Sioux City got a chance Saturday afternoon to experience the city’s music history on one of its most historic streets.
In the 1850′s West 7th Street was among the first plots of land that later became what we now know as Sioux City. In the 1930s the place was a melting pot of cultures and backgrounds; and was the city’s epicenter of rock n’ roll, jazz and gospel music. And this weekend West 7th Street held a festival to celebrate their rich music history.
“There was a lot going on here, culturally, there was an interesting mix of people,” said Matt Anderson, curator of history at the Sioux City public museum. “As the African-American community got more established, the music scene was an important part of that; especially jazz, blues, R&B, and rock n’ roll. That’s always been a part of the history here on West 7th.”
Saturday afternoon, Sounds of West 7th Street serenaded downtown Sioux City.
“It’s really fun, we’re excited to have folks come out and relive the history of West 7th, there used to be a big jazz club scene here. We’re excited to relive those moments,” said Sioux City’s community inclusion liaison Semehar Ghebrekidan.
