A special display of four stars of the Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame was unveiled Wednesday at the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.
CVG will host the stars so thousands of travelers will see them until construction of the official Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame outdoor interactive park at The Banks is complete in the summer of 2022.
CEO Candace McGraw of CVG hosted the unveiling. Participating were Hamilton County Commissioner Alicia Reece and honorees Otis Williams and Bootsey Collins. The two other stars honors are Dr. Charles Fold and the Isley Brothers.
“CVG is pleased to be able to display the stars honoring the inaugural class of the Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame,” said McGraw. “During the upcoming holidays and into 2022 until the stars are installed at the Banks, we are glad to showcase great Black musicians from Cincinnati to visitors to our region, as well as travelers who may be returning home, to inspire pride and foster awareness of the legacy of these great artists.”
Reece talked about the plan to build the tree-lined outdoor park with space to add more starts every year.
“We thought it was very important to have in Cincinnati, Ohio, an interactive outdoor park called the Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame at the ICON Music Center,” said Reece. “We are glad to partner with Candace McGraw to take the inaugural class of stars on tour to display at CVG until they are installed at the Banks in summer 2022. We are thrilled with this partnership and to have the stars unveiled and on display kicking off this holiday travel season.”
This is the first tourism infrastructure project that will create a music corridor on the Banks, she said.
Both Williams and Collins were part of the King Records tradition of James Brown.
“I want to let you know that Cincinnati has been good to us,” Williams said. “We will do more, and I appreciate my cohort who feel the same way. We know our jobs and do them well. (The Walk) means a lot to us.”
Bootsy Collins
Collins appeared in a glittering gray top hat.
“I learned how to learn from these great people,” he said. “I’m just glad to be among my people. I’d like to thank Commissioner Reece for this tremendous accolade.”
Kent Butts, who is working on a King Records Museum, attended the ceremony.
“This is very, very important,” he said. “This is all about education. As many people come through this airport, we want to make sure the kids see what they can be through the Black Music Walk of Fame.”
