Celebrate Manitoba’s Musical Legacy with
Shakin’ All Over The Manitoba Museum has become a Mecca of Manitoba music, complete with rare memorabilia, fascinating exhibits, vintage guitars, live entertainment – and even disco balls.  “It’s a celebration of all aspects of Manitoba music,” explains John Einarson. Einarson, one of Manitoba’s most noted and respected music historians, is the curator of Shakin’ All Over: The Manitoba Music Experience.

The exhibit is a multi-media celebration of music in our province over time. Each genre of music will have a semi-circular “pod” space allocated to it, in which you can view artifacts, learn history, and hear the music specific to that genre. The themes of the pods are: Country, Folk, Jazz, Classical & Opera, First Nations, Métis, Franco-Manitoban, Blues, Children & Family and Rock ‘n Roll. The pods were designed by the Winnipeg-based design firm of Hilderman Thomas Frank Cram.  “You follow your way through each of these nine pods, getting a sense of the tremendous amount of music that has come out of this province,” says Einarson.

The Country pod, for instance, features guitars from Winnipeg’s Linkon Pedal Steel Guitar company – the only Canadian business that manufactures such guitars. Country fans will enjoy viewing singer Cindi Cain’s famous stage outfits and boots, jackets from the Double Eagle Band, as well as posters, pictures, and other memorabilia. 

In the Rock 'n Roll pod, you can see bass guitars and gold records donated by Bachman Turner Overdrive's Fred Turner, original Garnet amplifiers from the 1960s, and the door from the renowned Cellar night club of the same era.
Another show stopper? The gorgeous “bubble gum dress” from Transit of Venus, the first Manitoba Opera performance commissioned for main-stage production.

Einarson has also overseen the creation of a 70-seat stage area where visitors can experience Manitoba music first-hand. 

Shakin’ All Over: The Manitoba Music Experience runs until Sept. 6

Ref: The Manitoba Museum