Memphis music and the world lost a giant yesterday, as legendary producer and Memphis-music icon Jim Dickinson passed away. Every single day (361 days of the year), one of the first voices a staff member at the Memphis Rock 'n' Soul Museum hears is that of Jim Dickinson, recorded and presented forever on the introductory video which welcomes guests to the museum about the origins and explosion of Memphis music and its impact on the world, as researched and told (and in this case with Mr. Dickinson, interviewed and recorded) by the Smithsonian Institution.

Rock 'n' Soul staff hear his powerful voice every single morning when the museum opens for business and welcomes the first guest, as he informs tourists from all over the globe who come to Memphis just for a visit or for a musical pilgrimage... "It was more than just white teenagers listening to black music, it was the birth of rock 'n' roll." There you have it, in words as clear and as poignant as his music.

The Memphis Rock 'n' Soul Museum has been in discussions with the Smithsonian Institution about the ownership rights to that exhibition video, and to the entire interview footage with Jim Dickinson and dozens of others who chronicled the birth of rock and soul music for the Smithsonian and for the Memphis Rock 'n' Soul museum. A day like yesterday is exactly why we want to own that video and that interview. For many years to come, no one will tell and portray the magnitude of Memphis music like Jim Dickinson. We look forward to hearing his voice and his lessons every single morning when the museum doors are opened.