James Brown’s eel skin boots have been replaced by Little Richard’s iconic silver lamé cape in a rotating display of Georgia musical greats curated by the University of Georgia Special Collections Libraries.
The change comes as part of an annual rotation at the Georgia Music Collections exhibit at Akins Ford Arena, part of the Classic Center in Athens, which opened last year.
“With so many amazing musicians with ties to our state, we will never run out of stories in the Georgia Music Collections exhibit,” said Ryan Lewis, curator of music and popular culture at Special Collections. “For those who enjoyed seeing Cindy Wilson’s famous beehive from The B-52’s or the sequined Nudie suit from Whisperin’ Bill Anderson, now you can come back to the arena and take in the stylings of Trisha Yearwood, the Black Crowes, and TLC.”
To preserve the condition of the artifacts, costumes, posters, and other memorabilia, some items in the display are removed after six months, while others remain for about a year. When not on display, items within the Georgia Music Collections are stored in the Special Collections Libraries Building on UGA’s campus, where researchers and members of the community can access the materials upon request.
For more information, visit our Special Collections website.