The Soul Museum collects evidence of the passage of the greats of soul music in the city, preserving their stage clothes, shoes and other personal objects. His photographic and audiovideo collection is also very vast.
Since 1988, in fact, the Porretta Soul Festival, Tribute To Otis Redding, has become the most prestigious European event dedicated entirely to soul and rhythm & blues music, with particular reference to the Memphis Sound, the musical school of the great Otis Redding.
A museum dedicated to over thirty years of Soul music in Porretta Terme with a journey that starts from the posters of the first editions, to the stage clothes donated by many artists who transformed the spa town, halfway between Bologna and Pistoia, into the European capital of soul music.
Located right in the alley that contains the mural dedicated to Sam Cooke, the museum collects evidence of the passage of the greats of soul on the stage of the Porretta Soul Festival, starting with Rufus Thomas, Solomon Burke, Bobby Rush, Millie Jackson whose clothes are preserved props, footwear or other personal items. The collection makes use of a vast photographic collection and a rich audio-video archive.
The artistic director, Graziano Uliani, underlines: “We have a lot of material available, films, original documents, videos, curiosities such as the stage dress worn by Rufus Thomas at the first edition of the festival in 1988, the harmonica donated by Bobby Rush, winner of the Grammy Award in 2017 and 2021 for blues, a 1959 M. Hohner harmonica and many memorabilia that will delight many fans who will come from all over Europe.”
The Museum can only be visited by reservation
Porretta Soul Museum
Vicolo Sam Cooke (corner of Via Mazzini) 76
Porretta Terme (Bologna)
Emilia Romagna – Italy
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