Ian Hunter first said it in 1979, and I’ll say it again: Cleveland Rocks! Home to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, this is the place to go if you love rock & roll.
The exhibits start with Blues and R&B and chronicles their influence on rock & roll. There are prominent displays for icons such as Elvis Presley and The Beatles. And then we keep on rolling through time to the 1980’s.
Artists become eligible for induction 25 years after the release of their first recording. Many of my favorite bands were big in the 80’s and are just starting to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. With only 5-7 artists inducted each year, many of my favorites will have to wait. This April, KISS, Nirvana, Daryl Hall & John Oates, Cat Stevens, Peter Gabriel and the E Street Band (with their frontman Bruce Springsteen) will add their names to the illustrious list of inductees.
See the KISS dolls?
I find music to be very subjective, but there’s something there for everyone. I’ll share a few fun displays here, but if you want to see more, you need to experience the Hall of Fame for yourself.
ZZ Top’s furry drums
Janis Joplin’s Porsche
Flavor Flav’s jacket and bling
(Disgusting, isn’t it?)
He was John Cougar when I saw him in concert.
Stevie Nicks – love the dress!
Metallica — I took this one for my son.
Michael Jackson wore this.
The Wall honors Pink Floyd
The Rolling Stones have a special exhibit supporting their claim to be “the world’s greatest rock and roll band.” (I disagree.)
I could go on and on. This is a place to spend the whole day. The only un-Rock & Roll part about it? It closes at 5:00pm. If it were truly rock ‘n roll, that’s when they’d open.
What band(s) do you think should be inducted?
See the whole list of inductees at rockhall.com
Browsing The Atlas 
Cool, I’m teaching my students about the history of rock&roll right now. I didn’t know the hall of fame was in Cleveland. Great article!
It’s probably impossible to cover it all. I was amazed at all the artists included in the Hall of Fame and the ones yet to come.
Are Motorhead in there? Without them there would be no Metallica. I saw them firts back in 1976 at the Roundhouse in London supporting the Edgar Broughton Band (who did a great mash up of the Shadows Apache with Captain Beefheart’s Dropout), back when no label would touch them
I want to say that Motorhead was included, but can’t recall for sure. There were so many bands. In addition to displays of those inducted, there were also several videos to watch of interviews with musicians on American Bandstand, and their induction ceremonies, and the history of rock and roll. I liked watching the videos even more than looking at the displays.
Really enjoyed this blog…. Ah the nostalgia!
I know! And so far, we’re only up to the end of the 80’s. So many more to come.
Yay! Ian Hunter is my rock hero – still going strong at 74 :-O It all looks brilliant Julie. I’d pay just to come and worship Stevie Nicks for an hour or two 🙂 I’m not sure I’d take it entirely seriously though until Rory Gallagher is inducted.
I knew you’d be happy to see Stevie Nicks there. I can’t say whether I saw anything about Rory Gallagher. There was so much to see, it was overwhleming.
love the pic of michael jackson outfit,, cool,, 😀
There were a few of his outfits. This one struck me because it it so slender. Doesn’t even look like a person could fit into it.
Ah, the 80s. When music was good. When MTV showed videos. When hair was big! But, Hall & Oates? Really? We couldn’t induct anyone else in their place?
Ha ha. I wondered about them, too. I never really associate rock and roll with them. But their music does bring back memories of junior high dances for me.
I would have a blast there! Love rock & roll…always have, always will. That Janis Joplin porsche is amazing.
I love the Porsche, too. According to the plaque next to it, she loaned it out to other musicians, too.
Sounds like a fascinating place Juliann. The closing time is kind of strange for a rock & Roll museum 🙂
Isn’t it? It made me laugh.