SF native brings artist's passion to Music City San Francisco to uplift aspiring musicians
A native San Franciscan is working to grow the city as an epicenter for music by celebrating musicians of the past and supporting new artists of the future.
Rudy Colombini wrote this song for his native San Francisco.
"I just want to give to you a perfect gift today," he sang.
His perfect gift is music.
"Because I love music. Isn't it obvious?" he smiled.
It is obvious as he gives us a tour of his pride and joy: Music City San Francisco. It's a $20 million renovated music machine - a maze of rooms and studios weaving through a five-story building on Bush Street in the Lower Nob Hill neighborhood.
Colombini honors musical greats in his ever-expanding San Francisco Music Hall of Fame. He hopes to reverse the damage he says the dot-com boom has done to the city's musical heritage.
"It was good for the economic health of the city, although it destroyed the inner culture, inner wisdom, the music, the poetry," he said. "The city needs its musicians to be catered to and cared for."
In 2017 he formed Music City Entertainment, the nonprofit artist accelerator arm of Music City San Francisco. It gives up-and-coming Bay Area musicians access to Music City's 20 state-of-the-art recording and rehearsal studios, seven live performance stages, and small clubs.
Jae Jackson says Music City's rehearsal spaces allow her to foster creativity, connection and community.
"Being able to come in and showing the work that you can do, what you're capable of, he gave us a space to do that and I'm really grateful for that," Jackson said.
About 1,000 artists a year stay at Music City's hotel at discounted rates. The venue creates hundreds of commission-free gig opportunities, from the annual free songwriter's festival to the Fern Alley Music Series to special events like a concert benefitting those impacted by the Southern California fires.
Austin Waz of the band Analog Dog says his group is one of many that got their start at Music City.
"We've had acts that have risen to the top of the scene," Waz said.
Waz credited Colombini for changing their lives.
"He had a dedication to a dream and it fueled the beginning of mine," Waz explained.
Colombini is an artist himself. For the last 25 years, he's been the lead singer in a tribute band, the Unauthorized Rolling Stones. But the longtime musician and real estate developer says Music City is his love letter to his city.
"I want to be the Super Daddy of music in San Francisco," he chuckled. "I was born to do that."
So for preserving San Francisc's musical past and growing opportunities for the future through Music City, this week's CBS News Bay Area Icon Award goes to Rudy Colombini.
