A classically trained violinist and composer raised in Boulder, George Morrison Sr. pioneered one of Colorado’s first jazz orchestras, achieved international renown by the mid-1920s and was a kingmaker of talent in his music community.

George Morrison Sr.

“Herbie” owned two legendary venues that served as ground zero for Colorado’s live music scene in the ’60s and ’70s.

Herb Kauvar

birthdays

A symposium at Fiske Planetarium convened members of Spontanuity, whose psychedelic light show provided visual background for the Dead’s 1969 concert in Boulder.

Grateful Dead/Spontanuity

Photographer Jon Newmark shot Denver-area rock concerts by iconic artists from the first few rows, thanks to a job at the ticket outlet Budget Tapes & Records.

David Bowie, McNichols Arena, 2/17/76
Duncan Sheik, 1997

The hit “Barely Breathing” made an unlikely pop star out of Duncan Sheik, who went on to compose the Tony Award-winning musical Spring Awakening. He died September 17, 2026, at age 56.

The Serendipity Singers

When Peter, Paul & Mary’s 1963 recording of Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind" became an unofficial civil rights anthem, the identification of the folkies with the politics of progress was cemented. Though the music industry continued trying to capitalize on the folk boom, the music’s implicit and explicit politics made many major corporations nervous, and a lot of effort went into developing purveyors of well-scrubbed folk-pop like the Serendipity Singers and the New Christy Minstrels.

Doug Kershaw

Doug Kershaw
Doug Kershaw, the famous Cajun fiddler, spent most of his adult life in Greeley, Colorado. “The Ragin’ Cajun” owned and operated the Bayou House, a restaurant in Lucerne, in the early part of the 2000s.

On Record Book Series

On Record book series

Each volume of the award-winning On Record series gathers over 200 limited and extraordinary images and 100 interview-based profiles spotlighting an array of musical artists.

merch

merchandise

Explore the Colorado Music Experience’s store, stocked with stylish products and gifts for music fans.

hosted by g. brown

A non-profit organization established to preserve the legacies of Colorado music, CoME serves as a repository for informational and archival resources.

Jon Rizzi, G. Brown, Mark Zaremba and Chip Garofalo