Rock and Roll Heaven

I finally made it to rock 'n' roll heaven.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 

After waiting quite a few years, my wife and I made the pilgrimage to Cleveland to visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, located in an imposing glass pyramid on the banks of Lake Erie. 

The Moody Blues exhibit

I've wanted to visit the Rock Hall for a long time but must confess that I vowed that not to make the trek until my favorite band, The Moody Blues, was inducted. It was long overdue, but it finally happened in 2018. 


While on a trip to New England last fall, listening to a SiriusXM Radio oldies channel, I learned that the exhibits for the 2018 inductees would be removed and replaced by the new members in March. I had planned to drive to Cleveland after hearing the news but decided against it because of inclement weather. So we visited on a sunny, but cold day in late February. 

Elvis is King!

The Rock Hall is definitely worth the visit (and senior rockers get a discount). It can be a daylong activity taking in all the floors—if you've got the energy. We spent about 3.5 hours, and plan to return someday. It's also handicap accessible, and furthermore, it's easy to find the place and there's plenty of parking (I was told Tuesday is the least-crowded day and that's when we made the drive from our old Kentucky home).

The Beatles display

There are six levels to the building, starting with the roots of rock on the ground floor and rock TV on the top. As you take in every floor, you'll see artifacts of rock legends, short films such as the history of American Bandstand and the Power of Rock Experience, where I discovered Prince was an electrifying guitarist, a room of pinball machines (remember Pinball Wizard?), and much more.  

For more information on the exhibits, click here. You can also order tickets on the website and view a calendar of upcoming events to help plan your visit.

As Mick Jagger and Keith Richard wrote in 1974, "I know it's only rock and roll, but I like it, yes, I do..."

Until the next time . . . 

Rockers Recognized

It was nice to hear this week that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will induct six groups who were backups to previous solo inductees.

So the new additions to the Rock Hall will be the Comets (of Bill Haley), the Famous Flames (of  James Brown), the Crickets (of Buddy Holly), the Miracles (of Smokey Robinson), the Midnighters (of Hank Ballard), and the Blue Caps (of Gene Vincent).

“These Inductees are pioneers in the development of the music we call rock and roll,” Joel Peresman, president and CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation said in a news release. “As part of our mission to recognize the most impactful, innovative and influential artists in rock, the committee brought forth these six groups that belong in the Hall of Fame.”
 

They'll join this year's inductees -- Guns N' Roses, the Beastie Boys, Laura Nyro, Donovan, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Faces/Small Faces, Freddie King, Don Kirshner, Cosimo Matassa, Tom Dowd, and Glyn Johns -- on April 14 in Cleveland.

But the question is why some other backup groups weren't included in this year's ceremony -- artists such as the E Street Band (of Bruce Springsteen), the Wailers (of Bob Marley), the Mothers of Invention (of Frank Zappa)? Although Springsteen, Marley and Zappa have great credentials on their own, it's hard to think of them producing their wonderful music without their awesome bands.

Or how about the Silver Bullet Band (of Bob Seger), Wings (of Paul McCartney), Blue Grass Boys (of Bill Monroe), the Drifting Cowboys (of Hank Williams), and the Belmonts (of Dion)?

I would hope that the Rock Hall will induct these and other overlooked backups in future ceremonies.

Until the next time...