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A new public art installation inspired by WFYI’s Echoes of Indiana Avenue was unveiled this summer on the Indianapolis Cultural Trail: A Legacy of Gene and Marilyn Glick. The Indiana Avenue Sound Experience was created for the Indianapolis Cultural Trail’s Indiana Avenue/10th Street expansion. The installation features a network of speakers playing music associated with the Avenue neighborhood from 7am to 10pm daily.
During the 20th Century, Indiana Avenue was a mecca of Black culture in Indiana. Musicians including Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Muddy Waters, Bessie Smith, John Coltrane, Little Richard, and Tina Turner performed in the neighborhood’s venues. The Avenue also provided a stage for Indianapolis legends, like Wes Montgomery, Freddie Hubbard, the Ink Spots, and more. The Indiana Avenue Sound Experience pays tribute to the musicians, teachers, promoters, and record labels connected to this special place, by offering an auditory journey through the musical history of the Avenue.
Music playlists will by created by a group of historians, musicians, and artists — including WFYI’s Kyle Long. For its inaugural phase, the Indiana Avenue Sound Experience has partnered with Herb Miller, founder of the Indianapolis soul music label Lamp Records. From 1969 to 1972, Lamp issues music from prominent Indiana funk and soul performers, including The Vanguards, The Pearls, Ebony Rhythm Band, and Amnesty. Trail visitors will hear a curated playlist of music from Lamp Records’ artists, plus interviews with the musicians recorded by Long. Echoes of Indiana Avenue host Herman “Butch” Slaughter is featured prominently in the installation. Slaughter vocal ensemble, Words of Wisdom, recorded for Lamp.
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