As a fan of a wide variety of music styles, I highly recommend visiting the Grammy Museum in Downtown Los Angeles. On my most recent trip, I only managed to get through one floor because the amount of information was mind boggling. On that floor, they had featured exhibits by Stevie Ray Vaughan, Donna Summer and Blue Notes Records.

For Stevie Ray Vaughan they displayed his actual guitars, amps and chain of fx pedals that he used. As a producer this was fantastic to gain insight into how he crafted those bluesy tones.

The Donna Summer wing had behind the scenes studio information, hand-written lyrics and notes, and many other cool tidbits. If you’re a fan of today’s pop dance music, this will show you where it all started.

The Blue Note Records area traced the history of this iconic label from its inception in 1939 through today, providing a history of the evolution of Jazz itself. I discovered my favorite style is ‘Free Jazz’.

What a learning experience! Again, this was just a small part of one floor. The vibe of the place is fantastic as well with dim lighting and a modern, yet comfortable feel. More importantly since it’s all about the music, all areas had multiple listening stations.

Experiencing the various genres, I left with a better understanding of the history and evolution of today’s music. If you’re looking for some inspiration, this is the place to go!