Charles Singers
Some view the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a chronicle of music popular in society throughout the decades. However, while the museum gives so much regarding the history of music, its own history is seldom known.
In the beginning was created a foundation - the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, that is. Its exact date of creation was April 20, 1983. The committee was charged with reviewing who would be accepted into the Hall of Fame each year. However, there was no place for the committee to operate or showcase their winners. Thus, began the search for a city to house a museum. Those considered included, Memphis, Cincinnati, New York City, and Cleveland.
Eventually, Cleveland's argument that their city's disc jockey Alan Freed is known for the promotion of what is known as rock and roll and that also house the first rock and roll concert, led to their selection as the home for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
It also helped that the city pledge $65 million in public money to fund construction of this new site! Many note that the main reason Cleveland was chosen was because of the financial contribution they offered to construct this monument. Co-founder Jann Wenner stated that "one of the small sad things is we didn't do it in New York in the first place." However, time has shown that the museum's current location has been great as the city itself promotes a very rich history in rock and roll.
The museum now resides in downtown Cleveland by Lake Erie. Its proximity to the Cleveland Stadium and the Great Lakes Science Center allows for a wide spectrum of visitors to marvel at the museum's inductees and amazingly documented chronicle of the entire history of rock and roll. What is most fascinating about the structure is it's glass pyramid protruding from it at a magnificent height of 162 feet (initially it was planned at 200 feet, but due to its proximity to Burke Lakefront Airport had to be scaled down).
Within the structure exists seven levels, five of which hold permanent and temporary exhibits showcasing the history of this genre of music. Interestingly enough, the museum also boasts numerous musical films for viewing, exhibits on the development of audio technology, a collection of famous outfits worn by famous performers, and music scenes in various cities throughout time. The actual "Hall of Fame" is located on the third floor and includes a wall with the signature of all inductees. The seventh floor of the building is occupied by an exhibit of an artist or group for a short period of time. Past exhibits include The Doors, The Beatles, Elvis Presley, The Beach Boys, and The Supremes.
A major source of controversy between the Foundation and the Hall of Fame is that the induction ceremony is held in New York City with Cleveland only hosting it once prior to 2009. In December 2007 it was decided that Cleveland would host the induction ceremony every three years starting in 2009.
A permanent exhibit at the museum which took quite some time and multiple encounters with rock critics and music experts to compile is the "500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll." This is an unordered list of 500 songs that the museum's curator James Henke compiled that is believed to be the most influential songs in the history of rock and roll. The list includes songs from the 1920s to the 1990s with artists such as Elvis Presley, The Rolling Stones, and Bob Dylan represented on the list.
Groups or individuals qualify for induction into the Hall of Fame only after 25 years after the release of their first record. Nominees must have demonstrated a great influence on the history of rock and roll and must fit into one of the four categories recognized by the Foundation: Performers, Non-Performers, Early Influences, and Sidemen. Performers include singers, vocal groups, bands, and instrumentalists. Early influences include artists from earlier times, such as country, folk, blues, etc.
Non-Performers are those who work behind the scenes such as executives, songwriters, record producers, etc. Sidemen is a category to honor veteran session and concert players. The committee for each selects the top nominees and then sends it out for vote to approximately 500 experts across the world. On January 23, 1986 the first group was inducted into the Hall of Fame. They include Elvis Presley, Ray Charles, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Everly Brothers, Sam Cooke, Fats Domino, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, and James Brown.
As with anything in this world, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has been subject to many criticisms. The first criticism questions the qualifications of committees to select nominees for each category. It is upsetting to some that many committee members do not have a strong background in the music industry, which means that their selection of nominees reflects their interests versus the view of rock and roll as a whole.
Another criticism is that too many artists are inducted. In fifteen years 97 different artists had been inducted, symbolizing the need to honor people in the rock and roll industry versus highlighting the top contributions to the genre. Another major criticism is that the final vote count for each nominee is not released, bringing about the question whether or not those selected are the rightful winners.
The creation of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has been a large stepping stone in honoring the genre and great influence of rock and roll to society. It stands at 162 feet in the heart of Cleveland and will forever symbolize the intricacy and wonder that is rock and roll.
K. Paul Mallasch is the publisher of Cleveland Free Press and Ohio Jobs Info.
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