UW Tacoma student Marissa Edwards chose to explore the Tacoma rock band 'The Fabulous Wailers' for her research project in the Musical History of Tacoma course. Learn more by reading Marissa's research paper, or exploring her very informative PowerPoint slides!
Ted Brown Music now resides on Tacoma Mall Boulevard, but prior to moving to that new facility, the family-run business was located in the heart of downtown for several decades. UW Tacoma student Ashley Sowle explored some of the company's history as her final project for the Musical History of Tacoma class at UW Tacoma.... Continue Reading →
UW Tacoma student Tracie Huynh explored The Ventures, known as 'the band that launched a thousand bands', as her final project for the Musical History of Tacoma class at UW Tacoma. To learn more about this important Tacoma band, read Tracie's research paper, or check out her multimedia presentation!
Tacoma historian Michael Sullivan was kind enough to sit down with me for a conversation about music's role in Tacoma's history, which I shared with my students taking my 'Musical History of Tacoma' course at UW Tacoma. Our wide-ranging conversation begins with the arrival of the railroad, and extends to about 1950. Enjoy! https://vimeo.com/202963786/f8b27009e1 Video... 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 →
Welcome!
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!
This short documentary by Randy Sparks is an excellent introduction to some of the great rock-n-roll bands to come out of Tacoma beginning in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Well worth the time of anyone interested in music, Tacoma history, or both! Tacoma's Rock-n-Roll Legends from Randy Sparks on Vimeo.
Tacoma Music History 