Grammy Museum Launches Tower of Song Exhibit

The Grammy Museum is set to open a major new attraction that celebrates the voices, songs and legends who shaped modern music. The institution announced the launch of Tower of Song: Iconic Songwriters & Recordings, a new long-term exhibit honoring the powerful legacy of the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Beginning Thursday, May 28, the exhibit opens to the public with a special live event inside the Clive Davis Theater. The program features celebrated songwriters Jimmy Jam and Diane Warren, who will share stories behind some of music’s most timeless recordings while discussing their own creative journeys.

The new exhibition gives visitors a rare look into the songwriting and recording process behind some of the world’s most iconic hits. It highlights more than 1,100 historically important recordings inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame since 1973. Only recordings that are at least 25 years old qualify, making the collection one of the strongest archives in popular music history.

Visitors can explore the sounds and stories behind artists such as Nile Rodgers, Nirvana, Miles Davis, Neil Diamond, Janet Jackson and Diane Warren.

Tower of Song also includes a new original film featuring creative icons like Alan Menken, Carole King, Jimmy Jam and Diane Warren. In the film, they discuss how they write songs, develop melodies and turn emotion into timeless records.

A digital interactive experience invites guests to answer one key question: What makes a Hall of Fame song great? That feature adds a modern touch to the museum experience and encourages younger audiences to connect with music history.

The exhibit also features several rare artifacts expected to attract music lovers from around the world. Fans can view the drum machines and synthesizers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis used to help create Janet Jackson’s legendary Rhythm Nation 1814. They can also see handwritten lyrics from Neil Diamond’s “Song Sung Blues.”

Other standout items include a Yamaha keyboard used by Diane Warren to write multiple hit songs, one of Herb Alpert’s trumpets, and tape boxes linked to classic A&M Records releases.

Rock fans will likely rush to see Kurt Cobain’s Mosrite Gospel electric guitar, which he used while writing much of Nirvana’s groundbreaking Nevermind album. Jazz lovers can admire Miles Davis’ red lacquer trumpet and personal accessories used during the 1980s.

The museum also showcases fashion and performance memorabilia from Prince, including gold-rimmed glasses from the film Purple Rain and clothing worn during the Purple Rain tour.

Additional historic pieces include Keith Moon’s gold drum kit, one of Jim Morrison’s notebooks, microphones used by Frank Sinatra, handwritten lyrics by Allee Willis for Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September,” and one of Bill Withers’ acoustic guitars.

The launch follows the museum’s third annual Grammy Hall of Fame Gala at The Beverly Hilton, where stars including Erykah Badu, George Clinton, Josh Groban, Norah Jones and Teddy Swims performed, while Janet Jackson made a special appearance.

With Tower of Song, the Grammy Museum is doing more than displaying old memorabilia. It is preserving the creative heartbeat of music history and reminding a new generation why great songs never fade.