Photo Credit: Bob Abrahamian by SoulFM / CC by 3.0
The Stax Museum of American Soul Music unveils a website dedicated to late Chicago DJ and music historian Bob Abrahamian’s vast soul music collection.
Noted Chicago DJ, record collector, and music historian Bob Abrahamian’s vast collection of music and interviews is now available digitally through the Stax Museum of American Soul Music. Today, the Stax Museum announced the launch of its new online initiative, the Bob Abrahamian Collection Website—”a groundbreaking online archive that pays tribute to the late Chicago radio host, collector, and soul music historian whose passionate work helped preserve the deep soul sounds of a generation.”
Abrahamian, who died in 2014 at age 35, collected a treasure trove of content, including rare recordings, oral history interviews, and full-length episodes of his legendary “Sitting in the Park” radio show, which aired on Chicago’s WHPK 88.5 FM. The website will offer access to previously unreleased digitally restored radio broadcasts, exclusive interviews with artists, and searchable transcripts. The digital home for the collection will offer curated playlists and upload new content every two weeks.
The Stax Museum first acquired Abrahamian’s collection in 2021—a wealth of some 35,000 45 RPM singles and LPs as well as related materials, including high school yearbooks, photographs, scrapbooks, and other artifacts. The collection was donated by Abrahamian’s family to the Stax Museum after several years of discussions with the organization. Previously, the collection was on loan to Chicago’s Black Music Research Center at Columbia College until it closed its doors in 2019.
“Bob’s dedication to preserving the cultural memory of American soul music was unmatched,” said Abrahamian collection curator and former Stax Museum executive director, Jeff Kollath. “This new website brings his work to the public in a way that’s accessible, immersive, and historically essential.”
To celebrate the site’s launch, the Stax Museum will hold an event tonight (May 14) at Central Station at 7 PM, with a special DJ set by Kollath and Central Station’s Cadillac Zac, featuring records from the Abrahamian Collection.
Content shared from www.digitalmusicnews.com.