Live! From Prince George's County: Exploring the History of Music and Place

Abstract

The history of live music in Prince George’s County is inextricably linked to place—landscapes, communities, and structures have all influenced, and been influenced by, music. Crescendo Preservation, a team of nine graduate students in the University of Maryland, College Park, Historic Preservation program enrolled in the Historic Preservation Studio Workshop (HISP650), completed this project in response to a Request for Proposals from the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC). The Partnership for Action Learning in Sustainability (PALS) hosted and funded the project as part of the M-NCPPC series, “The Sounds of Prince George’s County.” The team researched live music venue history from 1910- 2010 in Prince George’s County, identifying over one hundred sites that encapsulate the county's rich history of live music. A multitude of famous musicians, varied genres, and clientele made each venue unique. Twenty-seven key sites were determined to be particularly significant to the history and development of live music in the county. Some of these sites require further evaluation for historic designation in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and the Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties (MIHP). The compilation of this research revealed additional contextual information on larger themes, such as cultural history and contributions to live music, strong emphasis on craft through activities like entrepreneurship and grassroots efforts, as well as a complicated history of the relationship between live music and the law.