Bay City is the birthplace of pop singer Madonna, but it could one day be home to the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame.
And it might include Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5!
The founder of the hall, LaMont Robinson, plans to meet with Bay City officials to discuss his plan for a $25 million museum. He is shopping the concept to other Michigan cities, including Flint and Detroit.
“I think it would be a great draw, it would really really put Bay City even more on the map,” Robinson said. “Bay City sits in a very, very strategic area for that if the city, state and community got behind it, it could be one of the biggest attractions in the world.”
Robinson has operated the hall out of his Detroit office since 2014.
The hall has inducted members of the genre’s musical pantheon for about a decade, honoring greats such as Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, James Brown and Prince. The organization has collected memorabilia but does not have a museum space to display it. By finding a permanent home, Robinson hopes the hall will become an attraction similar to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Country Music Hall of Fame.
Robinson’s vision is for a highly-interactive museum that includes virtual reality and other technology, a themed restaurant, a theater and a section telling the history of hip-hop in America, he said. Robinson likes Bay City’s proximity to Saginaw and Flint, with communities like Detroit not too far away either, he said.
Bay City Manager Dana Muscott said the city is in preliminary discussions with Robinson and is in the process of setting up an in-person meeting.
Robinson wants to have narrowed down a home by April, so the hall can hold its next induction ceremony in the city. To make that work, he’s willing to move the ceremony back to October at most, he said. It might take a two-year period to raise the funds needed, which Robinson previously estimated to be about $25 million, but the hall will continue to hold induction ceremonies there while they do, he said.
Robinson hopes the public takes an interest in the project and that it can be funded without much strain on taxpayers. He said the organization plans on seeking grants, corporate sponsorships, naming rights and other sources of funding beyond city, state and federal. The opportunity to renovate an existing building would also keep costs down, he said.
“I’ve been actively looking for a city for the past 8 years,” Robinson said. “Before we leave the state of Michigan, I want to give an opportunity to some city that will bring 500,000 people (annually.)”
