Omar Higgins, the fierce, trailblazing bass player and frontman of Chinese Connection Dub Embassy and Negro Terror, will receive a posthumous Brass Note at Handy Park on Beale Street at 5 p.m. on April 18, with a celebration concert to follow.
Higgins died of septic shock on April 18, 2019 at the age of 37.
“We will celebrate Omar’s legacy and all the genres of music he loved performing, and we will cement that legacy with a Brass Note on the legendary Beale Street,” said his brother, David Higgins. “Omar’s friends and family all around the world can then look at April 18 as a day of celebration, and not just sorrow.”
Organizers said the concert that will follow at Handy Park will be a multi-genre bill that reflects the diversity of the Memphis music community and just how many fellow musicians and music fans from all over the music scene Omar’s life touched.
Joining a Chinese Connection Dub Embassy house band to perform one song per act will be the following artists and producers: Mandy and Sturgis, Tonya Dyson, Tia Henderson, Harley Quinn, Ryan Peel, SvmDvde, Montee Carlo, Kween Jasira, Preaux, Danny Cosby, Idie and Teco.
“Omar was a joyous, ebullient figure, whose devotion to music and those he loved was total,” said Joseph Higgins. “The day will serve as a celebration of his legacy and contribution to the Memphis arts community.”
Organizers are raising money through an ioby crowdfunding campaign to cover the costs of the event. Donations to the campaign will be matched by ioby, up to $2,000.
The Beale Street Brass Note Walk of Fame program was created in 1986 to tie the rich musical tradition of Beale Street to the current entertainment district.
