After 34 years of providing live shows to the people of Columbia, The Blue Note will continue that service, albeit under new ownership.

Richard King, the previous owner of live music venues The Blue Note and Mojo’s, has sold the two properties to Matt Gerding and Scott Leslie, owners of the successful Majestic Live in Madison, Wisconsin.

Despite King’s operation of the venues coming to a close, there are no substantial changes in store for either location.

“It’s still going to be a live music venue, first and foremost,” says Leslie. “It’s still going to present all genres of music in a welcoming environment. We’ll probably freshen up the inside of the venue, but mostly we just want to honor and build upon the legacy that The Blue Note has.”

An MU alumnus, Gerding has a history in Columbia. He and Leslie are familiar with the area and venues, and are planning to maintain their current status in the community.

After undergoing a heart valve surgery in 2012, King has rethought his business endeavors and decided to accept Gerding and Leslie’s offer to purchase the properties.

“This is a young man’s game, I had some medical issues a couple of years ago,” says King. “I’ve been doing this for 34 years. It’s time to step aside. The buyers are going to be great for this market. It will be the new and improved (Blue Note). The change for me will be harsh, but I’m prepared.”

Upon departing from The Blue Note and Mojo’s, King says he will still take part in The Roots N Blues N BBQ Festival.

“I love music and that was part of the appeal,” says King. “Owning my own business was always something I wanted to do. The venue is, (and) was, my dream venue. They don’t build venues like this anymore.”

Under King’s management, The Blue Note has hosted many big name artists through its decades, including Red Hot Chili Peppers, Johnny Cash, Violent Femmes, Arctic Monkeys and more. The venue will remain on its current property, part of the North Ninth Street Historic District.

Gerding and Leslie will not officially take control of either The Blue Note or Mojo’s until the closing of the sale, around October. In the mean time, the duo is already booking shows for the venues.

“I think there is a real deep rooted culture in the student body at Mizzou, as well as the residents to go out and see live music,” says Leslie. “That allowed someone like Richard, and now us, to take more chances musically, which just feeds the culture.”