Detroit Sound Conservancy Saves the Blue Bird

The Blue Bird Inn at 5021 Tireman on Detroit’s west side has been threatened with demolition for some time. On December 7 the Detroit City Council voted to designate it as a local Historic District. The next step will be a capital campaign by the Detroit Sound Conservancy in 2021 to secure a new roof for the building. The Sound Conservancy saved the original stage from the rapidly deteriorating building in 2016 and has showcased it at the Detroit Historical Museum and it has even traveled overseas to France.
To learn more about the Sound Conservancy and its Blue Bird project please go to their website. You can also find out how you help preserve this iconic piece of Detroit jazz history.

On a related note, the Detroit Sound Conservancy has a new Director as of this past Fall: Michelle McKinney. She is a well-known singer, griot and historian around town. Michelle is the widow of Harold McKinney, one of Detroit’s most well-known modern pianists and educators. He was one of many who played the Blue Bird in its heyday in the 1950s.