Kinston produced a surprising number of pioneering Black musicians, including members of George Clinton's Parliament-Funkadelic and Maceo Parker, the saxophone player who anchored James Brown's band. The African American Music Park, a small plaza in downtown, recognises this heritage with markers and a sculpture trail along the Lenoir County African American Music Trail.
It is more historical-marker than museum, but the trail extends through several locations in the city — churches, former clubs, family homes — and a brochure available from the visitor centre links them. For anyone interested in the lineage of American soul and funk, Kinston is a meaningful stop.