Andrea Lewis on Advancing Black History in Hallmark's "A Nashville Legacy"

quotHonestly I39m very excited about thisquot she enthused during an exclusive chat with MediaVillage quotHallmark is a legendary brand and everybody knows them from the cards to the Christmas films then knowing the Hallmark Mahogany brand and introducing that Especially within the Black community everybody knows Hallmark Mahogany cards Whenever I39m talking to people and say 39Oh yeah and they39re also doing Mahogany films39 people are genuinely excited to see elements of our culture of our history introduced in these films that we all know so well I consider this opportunity a dream come truequotLewis portrays Naima a student working on a dissertation for her Doctorate in Ethnomusicology After landing an internship at the National Museum of African American Music she uncovers a donated box that soon unfolds a mystery surrounding a famous 1960s girl group song With doubts as to who originated the song she enlists the aid of Damian Hall the son of legendary music producer Franklin Berryhall Shaw As the mystery unfolds it becomes apparent that Naima39s findings could open an unwanted can of worms for all involved potentially destroying any hope of a relationship with DamianWith a story spanning 1963 to the present day Lewis who is also a singer was delighted to do a deeper dive into the girl group musical genre quotI absolutely love this eraquot she said quotThe film incorporates everything from jazz to country to soul And we feature Ruben Studdard pictured below and country artist Curt Chambers To me his music defines what this film is It39s soulful and country focused but it39s Americana It39s like all these things mixed into one Within this film you really get to see so many types of music that include Black culture and are the voice of America The fun part of this film is that we show Black history and American history are synonymousquotAs the national conversation rages with regard to abolishing teaching Black history the fact the film highlights its importance was not lost on Lewis quotThat39s the most exciting part about the scriptquot she explained quotIt touches on so many things everybody can relate to like family legacy and music and it introduces people to the African American Museum of Music This space is like a cultural time capsule of all things to do with music history within African American culture So many people don39t know or didn39t know about the museum so you get an element of learningquotIt39s very important because Black history is American historyquot she added quotTo be in a film that touches on it in such an elegant and easy way that enriches the lives of these characters amp8230 Honestly I was so pleased to see that fit because I didn39t know this museum existed It39s so beautiful and it literally has everything from James Brown to Cardi B Every kind of music is in there which makes it a fascinating spacequotAnother fascinating thing about the script is it reminded me of the documentary 20 Feet From Stardomquot she continued quotIt39s about really famous background singers having their music taken from them Turns out that39s part of the true events that inspired it So combining all these things we all know like real music history real African American history and genuine stories we can all relate to I was immediately excitedquotThe fact the project was packaged as an intriguing mystery only added to that excitement quotI39m genuinely a curious personquot she revealed quotIf I get a nugget of information I need to know more I really related to Naima in that respect As a total mystery person I understood why she needed to solve this mystery and understand what really happened I think any really curious person will completely understand that urge When somebody39s trying to shut something down you have to go furtherquotHaving one Mahogany project under her belt Lewis can39t wait to do more quotIt was a fantastic experience and everything I39d ever hoped and dreamed ofquot she said quotThe crew every person involved was so sweet and so nice it felt like family on the set That was such a surprising gift We had an amazing director in Roger Bobb an amazing producer in Sylvia Mathis and the great Pooch Hall who is an absolute favorite It was a very confirming experience and I really felt at homequotI39d love to do more adventures with Naima because she39s such a fascinating characterquot she added in closing quotShe39s curious and always open to learning more We kept saying she needs to take on another major city and get answers for somebody else39s family My bags are packed and ready to go wherever they need me to be Let39s do itquotA Nashville Legacy a Mahogany presentation will be telecast Sunday February 26 at 7 pm on Hallmark Movies ampamp Mysteries Click the social buttons to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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Andrea Lewis on Advancing Black History in Hallmark's "A Nashville Legacy"

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Andrea Lewis on Advancing Black History in Hallmark's "A Nashville Legacy"

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