Music Champion Lorenzo Washington Passes

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Lorenzo Washington. Photo: Courtesy of family

Music champion and Jefferson Street Sound Museum founder Lorenzo Washington has died at age 83 after a short bout with cancer.

Born in 1943, Washington grew up in East Nashville during a time of segregation and racial tension in the city. At the same time, he was surrounded by the rich culture of Nashville’s Black community and a thriving music scene that would leave a lasting impact on him.

Washington chased his passion for music in the early 1970s by founding Soul Shack Records and Boutique, giving him an opportunity to become involved in the industry despite not being a musician himself. His work eventually led him to connect with Moses Dillard and Jesse Boyce of Dillard & Boyce Productions. In 1976, the three partnered to release “Come On Dance” by the Saturday Night Band. The single went on to reach No. 2 on the charts.

In 2011, Washington founded the Jefferson Street Sound Museum to preserve the legacy of Nashville’s African American music pioneers and the community that had shaped his own love of music. For decades, Jefferson Street served as a hub for Nashville’s Black music scene, with its clubs and venues welcoming artists including Jimi Hendrix, Ella Fitzgerald and Tina Turner, among many others. The area also provided a stage for generations of local and upcoming musicians, becoming integral to Nashville’s rich musical history.

Through the Museum, Washington worked to preserve that history and ensure the artists who came through Jefferson Street remained part of Nashville’s music story. The collection he curated includes photographs, instruments and other memorabilia documenting the musicians, venues and community that once flourished on Jefferson Street.

Washington’s dedication to preserving Nashville’s Black music history earned recognition across the city. In 2023, Mayor Freddie O’Connell proclaimed April 3 Lorenzo Washington Day, with an annual fundraising gala held in his honor to support the Jefferson Street Sound Museum. The following year, the National Museum of African American Music celebrated his work with its “Living Legends: Lorenzo Washington” exhibit, which featured a curated selection of objects from the Jefferson Street Sound Museum’s collection. Earlier this year, the Museum was added to the U.S. Civil Rights Trail, further recognizing the history Washington spent years working to preserve.

Washington is survived by his wife Karen Coffee and children Dwayne, Patricia, Ryan and Tracey.

Lauryn Sink
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