Behind the Scenes: One Nation Under a Groove

HB3 on September 3, 2020

The National Museum of African American Music’s Henry Hicks shares his love of music, the story behind the collections and his hopes for future exhibits
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H. Beecher Hicks, or Henry to all who know him, moved to Nashville in 2009 after buying a business here. That he might one day be running a museum — much less one that wasn’t built yet — was probably furthest from his mind. But in 2010, he joined the board of the National Museum of African American Music (NMAAM), and by 2013, he was named its CEO. His impressive career in the private, public and nonprofit sectors made him the perfect choice to make NMAAM a reality.

More than 20 years in the making, NMAAM is finally readying to host a grand opening next year (after being postponed by complications due to COVID-19). The museum will feature a collection of more than 1,500 artifacts and over 25 interactive touch points in five galleries, a theater and library across 56,000 square feet in the new Fifth + Broad development. Combining the best of music museums with history museums, it showcases Black music from the 1600s to the present day and highlights the stories that African Americans have made to American music and culture. 

Music is a catalyst for inclusion, and Henry says, “At NMAAM, we bring people together with a unified shout of ‘One Nation Under a Groove.’” Intentionally, NMAAM will also serve as a social justice center by bringing people together and helping people understand the humanity and the genius of African American contributions to our society.

We caught up with Henry, who told us where his love of music comes from, the most fascinating items in the collection and who he thinks we might see in a future exhibit.

For the latest news and updates on NMAAM’s opening, visit nmaam.org.

What is the most important thing you want people to know about NMAAM? It is the manifestation of a dream long held by many hundreds of Nashvillians and embraced by fans from around the country. It is disruptive in that it accurately centers African Americans in the narrative of American culture and music, but it is also a place where all are welcome to come and join in the fun.

What’s the most unusual fact or fascinating item you have found in the collection? The items on loan to us from the Ray Charles Foundation, more than 15 years after his death, were simply hanging in his wardrobe closet at his office. We also have a trombone from Helen Jones Woods, who recently passed. She was an original member of the International Sweethearts of Rhythm, an all-female, multi-ethnic jazz band that toured the country in the 1940s. Just imagine how unique — and dangerous — that was at the time! Each of the artifacts has a story. Families and artists cherish these items; if you look closely, they tell the tale of not just a career but of our country and culture.

Where does your interest in music come from? Music has always been central to my life, from singing in the choir at church, watching Soul Train as a kid, being entranced by hip-hop from its birth, being immersed in D.C.’s go-go music in high school and getting turned on to cool jazz in college. There is a soundtrack to my life. I’ll bet that you have one, too.

Are there any contemporary or up-and-coming musicians today that you can see in a future exhibit? Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and Kirk Franklin are both icons, and each has so much more creativity to share. There will be complex stories to tell about their careers and impact.

When you have out-of-town guests visiting, where do you take them? My wife and I love to go to Bourbon Street Blues and Boogie Bar to see Bizz & Everyday People. It’s a late night but more than worth it. Friends are never disappointed.

What’s your favorite locally made product? Slim & Husky’s pizza and The Cupcake Collection cupcakes.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? My grandfather often quoted Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: “The heights by great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night.”

What’s the one thing you hope never changes in Nashville? The feeling that Nashville is a “big ol’ small town.” The close-knit nature of the community here is what makes it a special place to live and do business.

Blessing in the Quarantine

HB3 on July 18, 2020

Today is a Tuesday

Had breakfast with my kids

Took a walk with my bride

Put in 9 hours at the (home) office

               Solved a problem or two

               Raised some money

               Coached a colleague

                                                   

Sat on my porch

Attended a birthday party in Chicago

Watch Bible study on You Tube

Looked out the window for a few minutes

Read a chapter or two of a dusty book on my nightstand

Had dinner with the family

Washed dishes

Went into a store – with a mask on

Took a stroll to the mailbox

Ate a cookie

Listened to some jazz and some trap

Laughed a few times

Called a friend in New York

Researched our next vacation

Bought something unrelated on Amazon

Watched an episode of Billions

In bed at a reasonable hour

There’s a blessing in the quarantine

The Insignificance of Your Personal Brand

hbeecherhicks on March 23, 2020




Over the last several weeks I’ve read a number of articles and had a number of conversations about personal branding.  Each have been interesting; some even compelling  A couple have had me to stop and consider the merits of the concept.

How could I not?  Coined by noted author Tom Peters in a Fast Company article entitled “The Brand Called You,” the subject of personal branding has been discussed since at least 1997.  But it seems to get new life with each successive professional generation and with more recent articles such as “Creating Your Personal Brand,” and others in publications such as Forbes and the New Yorker it’s hard not to give new attention to this decades-old topic. 

I’ve learned that “personal branding is the practice of marketing people and their careers as brands. It is an ongoing process of developing and maintaining a reputation and impression of an individual…”  That’s interesting.

I’ve even learned on LinkedIn that there are people out there who make a career out of being a Personal Brand Strategist.  Cool!  Must be nice work if you can get it.

I do understand that in our 24/7, selfie taking, social-media driven, “look at me” culture and in a job market that is in a state of rapid evolution it is beneficial to stand out when pitching for a contract or applying for a gig.  But if there is one thing that I take away from the articles that I’ve read and the conversations that I’ve had on the subject of personal branding it is this:  They are all wrong!

Personal branding devotees each seek to entice you to consider how important your personal brand is, and to do something about it. 

Be careful.  Tread lightly. 

If your rationale for building a personal brand is to get attention so that you can get the next job, make more money, or to feed your ego, then you can do that…  Doing so will likely be short-lived, difficult to sustain and unfulfilling.  It doesn’t take long for people to spot an “empty suit.”  If you want your “five minutes,” it’s never been easier to get it.  But that’s much different than creating a legacy, having your work speak for itself or creating a lasting brand.

I’m here to attest to the insignificance of your personal brand.

None of those articles and books, and too few of those consultants, will tell you to achieve something worth hanging a brand on first.  In the era where every kid on the team gets a trophy, whether the team was any good or not, we want to believe that we should all be noticed, that we should all be invited to give the keynote address, and that we all are an expert at something.

Even Mr. Peters puts it this way in his blog, “A personal brand is your promise to the marketplace and the world. Since everyone makes a promise to the world, one does not have a choice of having or not having a personal brand. Everyone has one. The real question is whether someone’s personal brand is powerful enough to be meaningful to the person and the marketplace.”



You may be competent; that doesn’t make you an expert.  You may have skill; that doesn’t make you an icon.  You may be well trained; that doesn’t make you a virtuoso.  You may be experienced; that doesn’t make you the best.  You may have a degree or two, or three; that doesn’t necessarily mean that the world should listen.

Please don’t misunderstand.  Professional self-confidence is a good thing.  I have no desire to diminish all of your hard work and what you have accomplished.  Rather, my intent is to ask, what is it that you’ve accomplished exactly?  What of note is among your body of work?

What no one seems willing to say is that your personal brand is insignificant.  What matters is the work!

Think about it for minute.  The most admired of leaders – people who definitely have personal brands – began with an objective of meeting a need or of serving a purpose.  The work that they do was born out of a passion for achieving that goal.  They did it well and for a sustained period of time.  The persevered through good times and bad, through ups and downs, and they are admired because of it.  Evangelizing for that cause and showing results created believers and therefore the individual became synonymous with the work.  That is the definition – no, the manifestation of a personal brand.

In other words, service to the cause creates a strong personal brand.  You won’t have to work so hard to build the brand because the people you serve will help out.  They will tell your story for you because the work that you’ve done matters to them.  The work is what matters much more than joining another professional organization or incessant posting on LinkedIn or the ‘Gram.


The work that you do – its novelty, its scale and its impact – is what people notice and it is what defines and what drives your personal brand.  Not the other way around.

Neither your podcast, your social media profile, the panel discussions you participate in nor your logo, your wardrobe or your hair color are the driving factor in building a personal brand.

It’s the work.

So go do that.

Find or create a job that you care about.  Work hard at it.  Purpose to change the world, or to change someone’s life.  Be determined to make a difference.  Overcome obstacles.  Fight without ceasing.  Do more with less.  Make a miracle happen.

People will notice.  They will ask you to share your secrets.  You’ll tell them that it wasn’t as easy as it looks.  You won’t say that your Twitter followers made a big difference.  You’ll say that it took a team to do it.  You won’t say that those speaking engagements were a key part of your success.  You’ll report that you were honored to have been a part of it all.  You won’t say that you were the only one who could have pulled it off.  You’ll say that you grew because of it, and that the sacrifice was worth it.  You won’t likely say, “that article I read on personal branding gave me the confidence I needed.”  But you’ll be proud of yourself.  The work will have made you a brand.


National Museum of African American Music opens in Nashville

hbeecherhicks on February 17, 2020

A new museum in Nashville aims to preserve the legacy of African American music. The National Museum of African American Music will be the only institution dedicated to showcasing music genres created, influenced, and inspired by black Americans. Since 2002, the museum has raised $60 million and collected 1,500 artifacts. Museum president and CEO Henry Beecher III and senior curator Dina Bennett join “CBS This Morning.”