Colorado blues artist Otis Taylor at a music workshop during the Trance Blues Festival in Boulder in 2016. Taylor was inducted into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame in 2019. John Denver, Judy Collins and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band have for decades symbolized Colorado music, reinforcing the sense that our folk, pop and rock scenes are the foundations on which all others have built.
“We also will have another jazz class in the fall, which will be our second in all of 13 years,” said Radman, who joined CMHOF in January 2020 and became full-time director one year later.“We’re trying to ensure that we’re hitting different kinds of musical genres and that we’re doing more in diversity and inclusiveness in genres, geography, and in the demographics of individuals,” she said.
Radman said the resources that CMHOF is now offering through its Keep the Beat program have been compiled from a long list of proven partners. It’s offering 25 mini-grants of $1,000 each to musicians in counseling services — with a minimum of eight sessions provided — thanks to Sweet Relief Musicians Fund and Backbeat Foundation. The hall’s programs are open to not only artists, but also to industry professionals such as lighting crews, stagehands and tour workers.