Old Rockers Never Die

April 15, 2012

Can one be too old to rock? Not according to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Twenty-five years ago at New York’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, musical greats Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Fats Domino, The Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, and Little Richard were the first rock and rollers inducted into the Hall of Fame.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is housed in Cleveland, Ohio in a 150,000 square-foot museum featuring seven floors, five theaters for films, special events, free public programs, and changing exhibits. Its mission is to educate the world on the social significance of rock and roll. This is accomplished by operating a world-class museum that collects, preserves, exhibits, and interprets this art form through its library and archives, as well as its educational programs.

Touring the building, you’ll see impressive artifacts like the jacket John Lennon wore on the cover of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, the piece of paper Jimi Hendricks wrote the lyrics for Purple Haze, Les Paul’s 1942 electric guitar, and even Michael Jackson’s 1992 glove.

Exhibits now on display include: Women Who Rock: Vision, Passion, Power; The Roots of Rock and Roll: Blues, Gospel, Country/Folk Bluegrass, and R&B; One Hit Wonders and the Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll; Beatles, U2, and the Doors.

The already sold out 2012 induction ceremony takes places this month of April. Inductees are: Guns N’ Roses, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Donovan, Laura Nyro, The Faces, Beastie Boys, Freddie King, Don Kirshner, Cosimi Matassa, Tom Dowd, and Glyn Johns.

If you like rock and roll and the Hall of Fame sounds like a fun place to visit, the Rock Hall can be rented by the public for special events. How about that for your next rockin’ birthday party?

Looking for something rockin' to read, watch, or listen to? Put a hold on these rock gems:

• AC/DC: High Voltage Rock n Roll: The Ultimate History by Phil Sutcliffe
• Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood: Live from Madison Square Garden
• Rock CD's are filed under 781.66 in the CD section

And remember, rock on!

~Sandi V.
Parkville Branch