National R&B Hall of Fame being built in the Mississippi Delta

MARKS, Miss. (WLBT) - Many call Mississippi “The Birthplace of American Music.” Now, an R&B Hall of Fame will soon take shape in the Delta.

National R&B Hall of Fame Founder/CEO LaMont Robinson says after years and years of attempts to make it happen, the dream of building an R&B Hall of Fame to honor some of the greatest entertainers in the world is now coming to fruition.

“It’s just a powerful element that has never been told before,” Robinson said. “This is the one and only. It’s not going to be another one. You have Prince, Michael, Elvis, Whitney, Aretha Franklin, [and] all the Motown acts. I think with this array of people and the history, people will come see it.”

The plan is to build a state-of-the-art, world-class Hall of Fame structure. The foundation was founded in 2010, and it has inducted over 200 world-renowned artists. The goal is to highlight these stars with interactive exhibits, holograms, classic instruments, and lots of great music.

“We are not building a funeral home with lights. We are building an experience. It will be the Disney land of music,” said Robinson.

Marks, Mississippi, will be the new home for the Hall of Fame center. In fact, the City of Marks and Quitman County has donated five acres of land known as Industrial Park and $500,000 from a state grant to jump-start this one-of-a-kind international tourist attraction.

“I think it will make for a great tourist destination, and I have heard from people all over the world would come once it is built, and I am quite happy,” Robinson said.

The ground-breaking ceremony will kick off the Annual Mules & Blues Fest on Friday, September 30. The foundation expects it to take 24 months to build.

The foundation says it will take 30 million dollars to build. It has brought in some partners to assist with funding, and it’s currently conducting a GOFUNDME campaign to help complete this project.

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