Happy Juneteenth! AMLP celebrates Black music landmarks and start of Civic Season, nearing US 250th

Today marks the sixth annual federal observation of Juneteenth National Independence Day and the start of Civic Season, also in its sixth year! For these special occasions we are excited to highlight some of the Black music landmarks we've represented in our work so far while also encouraging you to invite Gen Z family and friends to join us now through July 4th to explore how these places and many more have shaped American democracy and the sound of our nation in its 250th year. Add us to your Civic Season playlist!

Last home of blues pioneer Sleepy John Estes - Brownsville, Tennessee

Our inaugural project, the Adopt a Music Landmark program, launched January 25, 2022, the 123rd birthday of blues pioneer Sleepy John Estes. The last home of the "crying" country blues master is one of few that still exist of early blues artists. Providing the public and music fans alike a new and personal way to experience and support public-facing music landmarks, this first initiative helped the Sleepy John Estes Home receive needed repairs and interpretation updates.

Little Richard House + Resource Center - Macon, Georgia

In June 2022 we promoted places depicted in Baz Luhrmann's Elvis through our month-long event Taking Care of Landmarks, including those associated with Black artists who forged roots and rock 'n' roll music and had significantly influenced Elvis Presley’s sound and style. Among them we were honored to spotlight the Little Richard House + Resource Center, childhood home of the Architect of Rock 'n' Roll now also serving as a vital community hub.

House of Miles East St. Louis (HOME) - East St. Louis, Illinois

Our inaugural Music Landmarks Fest in November 2023 featured many music landmarks with deep ties to pioneering African American artists, not least of which included the House of Miles East St. Louis (HOME), the childhood home of Miles Davis! In 2026 the House of Miles is celebrating their 10th year and the 100th birthday of this jazz icon, born May 26, 1926, in nearby Alton, Illinois. In addition to the festivities surrounding these milestone anniversaries, they have also just kicked off a Miles Davis 100 Story collecting initiative. We congratulate our friends and HOME founders Lauren Parks and Jas Gary Pearson, pictured below!

Tina Turner Museum + Childhood Schoolhouse - Brownsville, Tennessee

The world's first and only museum dedicated to the Queen of Rock Tina Turner was also featured in our inaugural Music Landmarks Fest in November 2023. The one-room 1889 Flagg Grove School built by her great uncle Benjamin Flagg in rural Nutbush, Tennessee ("Nutbush City Limits," anyone?), was saved by relocation to the nearby grounds of the West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center. After restoration and rehabilitation, the Tina Turner Museum opened in 2014 in celebration of its most famous student, Anna Mae Bullock. On May 28, 2023, a twilight memorial was held at the museum following her passing May 24, 2023.

John + Alice Coltrane Home - Dix Hills, New York

When debuting our Blueprint Beats initiative in May 2025, the home of legendary jazz power duo Alice and John Coltrane was definitely among the lineup! We congratulate our friends at the John + Alice Coltrane Home on their official April 28, 2026 recognition as a New York State Honored location. This restoration work in progress is surrounded by a yearlong celebration of the John Coltrane Centennial (September 23, 1926).

Hayvenhurst Jackson Family Estate - Encino, California

In May 2026, the historic Jackson family compound of Hayvenhurst took center stage in our premiere of Real to Reel: Music History on Location! Playing a central character in the record-breaking Michael biographical drama, Hayvenhurst was the epicenter of the family's creativity in the 1970s and 1980s, including the production of Michael Jackson's early demos and short film concepts for his iconic solo albums Off the Wall (1979), Thriller (1982) and Bad (1987).