A music museum in Findlay? Give it a spin

A few days before driving to Martha Reeves' 80th birthday party north of Detroit, I had this dream. Reeves — the brilliant singer who gave life to so many classic Motown songs of the 1960s — was going into "Heatwave" and everyone in attendance was having a good time. Suddenly, a voice came over the loudspeaker. "Some idiot with an Ohio license plate is blocking Berry Gordy's limo." The fact that I was even invited to Reeves' birthday party was stunning. And it was all due to Nancy Abrams. Nancy, a Findlay resident, is the widow of Al Abrams, Motown's first employee and press agent. Nancy and I had spoken on the phone for about a half-hour, but as I drove to the party that day, I remembered that I hadn't met her in person. In fact, I hadn't met anyone who was going to be there. I love music and Motown songs. But as I walked up the long driveway, it occurred to me that I was way out of my comfort zone. Maybe that's what Nancy wanted. That's what she wants for Findlay. In our phone conversation, Nancy talked about her idea for Findlay to get out of that zone: a music museum. "When I have friends come in, they don't want to go to my historical museum; that has no relevance to them," she said. "It's a great historical museum, but it's provincial. So, where do I take them?" Abrams envisions a museum, in Findlay, which explores music, its history, and its connection to American culture. Al — who died in 2015 — had quite a collection of things from his career in music. Nancy said he had more than 150 enlarged and framed photos of acts. "He would back up the photographer, whoever was there, in case Motown couldn't come up with the money to pay for them," Nancy remembered. "Or, there was a problem with the photos. So, my husband actually got Berry Gordy to give him his camera (an expensive Leica Camera), so Al would take the same photos that one of the photographers took. So, we have all that." And plenty more. Although Al was known for his connection to Motown, he went on to represent a number of other acts, and worked with people from James Brown to Bob Seger. "He wrote Bob Seger's first press release. And I have the original one that he wrote," Nancy said. "We have gowns donated from Mary Wilson and the Supremes. Martha Reeves ... we've got tons of donated clothing, jewelry." For Nancy, a museum would not only be an opportunity to educate, but to draw people in. She's seen it happen before. A decade ago, she and her husband had a "Motown in Black and White" display at Findlay ArtWalk. "It was to promote my husband's book, which was published in the UK," she said. "I'm telling you, we were swamped. We were so packed, you couldn't get another person in there. It was like an ArtWalk hit." Since then, Nancy has taken the exhibit all over — she planned to take it to Israel prior to the pandemic — and is planning to bring it back to Findlay for this year's ArtWalk in November. But that's just a start. "A music museum that brings diversity to the community — which is gonna happen to Findlay," Nancy said. "Findlay's gonna change like everything else — and you need to open up and grow with it." Nancy said that other cities — Toledo and Columbus among them — have expressed interest in the project. But she wants it in Findlay. "I've got the exhibit. I don't need city money," she said. "I just wanted (Findlay Mayor Christina Muryn) to put it out there. … People need to start understanding the cultural aspect of bringing people in." Nancy said she liked music, but wasn't a huge fan until she met Al. But she stressed a music museum isn't just about music. "My point here is that music ties it all together," she said. "I don't care if it's for your wedding, for a funeral, for war ... music ties our lives together." I found that out at Reeves' party. For all my anxiety prior to getting there, I was immediately put at ease for two reasons: 1. Everyone at the party wanted to be there. 2. Everyone seemed to be thrilled to celebrate Reeves, and music in general. I got to meet Cheryl Ruffin-Robinson, president of the National Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame, and daughter of David Ruffin, the late lead singer of the Temptations. I told her her father's song "My Whole World Ended" was one of my favorites (guessing she hears that a lot). I had a nice chat with Jesse Robert Peck, a member of the Spinners, my mother's favorite group, and even got my picture taken with "Hitman" Tommy Hearns, the famous boxer. Then there was Martha, who appeared to love being the center of attention, not waiting to steal the microphone from the DJ and sing a few tunes. I even got to get my picture taken with her. The fact this woman took time out of her birthday party to take a photo with some guy she'd never met will stay with me forever. But the most interesting person was Nancy. She really cares about music and music history — for that reason alone, we hit it off. But more than that, she cares about Findlay, and giving it something other cities don't have. At some point, I told her how interesting it was to read about Motown, its artists, and how they lived when things were just starting in the 1960s. "But you know what?" she said. "It never went away. Look at all the music that's stayed. People still listen to it. But they don't know the history." Nancy wants to change that. Even if it takes some in Findlay out of their comfort zones. To find out more or to become involved, contact musicmuseum@motownblackwhite.com or visit motownblackwhite.com Baker is the sports editor for The Courier and Fostoria's Review Times.