Music is a beautiful way humans connect. It speaks to everyone when words fail. No matter where you are in the world, music is one of the few things that is understood. Some believe the acoustics bouncing from the Rocky Mountains make Colorado music sound richer than anywhere else.

With music venues like Red Rocks Amphitheater and mind-blowing events like the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival, it’s no surprise our Centennial State attracts music fans from across the globe.

The Colorado Music Hall of Fame was established in 2011, founded by concert promoter Chuck Morris and volunteer board members. Colorado Music Hall of Fame is a nonprofit organization serving Colorado’s music community through various events.

Among the hall’s inductees are Colorado African-American musicians who have changed the face of music, enhancing the connection between humans regardless of who they are and where they come from. Enjoy a short introduction to each of the most recent inductees.

Charles Burrell, the Jackie Robinson of classical music, is a bassist whose many accomplishments include joining the Denver Symphony Orchestra in 1949.

Burrell was drafted into the all-black Naval unit at Camp Robert Smalls at the start of World War II. But war didn’t stop him from pursuing his love of music. He played in the unit’s all-star band, and later took classes at Northwestern University and with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Burrell was inducted into the Colorado Hall of Fame on November 28, 2017, and celebrated his 103rd birthday in October, 2023.

In 1929, roughly nine years after the birth of Burrell, Billy Robinson was born. After he was adopted, he grew up in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, as Walter Bell Conley. He and his mother moved to Denver after his adoptive father died in 1944.

Conley graduated from Manual High School in 1949 and then went off to college on a football scholarship, spending summers working on a ranch in New Mexico. He served in the Navy during the Korean War.

An American folk singer, Hollywood actor, voice actor, and owner of Denver’s folk venue Conley’s, by the mid to late 1950s, Conley began a full-time music career, with his first album released in 1961. Conley was inducted into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame on November 9, 2019.

Earth, Wind & Fire was founded by Maurice White. They were also known as the Salty Peppers, but according to the Colorado Music Hall of Fame, the group’s success is due to Colorado-born Philip Bailey.

The group has sold over 90 million records and earned over 50 platinum and gold albums. Songs “Shining Star” and “That’s the Way of the World” have been added to the Grammy Hall of Fame. Earth, Wind & Fire was inducted into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame on November 28, 2017.

Violinist and composer George Morrison Sr. was born in Fayette, Missouri, on September 9, 1891. Morrison’s mother played piano, and his father played the fiddle. When he was still a child, his family moved to Boulder.

Morrison took violin lessons from a University of Colorado professor. He continued his classical training at Chicago’s Columbia Conservatory of Music after his high school graduation. Later, he relocated to Denver.

Morrison was the first Black artist signed to the iconic Columbia Records label. George Morrison Sr. was inducted into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame on October 17, 2023.

The year was 1965. The place was Phoenix, Arizona. A band, Freddi Love and the Soulsetters, was born. Freddi Gowdy founded the rhythm and blues/funk band. With unmatched dance moves, Marvin “Henchi” Graves joined Freddi’s band.

The band did its first gig at a country music bar in Fort Collins, attracting hundreds, including college students. They played to packed houses, and with Boulder being the home of the band’s guitarist Larry Wilkins, the band relocated in 1970.

Moving from Phoenix to Boulder inspired the band to change its name. Freddi Henchi and the Soulsetters were inducted into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame on December 3, 2019.

Ron Miles was born in Indianapolis in 1963. He moved with his family to Denver at age 11, when he started playing the trumpet. He completed his bachelor’s degree at DU, moving to New York City after receiving a graduate scholarship at the Manhattan School of Music.

Miles moved back to the Mile High City in 1987, where the Ron Miles Trio debuted its first album on Denver’s Prolific Records label while Miles completed his master’s degree at the University of Colorado. He was inducted into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame on November 28, 2017.

Also inducted into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame on November 28, 2017, was Dianne Reeves, who also happens to be Charles Burrell’s niece. With ties to brilliant musicians, it’s no surprise Reeves experienced a successful music career.

Reeves attended Denver’s George Washington High School. She sang in a big band, which led her to be discovered by jazz trumpeter Clark Terry. Reeves spent a short time studying classical voice at the University of Colorado. After several years of playing and touring with other musicians, Reeves signed with Blue Note Records in 1987.

Colorado owes a lot to its musicians, serving as a place where music is cherished and its musicians, Black, white, and “other,” are honored.

The Colorado Music Hall of Fame is located at 17900 Trading Post Road, Morrison. To learn more about the hall and its inductees, please visit https://cmhof.org/ or call them at 303-672-1273.