DAVENPORT, IOWA (June 11, 2024) — Common Chord launched twenty years ago as a bold project, a museum and performance space that would inject life into downtown Davenport through the power of music, specifically music that had its roots along the vastness of the Mississippi River.
Originally branded as River Music Experience, the organization was a linchpin of the $113 million placemaking project called River Renaissance which brought other major improvements to downtown, including the Figge Art Museum, renovation of the Redstone Building, expansion of the Adler Theater, NewVentures Center, parking garages, and the Skybridge.
But the impact of RME, now called Common Chord, has reached into all corners of the Quad Cities, far beyond its headquarters at the Redstone building at Second and Main streets. No longer a “museum,” the organization has infused the love of music to countless thousands of people through events and educational programs. Last year alone, more than 35,000 people attended concerts and performances. More than 200 events were staged, and over 850 musicians were hired, according to Common Chord Executive Director Tyson Danner. Education programs reached more than 15,000 students over more than 390 events. “More Music, More Community” is the organization’s motto.
“We do even more off campus than we do here,” said Danner, who has been at the helm of Common Chord since April 2019. “If you’re doing the exact thing today as you did twenty years ago, you’re doing something wrong. The world changes; the community changes.”
Adds Kyle Carter, Executive Director, Downtown Davenport Partnership, “It’s been an evolution since the day it was born.”
On June 11, 2004, the day before the doors opened, an estimated 1,000 people attended a gala preview, amazed by the 81-foot interactive River Wall that told the story of river-influenced music through multimedia clips of interviews and performances.
Seven inaugural members of “The Amplify Society,” recognized on a new Wall of Honor dedicated just recently at Common Chord include: Dan Huber, Bechtel Trusts/Dick Bittner, Betsy Brandsgard, LuAnn Haydon, Ellis Kell, Frank Klipsch, and Kent Pilcher. All were instrumental in the RME’s early formation.
“If not for their actions, we wouldn’t be here,” said Carter. “This brought new life to a part of downtown that had been left for dead.”
A critical element of their effort was getting support throughout Scott County for a $5 million bond referendum to support the River Renaissance project. The 73% approval in a vote on October 23, 2001, assured the community of obtaining $20 million in funding from Vision Iowa.
And at the heart of the music was Rock Island native and noted blues guitarist Ellis Kell, “The Godfather of RME.” The influence of Kell, who passed away in December 2016 at the age of 61, is seen in many of Common Chord’s signature programs, like the popular summer camp KidStock (which began as Rock Camp) and the Ellis Kell Winter Blues Music Camp.
A larger-than-life tribute on the second floor of Common Chord notes that Kell, hired in 2004 as the membership, operations, and special-events manager, wore “many hats to help RME figure out its place in our community.” Kell always looked out for young people, says his widow, Kristi, especially those who had no access to music lessons or never touched an instrument. With the RME, she said, “he was in a position to change that.” He traveled to Texas to train with musicians who ran a rock camp there so he could start one here.
Carter said Kell was the soul of the organization. “They figured out early on that a place like this needs a soul and needs somebody who really cares about its programming, and that was Ellis’ role,” Carter said.
There have been many milestones in Common Chord’s development. One was the opening in 2006 of the Redstone Room, a performance space seating up to 250 people with state-of-the-art sound and lighting systems. The space is one of several that features live music, educational programming, and community events, enhancing the Skybridge Courtyard, and the first-floor restaurants that have operated over the years in the Redstone Building. The Redstone Room is also a popular venue that can be rented for private events such as wedding receptions.
Another milestone was the introduction of the River Roots Live festival in 2005, drawing thousands to LeClaire Park annually for a celebration of music. That event evolved in 2017 to Alternating Currents, a multi-day festival founded by the Downtown Davenport Partnership, which showcases comedy, film, music, art, and local businesses across dozens of venues in downtown Davenport, Rock Island, and Bettendorf.
Danner notes that it takes constant support and innovation to create programming that is relevant to the community. “As we celebrate twenty years of success, we have to remember that it took a whole community of support to create this place. . . and it will take stronger support from private and public partners to keep downtown moving on the right trajectory. We have to keep our foot on the gas pedal.”
