Sacramento Rock and Radio Collection

In 2002, longtime Sacramento radio personality Dennis Newhall and collector Jeff Hughson saw an opportunity to illustrate the history of rock and roll in Sacramento and its surrounding areas. When the building that formerly housed Crabshaw Corner and The Oasis Ballroom became available, it provided the perfect location for Newhall and Hughson to pay homage to the 60-year history of rock music, rock radio, and rock graphics in the Capital. Thus, the Sacramento Rock and Radio Museum was born.

Collecting this rock and roll history began when Newhall worked as a sound engineer and voice talent for Nakamoto Productions, a commercial recording studio. The owner, Ray Nakamoto, inspired by the building’s legacy, asked Newhall to find associated concert posters to decorate the studio's halls.

For nearly two decades, the Sacramento Rock and Radio Museum grew to house over 3,000 pieces of music history, including concert posters, handbills, and tickets. The collection visually showcases Sacramento's musical heritage, featuring iconic groups such as The Rolling Stones, Cream, The Grateful Dead, Nirvana, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, as well as local musician Jackie Greene and international musician Ozzy Osbourne.

The museum was a popular spot for locals to visit during Sacramento’s Second Saturday Art Walk until January 2017. At that time, Newhall was seeking a new home. Much of the collection was stored in warehouses and garages. Dean of the University Library, Amy Kautzman, read an article in Inside Publications, a local neighborhood magazine, about the museum and the collection. Kautzman was interested and worked with the head of the Donald and Beverly Gerth Special Collections & University Archives (SCUA) to bring the collection to Sacramento State University.

The collection arrived in 2018, and the team in SCUA has processed it, making it accessible to students, local and international researchers, and the general public. The posters are actively used in course instruction and research on the music scene and culture in Sacramento, as well as the counterculture of the 1960s. Sacramento State University thanks Denis Newhall for his generous donation.

With the support of California Revealed, a statewide initiative supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the first batch of material was digitized in 2021.