Matheson to remember music hall through photos

The Matheson History Museum will remember the Great Southern Music Hall this month during an event about the venue’s height from 1974 to 1978.  

The Matheson’s event—The Gainesville Music Scene in the 1970s: Featuring the Great Southern Music Hall—will happen on Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. at the museum.  

Four people connected with the Music Hall will share their stories, including John Moran, the hall’s resident photographer from 1974 to 1976.  

Moran took the post as the Great Southern Music Hall’s first photographer at the age of 19. He moved on and snapped shots for newspapers before transitioning to nature photography. His work has been in National Geographic, Life, Time, Smithsonian, The New York Times Magazine; he also wrote the book “Journal of Light: The Visual Diary of a Florida Nature Photographer.” 

Albert Teebagy, Jim Forsman and Jefferey Meldon will join Moran to speak at the event with Bill DeYoung as moderator.  

Meldon and Forsman created the music hall with Peter Laird in 1974, and the hall ran until 1981. 

You can register to attend for free online. Virtual viewing is also an option here.