Editor’s Note: A version of this story was published in the Winter 2025 issue of Extant, a publication of the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia.

Sun Ra, the visionary jazz artist and Afrofuturist movement founder, famously said, “In order to save the Earth, I had to go to the worst spot on the planet, and that was Philadelphia, which was death’s headquarters.” Jazz fans who know and love the city have embraced the sentiment, which inspires the same brand of defiant underdog pride as the famous billboard that proclaimed, “Philadelphia isn’t as bad as Philadelphians say it is.”

“Death’s headquarters” or not, Philadelphia has historically been an indisputably important epicenter for music, particularly jazz, and Sun Ra’s legacy is a distinctive part, along with artists like Bessie Smith, The Roots, and Boyz II Men. Part of Philadelphia’s musical distinction, said Jack McCarthy, the consulting archivist for The Philly Jazz Legacy, is that it has contributed truly “transformative figures” in so many different genres over centuries. He also noted that the sheer diversity of its musical contribution is so wide-ranging, from classical to jazz, rock and roll, gospel, and R&B.

Like virtually all of American music history, Philadelphia’s story is inextricably linked to Black artists and Black history. Groundbreaking African American artists from Philadelphia, like Francis “Frank” Johnson, an exceptionally talented composer and instrumentalist in the 19th century, were major figures in early American music. Johnson and his band of free Black musicians were the first American musicians to tour Europe. Marian Anderson, whose former home is now a National Historic Landmark and museum, faced racial discrimination in her hometown, but was invited to sing at the White House by Eleanor and President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Unfortunately, Sun Ra’s classification of Philadelphia as “death’s headquarters” may have been somewhat prophetic, at least when it comes to the survival of the venues that once brought in and fostered all of this musical talent and collaboration. Today, Philadelphia’s surviving musical landmarks aren’t particularly centralized. There’s no defined entertainment strip like you’d find in other major American music cities like Nashville, Memphis, or New Orleans. And, unfortunately, scores of the incredible venues that used to be clustered around thoroughfares like South Street, Ridge Avenue, and 52nd Street, which saw the likes of Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington, Clifford Brown, and Dizzy Gillespie, have already been lost.

“If you go to New Orleans, or Memphis, or Nashville, the celebration and promotion of musical heritage as a key part of their tourism and hospitality industries is striking,” said McCarthy. “I just think that Philadelphia, whose musical legacy is incredibly rich and as important as those other cities, doesn’t do a good job of promoting that in a coordinated, efficient or effective way.”

The preservation of music doesn’t solely rely on the tangible survival of buildings, though. It lives on in recordings and through influences picked up and carried forth by current and future artists and, in that sense, the legacy of Philadelphia-based musicians has been wide-reaching. Many physical structures connected to parts of the story in Philadelphia do remain, from long-standing institutions like the Metropolitan Opera House or the Academy of Music, to the former residences of famous musicians who were born in or made Philadelphia their home, like John Coltrane and Billie Holiday.

While we may not have a Music Row or Beale Street, there are plenty of stories to be told through the remaining built environment. Three relatively recent additions to the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places attest to the rich and varied music history through a variety of building types: the home of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Sigma Sound Studios, and the former residence and current studio space of Sun Ra and the Sun Ra Arkestra. All have been listed in the past four years for their connection to music history.

Sister Rosetta Tharpe House, Designated May 11, 2022

From 1962 to 1973, the modest brick rowhouse at 1102 Master Street was home to Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the “godmother of rock ’n roll.” Tharpe, who was born in Cotton Plant, Arkansas in 1915, rose to fame after years of singing gospel music in churches with her mother throughout the 1920s and 1930s. The musical prodigy began singing at the age of four and became known for her singing and distinctive style on the electric guitar. She is credited with inspiring several rock and roll megastars throughout her career, including Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, and Johnny Cash.

Tharpe’s career took off in the late 1930s when her performances at the Cotton Club in Harlem were met with critical acclaim. Shortly after at age 23, she recorded her first songs for Decca Records. Her distinctive style had a growing audience outside of the church-going crowd, and she became one of the first commercially successful gospel artists. In 1938, Tharpe was invited to perform at Carnegie Hall in a concert dedicated to Bessie Smith intended to showcase the history of African American music to a predominantly white audience as a means to bring about social change. The show, “From Spirituals to Swing,” was presented by producer and talent scout John Hammond.

In 1959, Tharpe and her husband, Russell Morrison, moved to Philadelphia, settling in their Yorktown home in 1962 where they lived until her death in 1973. During this time, Tharpe continued to perform and record, touring in Europe with Muddy Waters. She also regularly sang at the Bright Hope Baptist Church down the street from her home. Her former residence is marked with a historical marker, erected in 2011, and was added to the Philadelphia Register in 2022.

Sigma Studios, Designated November 13, 2020

Sound engineer Joe Tarsia’s Sigma Sound Studios, the birthplace of Philadelphia’s eponymous music style, churned out dozens of hits that defined “Philly Soul” since its opening in 1968. The unassuming yellow brick building at 210-212 N. 12th Street was the headquarters for Philadelphia International Records, founded by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, who, along with Thom Bell, produced hits like “If You Don’t Know Me by Now” by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes and “Me and Mrs. Jones” by Billy Paul. The studio’s in-house band, MFSB (Mother Father Sister Brother), contributed to the distinctive sound and style. The Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia sponsored the successful nomination of Sigma Sound’s headquarters to the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places in 2020. The nomination elaborates on the studio’s significance: “Just as soul music in the 1960s was synonymous with Motown Records in Detroit, Stax Records in Memphis and the Muscle Shoals sound of Fame Studios, Philadelphia in the 1970s became the undisputed center of the soul music pantheon, with Sigma Studios its primary center of production.”

Although the exact future use of the former studio remains in limbo, the audio archives of Sigma Sound Studios live on in the archives of Drexel University. When Sigma closed, thousands of tapes ended up in a storage unit in New Jersey and, fortunately, eventually made their way to the university’s archive. “Any archive is full of stories, waiting to be had,” Toby Seay, the director of Drexel’s University Audio Archives, told a PBS reporter on a tour of the collection. The tapes reveal parts of the recording process, including isolated instrumental tracks, early versions of well-known songs, the progression of musicians learning songs, and even music that never made it out of the studio. Seay and students working in the archives have digitized thousands of tracks and have resurrected the music of a band called the Nat Turner Rebellion, who recorded at Sigma, but never released an album. A Drexel class was able to find the publishers and strike a deal to produce the never-before-heard record on their label Mad Dragon Records using the master tapes from their recording sessions at the studio. The album, Laugh to Keep from Crying, was released in 2019.

Sun Ra House, Designated March 12, 2022

The designation of the Sun Ra House at 5626 Morton Street in Germantown was a strategic move, in part prompted by a partial collapse a year earlier. Members of the band have been living and rehearsing in the space since the 1960s, and the current Sun Ra bandleader, 100-year-old Marshall Allen, took over the house after Sun Ra’s death in 1993 and still lives there today. The three-story Second Empire rowhouse, bought in 1964 by Nathan and Henrietta Allen (parents of Marshall Allen), is clad in Wissahickon schist, a typical row for the neighborhood. Shortly after the collapse, a jazz philanthropist stepped in to fund the necessary repairs. The designation of the house to the Philadelphia Register was supported by the band and celebrated widely by news outlets and music blogs.

Sun Ra (born Herman Poole Blount) displayed musical talent as a young child and spent his youth composing and performing music. He began studying music education in college but dropped out after having a vision that would change the trajectory of his life. He believed he had traveled to Saturn and spoken with aliens and that his new life’s mission was to speak through music. Blount spent several years playing and performing in Chicago, where he connected with radical African American political organizers and became a fixture of the avant-garde jazz scene. He and his band would wear over-the-top science fiction-inspired costumes while performing, incorporating electronic instruments into their arrangements.

In 1952, Blount changed his name to Le Sony’r Ra, and by 1961 he and his Arkestra had moved to New York City, where they lived communally. The living arrangement allowed the flexibility for spontaneous rehearsals, something that continued at the house on Morton Street, where several band members lived from 1968 to 1993. Sun Ra became a defining Philadelphia band, performing locally, often for free in a park near their home, on WXPN radio, and in clubs across the city. Sun Ra’s legacy has become clearer with distance, and the influence of his music and philosophy still resound from Morton Street to the rings of Saturn.

Deciphering Philadelphia’s musical heritage may take some effort and intention, but McCarthy and others who are passionate about music history, like Faye Anderson of the place-based nonprofit All That Philly Jazz, The Philadelphia Sound Preservation Project, and Ars Nova Workshop, do their best to bring those stories to life through preservation, shows, tours, written histories, and other creative projects that bring these sites to life.

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1. Billie Holiday, 1409 Lombard Street

Known as “Lady Day,” she was called the greatest jazz vocalist of her time. Starting in 1933, she recorded with Benny Goodman, Teddy Wilson, and others. Notable songs include “Lover Man” and “Strange Fruit.” In this city, she often lived here.

2. The Dixie Hummingbirds, 2435 N. College Avenue

A renowned African American gospel vocal group originally formed in 1928, members received a National Endowment for the Arts Heritage Fellowship in 2000. They influenced popular musicians, including James Brown, Stevie Wonder, and The Temptations. Their version of Paul Simon’s “Loves Me Like a Rock” won a Grammy award in 1974. Founder James B. Davis (1916-2001) lived in this home, which served as the group’s headquarters.

3. Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield, 1013 Rodman Street

Greenfield, who lived here, was one of the 19th century’s leading singers, known as the “Black Swan” because of her great vocal range. Her performances were hailed in the United States and in England where she sang before the queen.

4. Francis Johnson, 536 Pine Street

“America’s first native-born master of music” lived here. Johnson was a prolific African American composer, trumpeter for the 1st Troop, City Cavalry, and bandmaster for the 128th Regiment, Pennsylvania, Volunteer Infantry. He was a major force in early American music and traveled widely.

5. John Coltrane, 1511 N. 33rd Street

A pioneering African American jazz musician, composer and saxophonist Coltrane used African and Indian elements to create a distinctive style, which at first shocked audiences, but ultimately gained wide acceptance. He lived here from 1952 to 1958.

6. Lee Morgan, 52nd and Chancellor Streets

Jazz trumpeter, composer, and key performer of hard bop, Morgan joined the Dizzy Gillespie band and played with Art Blakey and John Coltrane. As a bandleader, he cut more than 30 albums and is known for “The Sidewinder,” a crossover pop hit and jazz standard. He performed here at the Aqua Lounge.

7. Marian Anderson, 1910 Fitzwater Street

World-renowned contralto, Anderson sang in this church as a child. She toured Europe and the U.S. starting in the 1930s. Her concert at the Lincoln Memorial in 1939 drew 75,000 people. She was the first African American in the Metropolitan Opera in 1955. She was a delegate to the United Nations in 1958. She died in 1993.

8. Paul Robeson, 4951 Walnut Street

A Rutgers athlete and Columbia law graduate, Robeson won renown as a singer and actor. He was a noted interpreter of Negro spirituals. His career suffered because of his political activism, and he lived his last years here in retirement.

9. Pearl Bailey, 1946 N. 23rd Street

Bailey, who lived here in her youth, became one of America’s most prominent entertainers. She sang with the big bands during the 1940s and gained her greatest fame in the 1967 Broadway production of “Hello, Dolly!”

10. Sigma Sound Studios, 212 N. 12th Street

Established in 1968 by Joseph Tarsia, Sigma was known worldwide for its distinctive sound and recording innovations. Hits by The O’Jays, Stylistics, and others produced at 212 N. 12th Street by Gamble, Huff, and Bell drew top recording artists such as David Bowie and Stevie Wonder.

11. Sister Rosetta Tharpe, 1102 Master Street

One of gospel music’s first crossover superstars, Tharpe popularized the genre by including secular music elements. A guitar virtuoso and charismatic performer throughout America and Europe, she toured with Count Basie, Cab Calloway, and Benny Goodman. Her home was here.

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