Imagine Detroit with no music.
No Motown. No gospel. No Jazz. No rock. No rap. No techno. No blues.
Can’t do it, can you? That’s because Detroit and its incredible musical heritage are one and the same. Detroit without music would be nothing more than a spot on the map where people walk around in circles in search of the beat, trying to keep time. A very sad sight indeed.
There is no place on Earth that doesn’t groove to the sound of Us.
Just for starters, Detroit introduced the world to Techno and Motown. Two of the most influential musical genres in the entire world were born right here. And then there’s the list of musical royalty, ranging from rock legends Alice Cooper and the MC5 to jazz giants James Carter and Ron Carter (no relation), rap kings Eminem and Big Sean, hip-hop composers like J Dilla, the genius of Stevie Wonder, the Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin, the powerful gospel offerings of the Wynans, The Clark Sisters and Fred Hammond, to the late great blues great John Lee Hooker.
And those are just a bare handful.
–Detroit Free Press, July 12, 2024
“Detroit deserves a central district for live, local music”
This is how I began my column that ultimately became responsible for the launch of The Detroit Music District and The Detroit Music District Foundation. I have been writing off and on about the importance of Detroit music and musicians for years, but for some reason this particular article attracted attention in a way that my other writings had not managed to accomplish. So much so that I decided writing more articles was no longer enough; it was time to make a bigger move. It was time to make the Detroit Music District a reality.
Because Detroit deserves it. Because Detroit is the indisputable music capital of the world. Not just America; the world. If you know, you know. If you don’t, then now you do. This is not an opinion, this is fact. And yet, despite all the evidence proving Detroit is every bit as bad as we say we are, our city has yet to measure up to our own legacy because we largely take our creative talents far too much for granted.
The purpose of the Detroit Music District will be to establish Detroit as the world’s recognized musical center of gravity. And also as an American treasure.
Keith A. Owens
President and Founder, The Detroit Music District