IEF was covered in a story by Terre Haute Tribune-Star reporter Mark Bennett.  The story, published on Sunday, October 31, 2021 focused on the Indiana Musicpedia project, with a spotlight on Terre Haute area musical artists. Following is an excerpt; read the complete article here.  The article was also picked up by Yahoo! News and Mix Magazine, and has been distributed to newspapers around Indiana.

An estimated 3,000 to 5,000 singles — those jukebox-size 7-inch, 45-rpm records — were recorded by Indiana artists during music’s vinyl era.

“I think most people would be blown away by that,” said Rick Wilkerson, executive director of the Indiana Entertainment Foundation.

Wilkerson saw a bit of that history unfolding as a teenager growing up in Terre Haute, where he watched local bands perform at sock hops. Later, Wilkerson saw evidence of those musicians’ work come through two Indianapolis record stores he owned and operated — Missing Link and Irvington Vinyl. Occasionally, singles and LPs by Hoosier groups popped up in his shops, and he began collecting those discs.

Now at age 68, the retired businessman and 1971 Honey Creek High School graduate wants to preserve that music and its backstories, before it fades with the passing of time. That’s why Wilkerson co-founded the Indiana Entertainment Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to preserving not only the state’s music history, but also that of film and broadcasting. One multifaceted element of the foundation’s work is Indiana Musicpedia, a growing online database of Hoosier musicians, bands, songwriters, venues, record stores, labels, studios, disc jockeys and more.

Read more.