COLORADO MUSIC HALL OF FAME READY FOR A YEAR OF CHANGE
After a year that saw a major expansion of its mission — to celebrate, promote and support Colorado’s music community — Colorado Music Hall of Fame is gearing up for a noteworthy 2024, thanks to a $100,000 donation match from founding board member and current co-chair Scott Tobias and his wife, Jane. This donation is one of the largest gifts that the nonprofit has received in its 13-year history, and it comes as The Hall emphasizes a new mental wellness initiative, Keep The Beat, that directly supports the people behind Colorado’s thriving music scene today.
The Tobias match will allow for the expansion of that programming, with mini-grants that musicians and industry professionals can use for crisis counseling to help with mental health and addiction recovery. “I am more enthusiastic about The Hall and proud of the direction in which it is headed than I have ever been before— so much so that Jane and I are making this $100,000 gift. As we move forward this year and beyond, The Hall will be adding programming to support Colorado’s music community in meaningful ways,” says Scott Tobias.
The Tobiases have placed a challenge match on their gift to encourage Colorado music fans to support the important work of The Hall. Each donation will be doubled up to $100,000 through the match; approximately 35 percent of the match has been fulfilled to date.
“This very generous and thoughtful gift comes at such a vital point in Colorado Music Hall of Fame’s history. As a founding board member, Scott has been involved in the organization’s development and growth from the start. Since 2020 when I joined as executive director, Scott and co-chair Paul Epstein have been true partners in leading the board through a re-imagination of The Hall for this post-pandemic world. I am so honored and humbled that Scott and Jane see the vision of how their investment in The Hall can positively impact Colorado music and all those people behind it,” says Karen Radman, Hall of Fame executive director.
The past year has been a pivotal one for Colorado Music Hall of Fame, as it expanded its purpose and its partnerships. In 2023, The Hall:
- launched, through pro bono partnerships, a billboard campaign promoting Colorado music
- launched a mental wellness initiative to raise awareness, provide resources, and de-stigmatize the conversation around mental health and addiction within Colorado’s music industry (https://cmhof.org/keep-the-
beat/) - operated its free museum at the Red Rocks Trading Post in Morrison, Colorado, 363 days, thanks to its partnership with the City of Denver
- hosted three Hall of Fame inductions:
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- Big Head Todd and The Monsters and Hazel Miller at Red Rocks Amphitheatre;
- Yonder Mountain String Band at Telluride Bluegrass Festival; and
- a free event in honor of the late George Morrison, Sr. at his namesake Denver park
- unveiled a redesigned website (https://cmhof.org/), courtesy of Tobias’s company, Voice Media Group
- co-hosted with the Black American West Museum a Historic Music Walking Tour of the Five Points neighborhood in Denver
- gave away over 1,000 free Colorado Music Hall of Fame-published music history coffee table books via a myriad of music partners.
In 2024, The Hall plans to expand Keep The Beat to include mini-grants to directly support Colorado’s music industry with mental health and addiction recovery crisis counseling. The Hall will launch the mini-grant program in May during Mental Health Awareness Month.
Next month, The Hall will be moving its museum exhibits out of the Red Rocks Trading Post in Morrison, Colorado, after almost ten years in the shared space. The Hall’s new exhibit location will be announced soon.
Several other exciting Hall of Fame programs will also be announced in the coming weeks, including:
- its first destination induction event and opera-themed Hall of Fame class
- a jazz legacy project to preserve and promote Denver’s jazz scene
- a documentary video project produced in partnership with Colorado public television station PBS12.
“Music has been a part of my DNA for my entire life, and it has been a key part of my business for the past 30 years,” says Tobias. “Music is the bond we all share. I want us to let the rest of the country in on the fact that Colorado is the Music State. We have the history. We have the world’s most visited venue, Red Rocks. We have the talent. And we have the fans. I see my gift as an opportunity to recover from the pandemic’s impact on our nonprofit organization and catapult it into the next iteration of service to Colorado’s music community.
To make a tax-deductible donation to Colorado Music Hall of Fame that will be doubled by the Tobias Challenge Match, visit www.cmhof.org/donate/ or mail a check to Colorado Music Hall of Fame, 1278 N Lincoln St #100, Denver, CO 80203. For more information about the match, the nonprofit’s programs or The Hall in general, contact Karen Radman at karen@cmhof.org.
Colorado Music Hall of Famers, 2011-2023:
2011: Inaugural Class: John Denver, Red Rocks Amphitheatre
2012: Setting the Stage: Barry Fey, Harry Tuft
2012: Rockin’ the ‘60s: The Astronauts, Flash Cadillac, KIMN Radio, Sugarloaf
2013: Colorado’s Folk Revival: Judy Collins, Chris Daniels, Bob Lind, Serendipity Singers
2014: Country Rock in the Rockies: Firefall, Manassas w/Stephen Stills, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Poco
2016: 20th Century Pioneers: Lannie Garrett, Glenn Miller, Max Morath, Billy Murray, Elizabeth Spencer, Paul Whiteman
2017: Rocky Mountain Way: Caribou Ranch, Dan Fogelberg, Bill Szymczyk, Joe Walsh & Barnstorm
2017: Jazz Masters & Beyond: Philip Bailey, Charles Burrell, Larry Dunn, Bill Frisell, Ron Miles, Dianne Reeves, Andrew Woolfolk
2018: Live & On the Air: John Hickenlooper, KBCO, Chuck Morris
2019: Old Folk, New Folk: Walt Conley, Mother Folkers, Swallow Hill Music, Dick Weissman
2019: Going Back to Colorado: Tommy Bolin, Freddi & Henchi, Wendy Kale, Tony Spicola, Otis Taylor, Zephyr
2021: A Virtual Induction: eTown
2021: The Flatirons Sessions: The Fox Theatre, Hot Rize, Leftover Salmon, String Cheese Incident, Yonder Mountain String Band
2023: Big Head Todd and The Monsters, Hazel Miller; George Morrison, Sr.