The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
by Brooke Cunningham
The evolution of music has emerged over the basis of morality. From the piercing energetic drumbeats of tribal music that is used for celebrations and ceremonies to symphonized orchestrated music that is used to memorize many into the sophisticated sounds of strings, the diversity of music is apparent. Music has progressively changed and altered through time as each genre and sound influences others types of music. Different generations and groups of people favor a wide range of diverse sounds, lyrics, and voices, which has lead to the variety of music around the world. Rock and roll, a popular genre of music, has evolved through out the years as it has been influenced by a wide variety of music genres from the past. Rock and roll music has become such an appreciated form of art and major impact in music history that it is essential to preserve it in order to be certain it will be remembered for future generations. In order to embed it in society’s mind, heart, and soul, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum was created; therefore, all of the astounding artifacts, songs, and past and future artists will be secured into exhibits for millions to see ceaselessly.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame took a significant amount hard work and expenses, but once it was opened the ceremony exemplified it was distinctly well worth all of the exertion. The initiative to construct The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was proposed by the Hall of Fame Foundation, created by the chairman of Atlantic Records, Ahmet Ertegun. Architect, I.M Pei, was chosen to design the glass pyramid-shaped building. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame took over a decade to create, and it cost ninety-two million dollars to construct. The 15,000-foot structure, located in Cleveland, Ohio, near Lake Erie, was finished in 1995 on Labor Day weekend (Juchartz 317). On the opening day, rock and roll music was represented in a variety of ways to celebrate the accomplishment of finishing the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The celebration began excitingly as Jimi Hendrix skillfully played “The National Anthem.” Also, the outside decorations were dedicated to rock in roll. For example, a sixteen-foot tall blow up Elvis Presley Doll was placed in the front of the museum as the song, “Its Only Rock and Roll,” forcefully blasted across a range of speakers. After “It’s Only Rock and Roll” concluded, a high school band from within the Cleveland area played the song “Respect” by Aretha Franklin. Once the band was finished, the crowd’s enthusiastic commotion declared it to be a perfect time to cut the opening red ribbon. It was cut by a group of famous artists, including Little Richard and Yoko Ono, in order to proclaim The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s official opening. Following the cutting of the ribbon, a concert was provided containing artists such as Jerry Lee Lewis, John Melencamp, and Bruce Springsteen (Parcles 11). The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was established and ready to impress all of its visitors. Dennis Barrie proclaimed, “Having a museum does not rob the music of its future. It just preserves the past (Parcles 11).”
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a large museum encompassing various exhibits, artifacts, and other features to bring the nation together in the history of rock and roll. The museums’ annual revenue is seventy-four to ninety-six million dollars, introducing the magnificent rock in roll world to sixty thousand to ninety thousand people a year (Parcles 11). The immense amount of people who visit the museum is imperative as it helps society learn more about a major part of music history. “Rock and Roll has the power to bring nationalities and generations together, to elect world leaders, and to move people. No other art form has the social significance of Rock and Roll. You simply cannot understand Western Culture without taking a serious look at this music (The Rock).” The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame enables people to understand music and a little more about the western world’s history. “Cleveland’s monument to rock and roll is rich in cultural text, reflecting and perpetuating the values that dominates for our culture (Juchartz 318).” The museum consists of seven floors and five movie theatres containing artifacts and other detailed information. It is a gigantic building designed with dark black colors coinciding with flashy lights to engross the visitors into the feel of rock and roll (The Rock). Flashy costumes, guitars, lyrics, high school yearbooks, and signatures of over one hundred and twenty-two artists are a just a portion of the artifacts that are encompassed in the exhibit. Another famous artifact that many desire to see is Michael Jackson’s first glittering glove. Other popular sites feature artists such as Jimi Hendrix, Bruce Springsteen, and Roy Osbson. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has more than various artists’ artifacts; it also includes a radio studio, a cash machine designed like a jukebox, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Café, and a gift shop so that the visitors can bring home the rock and roll memories in a tangible form (Parcles 11). The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a tribute to past, future, and present artists who all represent the same common bond and love of rock and roll music.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is always reinvading its exhibits and adding more spectacular artifacts and information to keep the museum as intriguing as possible. “The Museum’s exhibits are regarded as among the world’s most significant interpretations of rock and roll history (The Rock).” Some of the special exhibits that are only at the museum for a certain time frame include the U2 three-dimensional film, Cleveland Rocks Guitars Center, Rave on: Rock and Roll’s Early Years, and many more (The Rock). These sites are very popular exhibits as they capture people’s attention to persuade them to visit the museum. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is providing a new upcoming exhibit, Johnny Cash’s Bus, in May 2010 lasting until October 1, 2010 (The Rock). “When viewing the bus one can almost feel Johnny Cash and June Carter’s presence, from the coffee ring Cash left on a table to the rotisserie oven that catered to his love for barbeque (The Rock).” The tutoring bus was a major part of Johnny Cash’s life and career and it will only add to the magnificence of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame tries to keep the museum reinvaded in other ways than adding new exhibits. It also inducts annually new members into the museum. On March 10, 2010, at the Waldolf-Astoria Hotel, a ceremony took place to introduce the new members to The Rock and Rock Hall of Fame family. This year the new inductees were ABBA, The Stooges, Jimmy Clift, Genesis, and the Hollies (Soeder). These artists will now be able to illustrate their talent and proclaim their history to anyone who chooses to observe it. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame understands the importance of adding new members with modern exhibits because it provides an innovative experience for its visitors.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a magnificent way to help all generations understand and appreciate music. It visually amplifies the importance of rock and roll music and the ample amounts of history that comes along with it. To be able to look at certain artifacts and items that were possessions of famous artists may be a mind boggling experience for some, while others may not find it amusing, but either way there is no argument to whether or not The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame supplies an substantial amount of rock and roll information for its visitors. The exhibits, focusing on various artists from the past and present, embody music history into one museum. As the museum continues to renovate, adding new artists every year, it only continues rock and roll history and helps enable it to survive for upcoming generations. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is an outstanding way to persevere music’s past and protects its future.
Work Cited
Juchartz, Larry and Christy Rishoi. “Rock Collection: History and Ideology at the Rock and
Roll Hall of Fame.” The Review of Education/Pedagogy/ Cultural Studies 19 (1997):
311-332. Academic Search Premier. Ball State University Library. 27 April 2010
Parcles, Jon. “On a Weekend Roll, Rock Music Carves a Place in History.” New York Times.
(2010): 11. Academic Search Premier. Ball State University Library. 27 April
2010.
Soeder, John. “2010 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductions: From ABBA to the Stooges, It
Was a Night that Stretched the Definitions of Rock.” Cleveland.com. 15 March 2010.
26 April 2010.
http://www.cleveland.com/popmusic/index.ssf/2010/03/2010_rock_and_roll_hall_of_fam.html
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inc. “The Exhibits.” The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 2010.
28 April 2010. <http://rockhall.com/>
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame took a significant amount hard work and expenses, but once it was opened the ceremony exemplified it was distinctly well worth all of the exertion. The initiative to construct The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was proposed by the Hall of Fame Foundation, created by the chairman of Atlantic Records, Ahmet Ertegun. Architect, I.M Pei, was chosen to design the glass pyramid-shaped building. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame took over a decade to create, and it cost ninety-two million dollars to construct. The 15,000-foot structure, located in Cleveland, Ohio, near Lake Erie, was finished in 1995 on Labor Day weekend (Juchartz 317). On the opening day, rock and roll music was represented in a variety of ways to celebrate the accomplishment of finishing the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The celebration began excitingly as Jimi Hendrix skillfully played “The National Anthem.” Also, the outside decorations were dedicated to rock in roll. For example, a sixteen-foot tall blow up Elvis Presley Doll was placed in the front of the museum as the song, “Its Only Rock and Roll,” forcefully blasted across a range of speakers. After “It’s Only Rock and Roll” concluded, a high school band from within the Cleveland area played the song “Respect” by Aretha Franklin. Once the band was finished, the crowd’s enthusiastic commotion declared it to be a perfect time to cut the opening red ribbon. It was cut by a group of famous artists, including Little Richard and Yoko Ono, in order to proclaim The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s official opening. Following the cutting of the ribbon, a concert was provided containing artists such as Jerry Lee Lewis, John Melencamp, and Bruce Springsteen (Parcles 11). The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was established and ready to impress all of its visitors. Dennis Barrie proclaimed, “Having a museum does not rob the music of its future. It just preserves the past (Parcles 11).”
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a large museum encompassing various exhibits, artifacts, and other features to bring the nation together in the history of rock and roll. The museums’ annual revenue is seventy-four to ninety-six million dollars, introducing the magnificent rock in roll world to sixty thousand to ninety thousand people a year (Parcles 11). The immense amount of people who visit the museum is imperative as it helps society learn more about a major part of music history. “Rock and Roll has the power to bring nationalities and generations together, to elect world leaders, and to move people. No other art form has the social significance of Rock and Roll. You simply cannot understand Western Culture without taking a serious look at this music (The Rock).” The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame enables people to understand music and a little more about the western world’s history. “Cleveland’s monument to rock and roll is rich in cultural text, reflecting and perpetuating the values that dominates for our culture (Juchartz 318).” The museum consists of seven floors and five movie theatres containing artifacts and other detailed information. It is a gigantic building designed with dark black colors coinciding with flashy lights to engross the visitors into the feel of rock and roll (The Rock). Flashy costumes, guitars, lyrics, high school yearbooks, and signatures of over one hundred and twenty-two artists are a just a portion of the artifacts that are encompassed in the exhibit. Another famous artifact that many desire to see is Michael Jackson’s first glittering glove. Other popular sites feature artists such as Jimi Hendrix, Bruce Springsteen, and Roy Osbson. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has more than various artists’ artifacts; it also includes a radio studio, a cash machine designed like a jukebox, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Café, and a gift shop so that the visitors can bring home the rock and roll memories in a tangible form (Parcles 11). The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a tribute to past, future, and present artists who all represent the same common bond and love of rock and roll music.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is always reinvading its exhibits and adding more spectacular artifacts and information to keep the museum as intriguing as possible. “The Museum’s exhibits are regarded as among the world’s most significant interpretations of rock and roll history (The Rock).” Some of the special exhibits that are only at the museum for a certain time frame include the U2 three-dimensional film, Cleveland Rocks Guitars Center, Rave on: Rock and Roll’s Early Years, and many more (The Rock). These sites are very popular exhibits as they capture people’s attention to persuade them to visit the museum. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is providing a new upcoming exhibit, Johnny Cash’s Bus, in May 2010 lasting until October 1, 2010 (The Rock). “When viewing the bus one can almost feel Johnny Cash and June Carter’s presence, from the coffee ring Cash left on a table to the rotisserie oven that catered to his love for barbeque (The Rock).” The tutoring bus was a major part of Johnny Cash’s life and career and it will only add to the magnificence of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame tries to keep the museum reinvaded in other ways than adding new exhibits. It also inducts annually new members into the museum. On March 10, 2010, at the Waldolf-Astoria Hotel, a ceremony took place to introduce the new members to The Rock and Rock Hall of Fame family. This year the new inductees were ABBA, The Stooges, Jimmy Clift, Genesis, and the Hollies (Soeder). These artists will now be able to illustrate their talent and proclaim their history to anyone who chooses to observe it. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame understands the importance of adding new members with modern exhibits because it provides an innovative experience for its visitors.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a magnificent way to help all generations understand and appreciate music. It visually amplifies the importance of rock and roll music and the ample amounts of history that comes along with it. To be able to look at certain artifacts and items that were possessions of famous artists may be a mind boggling experience for some, while others may not find it amusing, but either way there is no argument to whether or not The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame supplies an substantial amount of rock and roll information for its visitors. The exhibits, focusing on various artists from the past and present, embody music history into one museum. As the museum continues to renovate, adding new artists every year, it only continues rock and roll history and helps enable it to survive for upcoming generations. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is an outstanding way to persevere music’s past and protects its future.
Work Cited
Juchartz, Larry and Christy Rishoi. “Rock Collection: History and Ideology at the Rock and
Roll Hall of Fame.” The Review of Education/Pedagogy/ Cultural Studies 19 (1997):
311-332. Academic Search Premier. Ball State University Library. 27 April 2010
Parcles, Jon. “On a Weekend Roll, Rock Music Carves a Place in History.” New York Times.
(2010): 11. Academic Search Premier. Ball State University Library. 27 April
2010.
Soeder, John. “2010 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductions: From ABBA to the Stooges, It
Was a Night that Stretched the Definitions of Rock.” Cleveland.com. 15 March 2010.
26 April 2010.
http://www.cleveland.com/popmusic/index.ssf/2010/03/2010_rock_and_roll_hall_of_fam.html
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inc. “The Exhibits.” The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 2010.
28 April 2010. <http://rockhall.com/>
