Creative vision realized: Tallahassee Nights Live lands a home for new ventures
Tallahassee Nights Live, considered one of the most popular live musical ensembles in the city, is no stranger to performing under the stage lights of venues throughout the southeast.
But this summer, its members are marking the one-year anniversary of opening the Tallahassee Nights Live Performing Arts Center, 1533 S. Monroe St., here in the capital.
For years, founder Darius “Doc” Baker saved money so the traveling group could have a place of its own under the TNL trademark. That vision paid off last year as Baker was driving on South Monroe Street and noticed a nondescript building that appeared to be an unclaimed space.
He understood the South Monroe corridor was coming alive with new businesses, building renovations and the development of SoMo Walls, the city’s newest retail, arts and entertainment destination.
Originally his vision was set on finding a location on West Tennessee Street, but Baker believes God planted a seed in his discovery of the vacant building on South Monroe.
It turns out the owners at Jefferson Management were familiar with Baker’s work in the community and his live performance troupe, best described as a band that performs songs across jazz, soul, R&B, and other genres. The conversation led to a leasing agreement.
“Once I got here, I saw the purpose behind it,” Baker told the Tallahassee Democrat, while sitting inside the renovated site. “The southside needs a performing arts center. They don’t need any more clubs and things like that.”
Through the years, TNL has been instrumental in launching the careers of quite a few notable artists. FAMU DRS Elementary Principal Star Swain (now running for Leon schools superintendent) is an alum, as are two-time Grammy award winner Kendra Foster and gospel singer Donnell Davis.
Each month, the venue provides a locale for about six events hosted by guests from the community and local organizations.
Baker’s own musically gifted family heavily influenced his life’s path in the music and entertainment industry. Today, in addition to Tallahassee Nights Live, he’s program director at Tallahassee’s Hallelujah 95.3 FM, an accomplished producer who has worked with artists like Keith Sweat, and he's an entrepreneur.
It was his passion for music, artist development and entertaining that led to the creation of TNL in 2007, a group that has graced stages across the United States, and overseas, with the TNL Soulful Escape on Carnival Cruise Lines. Initially, Baker hosted monthly shows performing jazz, R&B, soul, pop, hip-hop and dance music – while incorporating comedy acts and spoken-word monologues.
Many who’ve followed the group over the years know of their themed performances at The Moon. While grateful for the venue that provided TNL the space to grow their enterprise, the vision to land a home of their own developed. The goal was to provide not only a place to perform, but space to showcase other budding acts, and to provide a venue for private occasions.
For instance, on February 13, Tallahassee pastor Judy Mandrell celebrated her 65th birthday at the TNL Performing Arts Center, after searching for the right location.
“I was looking for a venue to hold at least 200 people,” Mandrell said. “I’d heard so many things about TNL, and I decided to have my birthday party there because of the type of person Doc is. When I first went to him, he helped me formulate the entire thing as far as my theme, what it would look like, everything. So, I was really excited.”
The TNL Center completed a busy schedule the week of April 22. On Thursday, it held the fourth annual African Americans in Media Awards sponsored by Hallelujah 95.3 FM and the Capitol Outlook and hosted by Florida A&M student, Kaylin Jean-Louis. The next day, Baker served as a panelist for a discussion led by Leadership Tallahassee. The weekend finale came to a close with the Sankofa: Legends of Funk, Jazz & Soul showcase on Saturday.
A look inside
In every corner, there are reminders of the months of handy work Baker spent bringing the soulful TNL environment to an empty building. From the carpet he helped install, to the door markers he created from unconventional materials, Baker is fully vested in developing TNL’s new home.
Upon entrance, a mid-size event space greets guests, with amenities needed to host wedding receptions, comedy shows, workshops, organizational meetings, graduation, and birthday parties. The space includes a stage, sound system, tables, chairs, and cold-prep kitchen.
The TNL Foundation, the nonprofit arm of the entertainment enterprise, also has agreements with local DJs and caterers, making the event planning experience easier for its guests.
There’s a hallway leading to two recording studios, along with a room for podcast recordings and studio productions.
Creating opportunities for growth, youth
The TNL Foundation was created in 2022 with the mission to ramp up community outreach, including the expansion of a promising program directed at teaching youth interested in gaining insight into the entertainment industry.
Teresa Berger, administrative director for Tallahassee Nights Live, said the foundation is run by a board of 15 directors, chaired by Baker. Its members represent a cross section of Tallahassee talent, including FAMU’s Assistant Vice President of Alumni Affairs Carmen Cummings and Roy Moore, owner of the local Piggly Wiggly locations.
“We always wanted to give back to the community and that’s by reaching out to the youth in any capacity,” Berger said. “It was created specifically for us to reach the youth in any aspect, before we even had a summer program.”
The foundation recently received funding from the Children Services Council to expand its summer program from half-days to a 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. operation.
Music producer Antonio Wimberly has worked with Tallahassee Nights Live as a co-music director, since its early stages. Today, he also serves as campus manager for the summer youth program.
“I believe kids need exposure,” Wimberly said. “They need people around them who’ve gone down the path they’re trying to go. Having this program gives them a goal to reach and access to other resources.”
The summer program will serve 35 students who will be exposed to vocal training, artist development and songwriting, comparable to the training that TNL’s professional performers have done in years prior.
“We’ve had people (in TNL) who’ve won Grammys,” Baker said. “We have artists right now who are (performing) on cruise ships. They have six-figure jobs, and they’ve gotten them through reels that people have seen through TNL. Many come back and give back to the foundation, because they know what they’ve learned, and how it’s helped them to do what they love and live off it.”
While the time to sign up for this year's summer program has already passed, amenities offered at the TNL Performing Arts Center and its event space are still available to the public.
"We service as a community venue, not just for (TNL), so I want to get that stigma off of us," Baker said. "It's not a clique. We're a community. In Tallahassee, you'll either have a big venue or something too small, but you never have anything that's really in the middle. So we're servicing that middle ground."
For more information
Democrat writer Mycah Brown can be reached at MJBrown@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahassee Nights Live lands a home for musical, educational ventures
