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869 results for: Performing Arts and Music

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Image of Orpheum Theatre logbook, 1927-1937
Logbook

Orpheum Theatre logbook, 1927-1937

The Orpheum Theatre opened on August 28, 1927, showing vaudeville acts as well as motion pictures. The Orpheum transitioned to mostly showing films in the mid-1930s and was open until 1967, when the theater closed and the building was demolished. The Washington Plaza Hotel (now the Westin) was built on the Orpheum’s old site. These images show the cover and…
ID Number:2023.35.1
Date:Circa 1932
Image of Burger Gun visor from Almost Live! sketch, Seattle, 1989
Ephemera

Burger Gun visor from Almost Live! sketch, Seattle, 1989

From 1984 to 1999, the KING 5 TV show Almost Live! used humor to capture the experience of living in this region. The show coincided with a time when the region was making headlines with its music scene, tech industry, and coffee culture. Incorporating comedy monologues, in-studio antics, and inventive taped sketches, Almost Live! produced a slew of enduring characters…
ID Number:2024.10.3
Date:1989
Image of Good Buzz Malt Liquor label from Almost Live! TV show, Seattle, 1991
Ephemera

Good Buzz Malt Liquor label from Almost Live! TV show, Seattle, 1991

From 1984 to 1999, the KING 5 TV show Almost Live! used humor to capture the experience of living in this region. The show coincided with a time when the region was making headlines with its music scene, tech industry, and coffee culture. Incorporating comedy monologues, in-studio antics, and inventive taped sketches, Almost Live! produced a slew of enduring characters…
ID Number:2024.28.2
Date:1991
Image of An Anti-Nuclear Songbook as performed by Shelly & the Crustaceans, circa 1980
Ephemera

An Anti-Nuclear Songbook as performed by Shelly & the Crustaceans, circa 1980

Shelly & the Crustaceans was a Seattle-based musical group that performed songs related to the peace, environmental and anti-nuclear movements from 1977 through 1985. This twelve-page booklet of songs performed by the group features a cover photo of Shelly & the Crustaceans performing, and background on the group's formation on the inside cover. Each page of the booklet has song…
ID Number:2025.7.1
Date:Circa 1980
Image of Poster for Luck Ngi Music Society's benefit for the Chong Wa Benevolent Association, printed  in Chinese, October 1975
Ephemera

Poster for Luck Ngi Music Society's benefit for the Chong Wa Benevolent Association, printed in Chinese, October 1975

Founded in 1938, Seattle’s Luck Ngi Music Society specialized in Chinese opera. Located at 512 Seventh Avenue South, they often practiced and performed at nearby Chong Wa Hall. In 1975, as advertised on this flier, the group performed the Chinese opera “Bloodbath” as a benefit for the Chong Wa Benevolent Association. Edward Shui “Ping” Chow (photo third from the right)…
ID Number:2025.10.17
Date:1975
Image of Chinese language poster advertising performance by Seattle Chinese arts group in Vancouver, August 1962
Ephemera

Chinese language poster advertising performance by Seattle Chinese arts group in Vancouver, August 1962

This poster advertises an upcoming performance at the Majestic Theater in Vancouver BC by the Seattle-based Xiu Zhen Chinese Arts Group on August 19, 1962. Billed as "one performance only," the show included Cantonese opera excerpts performed by Ping Chow (center bottom), a leader in Seattle's Chinese American community and the husband of Ruby Chow; the Cantonese opera movie star,…
ID Number:2025.10.24
Date:1962
Image of
Musical sound recording

"I'm Little Ray Rapper" recording on 12-inch vinyl disk, 1981

David Perry is a musician, producer, and studio engineer who moved to Seattle in 1978, where he produced hits for disco artists like Salazar. Inspired by early rap coming out of New York and with access to studio time, Perry decided to record his own rap album in 1980 under the name "Little Ray Rapper." Working with Moyes Lucas on…
ID Number:2025.28.1
Date:1981
Image of Tulalip Indian School boys band, 1912
Photograph

Tulalip Indian School boys band, 1912

The Tulalip Tribes are a confederation of several Coast Salish peoples including the Snohomish, Snoqualmie, Skykomish, Skagit, Suiattle, Samish, Stillaguamish, and other allied tribes and bands. In the 1855 Treaty of Point Elliott, these groups ceded most of their land to the United States and reserved the Tulalip Indian Reservation for their permanent homeland. They also reserved rights for hunting,…
ID Number:Lib1988.11.83
Date:1912
Image of Puget Sound Bridge and Dredging Company band playing for the APL 49 launch party, Seattle, May 29, 1945
Photograph

Puget Sound Bridge and Dredging Company band playing for the APL 49 launch party, Seattle, May 29, 1945

Founded in 1889, the Puget Sound Bridge and Dredging Company was also called Puget Sound Bridge and Drydock, Associated Shipbuilders, and Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Company. The company participated in most major construction sites in the Pacific Northwest, and they are responsible for many ships, including some of the Washington State ferries and many naval vessels during and after World…
ID Number:Lib1988.13.10.30b.1
Date:1945
Image of The Trianon Saturday Night, Vol. 8 No. 24, June 4, 1938
Article

The Trianon Saturday Night, Vol. 8 No. 24, June 4, 1938

The Trianon Ballroom, located at Third Avenue and Bell Street, was an important entertainment venue in Seattle's musical history. One of several large dance clubs in the area which drew national Big Band talent, it was founded in 1927 by hotelier John Edward Savage (1879-1958) and had a 30 x 135-foot dance floor that accommodated more than 5,000 dancers. Operating…
ID Number:Lib1988.27.4
Date:1938
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