-- by Deyana Pangelinan Figure 1: Steve's Gay 90s, April 1951Figure 2: Steve's Gay 90s location, 2018 In 2018, huddled in the dusty dilapidated corner of a slowly deteriorating building on South Tacoma Way lies the recently closed down restaurant of what used to be called, “Ah Badabing Pizzeria” right next to a quaint little... Continue Reading →
-- by Kim Davenport For her final paper in my Musical History of Tacoma class at UW Tacoma, student Kaisa Cannon decided to explore her father's favorite band, Nirvana, and determine whether the band typically associated with Seattle had any roots in Tacoma. Even a casual devotee of the grunge group would likely guess the answer... Continue Reading →
-- by Kim Davenport For many UW Tacoma students, the Tacoma Dome symbolizes the site where they will celebrate their graduation at the conclusion of their studies. But for those who take my 'Musical History of Tacoma' class, it can take on additional significance: as a venue which has hosted a wide range of musical... Continue Reading →
-- by Kim Davenport UW Tacoma student Kaylee Kent began her research paper, which discusses the Tacoma Dome's importance as a music venue, with a simple question: when people think about the City of Tacoma, what is the first thing that comes to mind? She answers her question as follows: For many people, it is... Continue Reading →
First, listen: This song was the inspiration for UW Tacoma student Pearl Lee's research into Tacoma's Japanese Language School and the community which it served. With the building no longer standing, and the song only alive in the memory of students who attended the school many decades ago, it was a haunting but inspiring beginning... Continue Reading →
Armed with a story from Michael Sullivan about railroads, prohibition and jazz in Tacoma and Seattle, UW Tacoma student Robb Todd dove head first into his research project for the 'Musical History of Tacoma' class, making several interesting discoveries along the way. Quoting from Todd's paper: "For Tacoma, there existed three catalysts that propelled Tacoma... Continue Reading →
Several students taking the 'Musical History of Tacoma' course at UW Tacoma were intrigued to research the story of "Red" Kelly, an illustrious jazz bassist who settled in Tacoma in his later years and managed, with his wife Donna, a restaurant and jazz club at the corner of 11th and Tacoma Avenue. Kelly's extensive collection... Continue Reading →
For long-time Tacomans of a certain age, it was a movie theater known as the Music Box, but for the first few decades of its life, it was a stage venue, playing host to a wide range of musical guests. The grand brick structure at the corner of 9th and Broadway, between the Pantages and... Continue Reading →
Tacoma has long been home to a fascinating range of venues utilized for music - many of which no longer exist. This StoryMap is a work in progress to share some of these stories!
Tacoma Music History 