and R&B: The 24th Street Legacy
The Dreamland Ballroom, territory bands and the Omaha musicians - Wynonie Harris, Preston Love, Buddy Miles - who took North 24th Street's sound worldwide.
Read article →Famous Musicians from Nebraska: Stars with Hall of Fame Roots
From the Eagles and Jimi Hendrix's Band of Gypsys to Count Basie and 38 Special: the Nebraskans who made it big.
Read article →Nebraska Rockabilly: The State's First Rock and Roll Records
Bobby Lowell, Jimmy Akin, Dennis Volk and Sparkle Moore: the 1950s Nebraska rockers whose records are prized worldwide.
Read article →The Midwest Horn Show Band Era: When Rock Bands Went Soul
The Fabulous Flippers started it; The Smoke Ring, The Chancellors and J. Harrison B. followed: the 1960s horn band boom.
Read article →Teen Clubs, Garage Bands and Battles of the Bands in 1960s Nebraska
Sandy's Escape, church-basement dances and battle-of-the-bands nights: how 1960s Nebraska teenagers built a rock scene.
Read article →Collecting Nebraska 45s: A Guide to Regional Rock and Roll Records
Which Nebraska singles to look for, how to spot an original pressing, how grading works and how to care for vintage 45s.
Read article →How to Preserve Band Photos, Posters and Music Memorabilia
Safe storage for photos, posters, clippings, stage clothes and instruments - and how to record the stories behind them.
Read article →How to Digitize Old Band Recordings, Tapes and Records
Rescue rehearsal tapes, live recordings and rare 45s: equipment, settings, file formats and when to call a professional.
Read article →Sun Records and the Nebraska Connection
Sam Phillips' Memphis studio, The Smoke Ring's recording sessions, Dickey Lee and Jerry Phillips: the Memphis-Nebraska link.
Read article →Nebraska Music History Sites You Can Visit
Norfolk's Nebraska Rocks exhibit, Lincoln's Pla-Mor Ballroom and Zoo Bar, North Omaha's Jewell Building and more.
Read article →How to Research Your Hometown's Music History
Newspapers, yearbooks, radio surveys, discographies and oral history interviews: a step-by-step method for documenting local bands.
Read article →