Brightly painted Volkswagen buses were prevalent during the psychedelic era between 1965 and 1969. The Hall’s first major exhibit in 1995, “I Want to Take You Higher,” zeroed in on that specific time frame. That was followed by two years of “Elvis is in the Building.”

Text and Photos
By Rod King
Guest Columnist

CLEVELAND, OHIO — Rock ‘n’ roll burst on the music scene in the early 1950s with a style that was brash and loud with rhythms that made listeners want to dance.

Many of its performers dressed outlandishly, screamed into their microphones and gyrated suggestively while appearing to be trying to destroy their instruments.

It was a huge hit with teenagers. Adults and parents, however, were horrified. They banded together, petitioned and even demanded radio stations not play that “horrible, degenerative” music because it was corrupting their children.

Of course, their efforts were futile and the genre’s popularity soared. In fact, it’s as “in” today as it was more than 70 years ago.

A drummer gets in a few licks on the drum set at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

If rock & roll is your style, there’s an amazing venue that tells the story from rock’s earliest artists to today’s budding performers. It’s the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. Here you can view instruments from some of history’s greatest concerts, see performance outfits worn by top artists and view handwritten drafts of hit singles.

Before settling on Cleveland for the Hall’s location, Ahmet Ertegun, founder and chair of Atlantic Records, conducted a long search starting in 1983 for the “right” city to host it.

Philadelphia was one of the contenders because it was the home of rock pioneer Bill Haley and American Bandstand.

Memphis was considered because it was home of Sun Studios.

Detroit was on the short list because of Motown Records, as was Cincinnati because of King Records.

New York City was also in the running.

Cleveland lobbied hard, citing that WJW disk jockey Alan Freed coined the name rock ‘n’ roll, promoted the genre heavily on the radio and his Moondog Coronation Ball was credited as the first major rock ‘n’ roll concert. Cleveland, which won the competition in 1986, also pledged $65 million toward construction of a facility.

It began inducting artists even before construction started and Freed was among the first class. Groundbreaking was in 1992 and it was dedicated in 1995. Architect I. M. Pei designed the structure, which is located on the shores of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland. It has a 162-foot-tall tower and is a compendium of geometric forms and cantilevered spaces.

It’s chock full of rock ‘n’ roll history from those who performed it and molded its iconic character to notable figures who influenced its development. The lower of the seven levels focuses on the roots of rock ‘n’ roll where the early stars are enshrined in glass cubicles displaying their instruments, costumes, photos, biographies and videos showing them in action.

One of the highlights is the film presentation of classic performances by Hall of Fame inductees. There are also plenty of interactive kiosks about one-hit wonders and songs that shaped rock ‘n’ roll. In one section, visitors can even pick up and strum a guitar or try their hand on an electric piano or synthesizer.

Its first major exhibit in 1995, “I Want to Take You Higher,” zeroed in on the psychedelic era between 1965 and 1969. That was followed by two years of “Elvis is in the Building” in recognition of the King of Rock and Roll.

For more information, visit rockhall.com.