50 | OCTOBER 6 • 2022 

continued from page 49

Legends like Miles Davis 
and John Coltrane once played 
there, but the club closed in 
the early 2000s due to neigh-
borhood disinvestment. Now, 
Raduns-Silverstein and his 
team are leading the effort to 
restore The Blue Bird Inn and 
bring the abandoned gem back 
to life. 
In 2016, Detroit Sound 
Conservancy worked with 
Wayne State University and the 
previous owners to salvage the 
building’s historic stage (which 
will be reinstalled in the 
future). In 2018, with a grant 
from the Kresge Foundation, 
they purchased The Blue Bird 
after it fell into tax foreclo-
sure. Over the next two years, 
the nonprofit worked to get 
the building designated as a 
Detroit historic district, sav-
ing it from the wrecking ball. 
Today, it has a new roof and a 
new lease on life.
“We are hoping by the 
beginning of 2024 that the 
building will be open for use 
for our organization and for 
the community,
” Raduns-
Silverstein says. “We have 
raised nearly $300,000 in 
capital funds with grants from 
several organizations.
”

DRAWN TO THE D
So, what’s a nice Jewish boy 
who grew up in the Bronx 
doing in Detroit helping to 
keep its music history alive? 
It’s that very music history that 
drew Raduns-Silverstein to 
the D in the first place. Jonah 
is a musician, producer, audio 
engineer, guitarist, promoter 
and a DJ with wild, wavy hair 
and a welcoming smile. He 
writes, records, produces and 
performs his own music as 
“Jo Rad Silver” and releases it 
on his record label “
Akka & 

A rendering of what 
the stage will look 
like when completed

The interior of the 
building during roof 
reconstruction

ARTS&LIFE
MUSIC

