Heinz History Center, Pittsburgh Keystones of Musical History Pennsylvania has played a starring role in shaping America's sound. 1939 Marian Anderson , a classical contralto singer who honed her talent in Philadelphia, serenades a crowd of 75,000 at the Lincoln Memorial — a concert that became a symbol of the Civil Rights struggle. Soul and R&B singer and Philadelphian Patti LaBelle releases "Lady Marmalade," which tops the Billboard Hot 100 the following year. Daryl Hall and John Oates — the Pennsylvanians behind Hall & Oates — are recognized by the Recording Industry Association of America as the most successful duo in rock history. Hailing from Doylestown, Alecia Beth Moore-Hart (professionally known as pop-rock artist P!NK ) releases her first studio album, which garnered huge commercial success and double platinum certification. Questlove and The Roots , hip-hop stars and cultural innovators, launch the groundbreaking Roots Picnic music fest in Philadelphia. Pop megastar Taylor Swift , who was born in West Reading, embarks on the highest-grossing tour of all time. Lancaster-born Jonathan Groff wins the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his role in the Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim's “Merrily We Roll Along.” 1974 1984 Steel City-born innovators brought their creativity to the food industry, too. In 1869, Henry John Heinz founded the company that would become H.J. Heinz Company, a manufacturer of products such as ketchup and pickles that remain household staples today. At Pittsburgh’s Heinz History Center , get a glimpse into the company’s early operations through photographs and memorabilia, plus gain knowhow about other western Pennsylvanians who influenced American culture. Some 25 years after Heinz was founded, Milton Hershey established his namesake chocolate company in south-central Pennsylvania. In addition to making chocolate affordable for the average American, Hershey also built a town of the same name around his factory that gave employees access to housing and schools. Savor the sweet fruits of his labor at Hershey’s Chocolate World , where you can learn how chocolate is made and create your own chocolate bar, or learn about Milton Hershey’s life and the town he created at The Hershey Story museum. Like August Wilson, writer John Updike turned his observations and Keystone State roots into works of art. His Rabbit series, set in fictional towns modeled after Reading and Shillington, captured the struggles, desires, and disillusionments of post-World War II America. At The John Updike Childhood Home in Shillington, you can see his restored bedroom and typewriter and find out how the author’s middle-class upbringing influenced his essays, novels, and short stories. Philadelphia has long been home to barrier-breaking artists, including Violet Oakley, the first woman commissioned for a U.S. government mural project. A muralist and illustrator, Oakley was part of the Red Rose Girls, a trio of early 20th-century women who defied the belief that only men could succeed in the creative world. Look for Oakley’s 2000 2008 2023 2024 HEINZ HISOTRY CENTER visitpa.com 33
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