PRESS RELEASE: Kazoo Exhibit on Display at the Tubman Museum Bringing the Instrument Back to Its Legendary Birthplace, February through March

MACON, Ga. (January 7, 2025) — Visit Macon and the Tubman African American Museum are pleased to announce that this February, the kazoo will return home to Macon, Georgia as part of a special Black History Month exhibit in partnership with the Kazoo Museum & Factory of Beaufort, SC.

A VIP opening reception for the exhibit will be on National Kazoo Day, January 28th from 5-6:30pm. The media is also encouraged to attend for additional announcements. The exhibit will remain up through the entirety of February & March. Museum hours of operation are Tuesday through Saturday 9am-5pm. Standard admission is $10 for adults and $6 for ages 3-17. AAA, AARP, Senior, Student, Educator & Military discounts are available, as well as, group rates. Please visit tubmanmuseum.com to learn more.

This pop-up exhibit has been created and customized for Macon and the Tubman Museum, by the original designer/curator of the Kazoo Museum. The exhibit celebrates more than 150 years of kazoo history featuring rare and historic kazoo archives from around the world and colorful, interactive, made-for-selfie photo opps. The booming music city (where Little Richard, James Brown, The Allman Brothers and Otis Redding all got their starts) will feature the instrument and the musicians who ultimately became fans like The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix and more.

Legend has it that freed slave Alabama Vest created the musical instrument we know and love as the kazoo in Macon, Georgia in the 1840s. Inspired by the African horn-mirliton or onion flute, Vest brought his original prototype- made from a simple wooden tube with a piece of paper attached to it- to local clockmaker Thaddeus Von Clegg. Together they produced a design that they officially debuted at the Georgia State Fair in Macon in 1852, calling it a "Down South Submarine."

Curator Boaz Frankle describes the exhibit as:

“A playful, educational and interactive exhibit that celebrates the kazoo and Macon’s role in its creation
over 150 years of unique and fascinating kazoo history
rare and historic kazoos from around the world
bright, colorful and ready for selfies
We’ll highlight how kazoos played an integral role in early blues and jazz music and how the instrument crossed paths with personalities including Questlove, Mister Rogers, Dionne Warwick, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix and many others.”

“We believe this brightly colored exhibit featuring a favorite hometown legend of the kazoo is an exciting addition to the Tubman Museum, and our role as the largest museum of its kind in the southeast dedicated to educating people about the art, history and culture of African Americans.” explains the museum’s Executive Director, Harold Young. “The story of Alabama Vest as a black inventor is an important one to Macon, Georgia and we are proud to continue educating the world about it.”

“Visit Macon is excited to bring another small piece of our city’s music history home!” states Gary Wheat, President & CEO of Visit Macon. “And we know that, while the exhibit may be small, it will make some noise in our efforts to draw attention to all that our destination has to offer. There will be more announcements shortly about all that we have planned for the fascinating little historical connection of this instrument to Macon, Georgia. …You could even say one for the record books!”

For more information, visit visitmacon.org/kazoo and/or please contact Visit Macon’s Director of Marketing, Marisa Rodgers, at (478) 743-1074 x106 or email mrodgers@visitmacon.org.

About Visit Macon: The mission of Visit Macon is to unify and lead our community in marketing the Macon-Bibb County area as a superior visitor and meeting destination. Visit Macon promotes Macon, Georgia to travel writers, meeting planners, group tour operators, and leisure travelers in an effort to bring people and revenues into the community and area businesses. visitmacon.org