Washington — The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, opened in 1995 as the world’s first museum dedicated to the living heritage of rock ’n’ roll music.
Visitors can examine instruments, stage props and costumes belonging to Jimi Hendrix, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, Lady Gaga, Rihanna and others, but that’s just a fraction of what this sprawling museum has to offer.
Interactive exhibits, enhanced by state-of-the-art technology and film and video, take visitors through the history of rock ’n’ roll, from one-hit wonders to legendary Hall of Fame inductees, from the genre’s roots in gospel, country and blues to the influential music scenes in such cities as Memphis, Detroit and San Francisco. Other exhibits are devoted to the pioneering rock ’n’ roll artists of the 1950s, the soul artists of the 1960s, the political protests of rock ’n’ roll, and the interplay between fashion and rock.
“You simply cannot understand Western culture without taking a serious look at this music,” according to the Hall of Fame website.
A new exhibit — Women Who Rock: Vision, Passion, Power — opened on May 13, tracing the pioneering role of women in rock ’n’ roll. It features more than 70 artists, from jazz singer Billie Holliday to pop singer/songwriter Lady Gaga. The first piano owned by Lady Gaga greets visitors as they enter the exhibit, and among its other artifacts are a bustier worn by Madonna, an African print outfit of Queen Latifah’s, and a dress Grace Slick of the Jefferson Airplane wore at Woodstock.
Housed in a 45,720-square-meter building designed by architect I.M. Pei, the museum has performance spaces that accommodate year-round concerts and its popular Hall of Fame series, featuring evenings with Rock Hall inductees.
“In designing this building,” Pei said, “it was my intention to echo the energy of rock ’n’ roll. I have consciously used an architectural vocabulary that is bold and new, and I hope the building will become a dramatic landmark for the city of Cleveland and for fans of rock ’n’ roll around the world.”
In March, the 26th Hall of Fame induction ceremony took place in New York City. To date, there have been 296 inductees (some were inducted collectively as members of bands, so the total number of people inducted is 619). For 2011, the inductees are performers Alice Cooper and his band; Neil Diamond; Dr. John; Darlene Love and Tom Waits; record producers Jac Holzman and Art Rupe; and pianist and songwriter Leon Russell, who received the music excellence award.
To learn more about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, visit the museum’s website.
