Description
In 1992, the New York City Grammy Awards Host Committee collaborated with New York City officials to map the dozens of locations throughout the five boroughs that played a significant role in music history. New York hosted the Grammy Awards that year for only the sixth time since it was first televised in 1971. It was seen as a major economic opportunity for the city as thousands of visitors arrived for the event, and a weeklong series of special events was planned, including the rollout of the New York City Music Trail, as reported in the New York Times in advance of the telecast:
The host committee also unveiled the New York City Music Trail, a project in which 28 sites in the 5 boroughs have been singled out for their musical significance, including prestigious concert halls and lesser-known places like a corner in the Bronx where Dion DiMucci practiced doo-wop as a teen-ager and the York College Black American Heritage Foundation Music History Archive in Queens. The sites will be flagged with signs and brochures about them will be available at Convention and Visitors Bureau offices.
Sign text: New York City Music Trail/ The Sites of Sound/ New York City/ Host Committee/ 1992/ Grammy Awards/ Louis Armstrong/ House/ 34-56 107th Street.
Phil Stern was an American photographer, known for his news and entertainment subjects. Born in Philadelphia, he began working as an apprentice in a New York City photo studio when he was 18. In 1939 he took a job as a staff photographer at Friday magazine, which sent him to Los Angeles in 1941 to work in its West Coast bureau. After Friday went bankrupt, he remained as a freelance photographer for New York newspapers and magazines. During World War II he served as a combat photographer for the US Army. He produced photo essays for Life magazine during and after the war. From 1946 through the 1980s he was a freelance contributor to many magazines and also worked in the film industry as a still cameraman. He also produced album covers for jazz records. In 2003 he was honored with an Outstanding Achievement Award from the Lucie Foundation for Photography.
Condition: Generally good with the usual wear, abrasions, weathering, etc. associated with a utilitarian used New York City street sign. Holes as issued, now somewhat irregular, from where formerly bolted to a signpost. Some New York City graffiti on backside.
References:
“Biography.” Phil Stern’s Archives. http://www.philsternarchives.com/about/ (12 April 2021).
Louis Armstrong House Museum. https://www.louisarmstronghouse.org/ (7 February 2020).
Neher, Jake. “NYC Music Trail: Swing Street.” WFUV. 18 July 2012. https://www.wfuv.org/content/nyc-music-trail-swing-street-slideshow (7 February 2020).
“Louis Armstrong and Billie Holiday in scene from jazz film New Orleans, ca. 1940s.” Phil Stern’s Archives. http://www.philsternarchives.com/archive/jazz/artists/louis-armstrong/ (12 April 2021).
Rule, Sheila. “On a D Train in Disguise, the Grammys Ride In.” New York Times. 20 February 1992. https://www.nytimes.com/1992/02/20/arts/on-a-d-train-in-disguise-the-grammys-ride-in.html (7 February 2020).
