This exhibition of sheet music covers and other illustrations is drawn from the collection of Harlem historian John T. Reddick, whose research has focused on that community's Black and Jewish music culture between 1890 and 1930. The illustrations on sheet music served as an essential tool in marketing Tin Pan Alley songs and capturing their spirit in the minds of the public. The sheet music helps tell the stories of the songwriters, music publishers and performers -- many of whom were Eastern European Jewish immigrants and Black Americans -- that formed the sound and industry of American Popular Music in the first half of the 20th Century.

 

Tin Pan Alley, located on 28th Street between Broadway and 6th Avenue in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was the cradle of the music industry in the United States. Here, American popular music as we have come to know it was first manufactured and promoted through sheet music and its compelling representative illustrations. The landmark buildings on that block of 28th Street offer a glimpse into what has become a worldwide cultural force – pop music – at its birthplace. The nonprofit Tin Pan Alley American Popular Music Project commemorates and continues the legacy of Tin Pan Alley, the culturally rich and diverse birthplace of American Popular Music on 28th Street between Broadway and 6th Avenue in New York City. The Project connects people with the power of music as an essential element of New York City and American cultural history.