City officials will cut the ribbon Wednesday morning to reopen the Northbank Riverwalk and dedicate a new interactive art installation that honors Jacksonville’s music history.
Located on the riverwalk behind the Moran Theater and Jacoby Symphony Hall, the new Riverfront Music Garden honors 30 acts whose work has shaped Jacksonville’s musical identity in its Walk of Fame.
The acts were selected by a committee of local historians and musicians for the initial Walk of Fame class. To be considered, inductees had to be born, educated or spend a significant amount of time living in Jacksonville, and made significant contributions to the music industry. The 30 acts selected range from Lynyrd Skynyrd and Ray Charles to classical composer Frederick Delius and hip-hop act 95 South.
An interactive element of the park rotates 16 songs from Jacksonville artists. Cone-shaped stations will play different parts of the song, allowing visitors to experience it differently as they move through the park.
Another element of the park, A Capella, features sculptural panels with lyrics from nearly 60 local acts, exploring themes of love, celebration and inspiration.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for 11 a.m. Wednesday, with Mayor Donna Deegan and city officials scheduled to speak.
Here are the acts being honored in the Riverfront Music Garden Walk of Fame.
.38 Special: Band that formed on the Westside and had big success with its “muscle and melody” twist on the Southern rock formula, selling 20 million records behind hits such as “Fantasy Girl,” “Wild-Eyed Southern Boys,” “Hold on Loosely,” “Caught Up in You” and “Second Chance.” The band still tours. Info: 38special.com
69 Boyz: Hip-hop duo hit it big in 1994 with “Tootsee Roll,” which topped the rap charts and went to No. 8 on the U.S. singles chart. “Woof Woof,” from the 1998 “Dr. Doolittle” film, went to No. 2. Info: allmusic.com
95 South: Three decades later, “Whoot, There It Is” will still pack a dance floor. In 2025, the city declared March 1 to be Whoot There It Is Day to honor the group, which formed in ’93. Info: instagram.com
Allman Brothers Band: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame act that formed in 1969 in Riverside behind Daytona brothers Duane and Gregg Allman and Jacksonville drummer Butch Trucks. Early tragedies couldn’t stop the band from becoming one of the biggest in rock in the ‘70s. The ABB played its last shows in 2014. Info: allmanbrothersband.com
Blind Blake: Fingerpicking ragtime guitarist was influential in the early Chicago blues scene. Blake was born in Jacksonville in 1896 (although some reports say he was born in Virginia). He recorded nearly 80 songs for Paramount Records in the 1920s and early ‘30s, including “Police Dog Blues” and “Diddie Wah Diddie.” Info: blueskc.org
Charlie “Hoss” Singleton: Jacksonville native and Stanton High alumnus was a prolific songwriter, penning the lyrics for “Strangers in the Night” and “Spanish Eyes,” as well as songs for Pat Boone, Ella Fitzgerald, B.B. King and Andy Williams. Info: facebook.com
Classics IV: Pop rock band formed in Jacksonville in the early 1960s and had big sellers with “Stormy,” “Traces” and “Spooky,” all of which were gold records. Info: theclassicsiv.com
Frederick Delius: In the 1880s, the British-born composer managed Solano Grove, an orange plantation in St. Johns County, just long enough to realize he only wanted to make music and to connect with musicians in Jacksonville. He headed back to Europe in 1886, but the riverfront house he occupied in Picolata was moved in 1961 to Jacksonville University to be used as a museum and music practice site. Info: delius.org.uk
Glenn Jones: R&B singer got his start in Jacksonville’s Pentacostal churches and started a gospel group as a teen. “Here I Go Again” was No. 1 on the U.S. R&B charts in 1991. Info: talentroom.com
Gram Parsons: Influential country rocker, who played with the Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers, attended the Bolles School in Jacksonville. Rolling Stone magazine ranked him No. 87 on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, and he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2026. Info: rockhall.com
Jahaan Sweet: Two-time Grammy-winning musician, songwriter and producer attended Jacksonville’s Douglas Anderson School of the Arts before moving to New York. He’s worked with Drake, Taylor Swift, Eminem, Travis Scott and Kendrick Lamar. Info: mixwiththemasters.com
JJ Grey & Mofro: Blues and soul band formed in Jacksonville around 2000 and is still made up of mostly Jacksonville musicians, many with ties to UNF’s jazz studies program. The band plays the St. Augustine Amphitheatre this weekend. Info: jjgrey.com
James Weldon Johnson & John Rosamond Johnson: Brothers from Jacksonville are best known for writing “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing,” widely regarded today as the Black national anthem. A park that honors the song and the brothers is located in Jacksonville’s LaVilla neighborhood. Info: levsparkjax.org
Lil Duval: Lil Duval grew up as Roland Powell on Jacksonville’s Northside, near Myrtle Avenue and Eighth Street before breaking big into the comedy world, appearing regularly on MTV and BET’s “ComicView” and guesting in music videos by everyone from Ludacris to Snoop Dogg. Info: facebook.com
Limp Bizkit: Nu-metal band formed in Jacksonville in mid-’90s and sold more than 35 million records and had four platinum albums and five gold singles. Info: limpbizkit.com
Longineu Parsons II: Trumpeter who took his classical training into the world of jazz and played with legends such as Branford Marsalis, Cab Calloway, Doc Severinsen and Sun Ra. He’s a professor at Florida A&M University, where he teaches trumpet and composition. Info: cssah.famu.edu
Lynyrd Skynyrd: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame act formed in Jacksonville, came up playing clubs and dances in ‘60s and early ‘70s. Named for Leonard Skinner, former Lee High teacher who bothered band members about their haircuts. A 1977 plane crash killed three band members and derailed Skynyrd for a decade. Two DVD packages, “Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd & Second Helping Live” and “Last of the Street Survivors Tour Lyve,” were recorded in Jacksonville. Singer Johnny Van Zant lives in Clay County. Info: lynyrdskynyrd.com
Ma Rainey: The “Mother of the Blues” was a member of the Rabbit’s Foot Company, a traveling performance group that formed in Jacksonville’s LaVilla neighborhood around 1900. She’s a Rock and Roll and Blues Hall of Famer and received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023, 84 years after her death. Info: womenshistory.org
Mae Axton: Axton moved to Jacksonville in the late 1940s with her Navy husband and taught in local high schools. She wrote hundreds of songs, including “Heartbreak Hotel” and hits for Hank Snow and Patsy Cline. The Academy of Country Music presents a Mae Boren Axton Service Award annually to recognize long-time contributors. Info: legendsofcountrymusic.com
Marcus Roberts: Big-name pianist in the jazz world is a Jacksonville native and a professor at Florida State University. He was the first winner of what is now the Jacksonville Jazz Piano Competition in 1983, beating Harry Connick Jr. Info: music.fsu.edu
Molly Hatchet: Formed on the Westside in the early 1970s and stepped up to become one of the leaders of the Southern rock scene after a plane crash derailed Lynyrd Skynyrd’s career, scoring big hits with “Flirtin’ With Disaster” and “Gator Country.” The band still tours. Info: mollyhatchet.com
Pat Chappelle: Jacksonville native opened Excelsior Hall, the first Black-owned theater in Florida in 1898 and later formed the Rabbit’s Foot Company entertainment troupe in LaVilla, which toured the nation with as many as 60 performers traveling in custom Pullman train cars. Info: instagram.com
Quad City DJs: Hip-hop trio formed in Jacksonville in the mid-’90s from the ashes of 95 South and had big hits with “C’mon N’ Ride It (The Train)” and the title song to the “Space Jam” film. Info: quadcitydjs.live
Ray Charles: “The Genius” moved to Jacksonville as a teen after spending time at Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind in St. Augustine, living on Church Street where the LaVilla School of the Arts now stands. He sat in with bands at Jacksonville’s Genovar Hall and Two Spot club and was a regular at St. Pius Catholic Church. He’s in the Rock and Roll, Rhythm & Blues and Country halls of fame. Info: raycharles.com
Shinedown: Hard rock band formed in Jacksonville in 2001 around singer Brent Smith and drummer Barry Kerch. The band has had 22 No. 1 singles on Billboard magazine’s Mainstream Rock charts, the most of any act. Shinedown is a popular live act and brings its tour to Jacksonville for a show at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena on May 26. Info: shinedown.com
Tedeschi Trucks Band: Guitarist Derek Trucks is a Jacksonville native and played with his uncle, Butch Trucks, in the Allman Brothers Band from 1999-2014. Trucks and his wife, singer/guitarist Susan Tedeschi, live in Jacksonville and lead a 12-piece band that was the headliner when Daily’s Place opened in 2017. The band released a new album, “Future Soul,” this year and plays two nights at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre in October. Info: tedeschitrucksband.com
Tim McGraw: Actor and country megastar is the son of baseball pitcher Tug McGraw, who met his mother while pitching for the Jacksonville Suns. Tim returned to the city as a young man and attended FSCJ. Info: timmcgraw.com
Ulysses Owens Jr.: Jazz drummer, who runs Jacksonville’s Don’t Miss a Beat Foundation to help kids, leads his own band and is an in-demand session musician, working with playing with some of the biggest names in jazz, including Christian McBride, Wynton Marsalis and Kurt Elling. Info: usojazzy.com
Walter “Clyde” Orange: Jacksonville native was a longtime drummer and singer for the Commodores, singing lead on big hits “Brick House” and “Night Shift.” He remained with the band until 2024. Info: alamhof.org
Yellowcard: Formed in the late ‘90s at Jacksonville’s Douglas Anderson School of the Arts. The band has played at just about every venue in town over the years – Maverick’s, UNF Arena, Plush, Metropolitan Park, DV8, Freebird Live, Jacksonville Fairgrounds, Daily’s Place and VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. Info: yellowcardband.com
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: New Riverwalk park will honor Lynyrd Skynyrd, Molly Hatchet, more
Reporting by Tom Szaroleta, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
