Many people associate specific places with different music styles; for example, Nashville with country, New Orleans with jazz, and Jamaica with reggae.  Some have been the birthplace of these genres, and others have helped the music become popular around the country. But what most people do not know is that an influential place filled with musical history is located right in the heart of New Jersey.

Trenton, New Jersey has been home to many famous musicians throughout the years- Sarah Dash and Nona Hendryx, who sang with Patti LaBelle and are known for the song “Lady Marmalade” and Maury Muehleisen who played guitar with Jim Croce, just to name a few. But what is concerning is that not many people know about Trenton’s musical history- even people who teach in and around the city.

Reverend Todd McCrary, a professor at The College of New Jersey and an avid church goer in Trenton, is moderately informed of some of Trenton’s musical history. He teaches a Freshman Seminar titled “History of African American Gospel Music” where students learn about and listen to influential artists in gospel and actually take a trip to both Baptist and Methodist churches to get a true experience of the music and the culture.

“I am quite limited on what I know” said McCrary when asked about his knowledge on Trenton’s Music History. He then proceeded to talk about multiple artists from Trenton, like Craig Hayes, Nona Hendryx, and some local artists in the gospel scene. He also read a list of notable Trenton musicians and did not know that so many recognized musicians were from Trenton. He then corrected his initial statement because he realized that he knew a lot more than he thought he did.

Unlike McCrary, many people are not aware of the vast amount of history within Trenton. To a lot of people, when they first hear that Trenton has influential music history, they are surprised at the information.  Given Trenton’s current reputation, it is not the first place people think of to have a diverse and important part in history. “People just don’t do the research. It’s mostly about advertising- it’s just not out there for these folks,” said McCrary.

Students and professors at The College of New Jersey are currently involved in a project titled “Trenton Makes Music” which is a compilation of work from various artists from Trenton. The project aims to educate people on the vast cultural and musical history of Trenton that most people do not know about.

McCrary thinks that it is important for people, more specifically students, to learn about the history of Trenton and how artists from Trenton have made a huge impact on the music world as a whole. “A benefit is the college’s location, it’s about the distance to New York, the distance to Philly and that’s great! So why not talk about some of the history surrounding the area? Notable musicians are right in this area,” McCrary said.

The Trenton Makes Music project is spread across many media outlets, but it is most popular in an app form. The app provides videos, websites, and various projects that students have worked on in order to relay information to other people and get the important facts out to boost the project’s popularity. McCrary believes that it is important for students particularly to learn about Trenton’s music history because of the “aha moment” when they realize that they are capable of similar accomplishments that these musicians have achieved who grew up in the same city as they are.

“There are a lot of possibilities,” said McCrary about how the Trenton Makes Music project will help Trenton and New Jersey as a whole. He added, “It’s very inspiring for elementary or even high school kids to know that talent came from Trenton and it’s a positive plug for Trenton; it can use all the positivity it can get.”