Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Week: Exhibitions and Concerts

CLEVELAND (WJW) – Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Week is underway in Cleveland.

New exhibits are on display at the museum, and rare treasures from the archives are now also shared.

On Tuesday, museum archivists opened the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Library and Archives vaults on the main campus of Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland.

They included photographs of The Beatles performing at the Public Auditorium in 1964, Otis Redding in front of his plane at Hopkins Airport, and Bruce Springsteen beginning his career on stage at the Allen Theater and the Agora.

At the time, legendary Plain Dealer Reporter Jane Scott dubbed him “destined to be a superstar.”

“It is such a privilege to participate in the physical preservation of the heritage and history of rock n ‘roll,” said Justin Seidler, Image Archivist at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Seidler says they carefully preserve and protect everything from handwritten lyrics to pictures, flyers, tapes and concert posters.

A poster of the Moondog Coronation Ball, which many historians recognize as the first rock concert in 1952, at the Cleveland Arena and hosted by Alan Freed, was also on temporary display Tuesday.

“He helped put rock n ‘roll on the map. He coined the expression to refer to music. So so many great things have happened in Cleveland, ”said Andy Leach, senior director of museum collections and archives.

Also on display are materials from the NEO Sound collections that pay homage to groups in northeastern Ohio.

“The history of Northeast Ohio music is something we take very seriously,” Leach said. “The NEO Sound Local Music Preservation Initiative has over 100 different archival collections that have been donated that help tell this story.”

Leach says so many great artists have come out of this region, from Chrissie Hynde and the Pretenders to the Black Keys, DEVO, The Waitresses and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, to name a few.

Not to mention that Foo Fighters leader David Grohl grew up not far away in Trumbull County.

“So really, Cleveland has earned its name as the birthplace of rock n ‘roll,” Leach said.

In an effort to continue Rock Hall’s commitment to preservation and education, the collections are made available to everyone from researchers to students and music fans.

Learn how to make an appointment to view these items here.

Leach said that as they strive to preserve rock history for future generations, new memories are created throughout the week as well.

Not only do the Foo Fighters perform live at the House of Blues on Thursday, but live music concerts take place. every night all over town.

“Rock n ‘roll is arguably America’s most important art form and part of our shared history. We all have a stake in it and are a part of it as listeners and performers, ”said Leach.