by Julie Barker On an especially wet and moody, quintessential Tacoma evening in November 2022, I fell in love in more ways than one. I was enrolled in a class at the University of Washington Tacoma titled Tacoma Music History. Ever the extra-credit enthusiast, I found myself climbing the Spanish Steps of the historic, recently... Continue Reading →
by Gerry Weir The Elks Lodge located at 565 Broadway was constructed in Tacoma in 1916. The building was opened up to the Elks Temple members and their families for the first time on February 19th 1916. This 44,361 square foot building was constructed with seven different floors, many kinds of rooms, several banquet halls,... Continue Reading →
by Chelsie Morgan Allow me to take you back in time to arguably the best era of music: the year is 1983 and we are about 45 minutes south of Seattle (WITHOUT traffic) in a smelly yet endearing port city called Tacoma. Practicing in their parents’ garage off 56th St., a new band has been... Continue Reading →
-by Maria Ruiz One of the most influential bands to come out of Tacoma has definitely got to be The Sonics. They are responsible for paving the way for garage rock and punk rock music that began in the seventies and prevailed in the nineties. The Sonics were a rock band formed in 1960. The... Continue Reading →
-by Tobias Daugherty Welcome to the Pacific Northwest: home of stunning landscapes, a constant drizzle of rain (if we believe the portrayals in movies and media), five active volcanoes, and the birthplace of the grunge music movement. It’s no surprise that the state of Washington birthed this gritty, self-aware, and often experimental genre, considering the... Continue Reading →
UW Tacoma student Rachel Wilkinson pursued research into Bill Engelhart and the Bluenotes, one of Tacoma's earliest rock-n-roll bands. Her research resulted in two fantastic artifacts which we're happy to share here: Research paper: Little Bill and the Bluenotes: Tacoma's First Rock Band Multimedia presentation: Little Bill and the Bluenotes: The Life and Times of Bill... Continue Reading →
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 Music History 