Shake It Records in Northside unveiled plans during Saturday’s Record Store Day for a Sounds of Cincinnati permanent exhibit to be built in a portion of its lower-level, now home to its vinyl records selection. Some vinyl has been moved upstairs to create space.
While the area showed renderings and explained the the exhibit, which will be drawn from co-owner Darren Blase’s collection, the one big artifact displayed on Saturday was the neon sign from Aunt Maudie’s, the historic bluegrass club on Main Street in Over-the-Rhine that predates therediscovery of bluegrass (and Over-the-Rhine) of recent times. The sign will be up through today probably, but then must be returned to the American Sign Museum.
The exhibit, once it debuts in fall, will be a “revolving, multi-sensory” space that covers everything from Mamie Smith (claimed as a Cincinnatian), whose 1920 “Crazy Blues” is considered the first million-selling blues record, to current local artists of importance. It will be drawn from Blase’s collection of photos, legal documents, session logs, photos, rare and unreleased recordings and more.
“We just wanted to put the word out now, because so many people come through here during Record Store Day,” Blase says.
For more information, visit shakeitrecords.com
This article appears in Apr 18-25, 2018.