Ovens Auditorium is named in honor of David Ovens, vice president and general manager of J. B. Ivey department store and the leader of the auditorium-coliseum citizen planning committee.

Ovens Auditorium has held the spotlight for performers at the pinnacle of their career and rising stars who would go on to be music and comedy legends. Ovens set the stage for soulful vocal icons like Louis Armstrong, Diana Ross, and Ray Charles; played backdrop to rock and pop superstars like The Beatles, Elvis, Bruce Springsteen, Smashing Pumpkins, Bob Dylan and John Legend; and filled the room with laughs for comedians Jay Leno, Carol Burnett, Jerry Seinfeld, Aziz Ansari and Jeff Foxworthy.