interview :: Blog
The Rock Hall's Library and Archives: Our First Year
It’s hard to believe the Rock Hall’s new Library and Archives has already been open for a year. Ever since we first opened our doors to the public in January 2012, visitors of all kinds have been steadily flowing in to use our resources for their research and to expand their knowledge of rock and roll and its history.
During 2012, the Library and Archives welcomed nearly 4,000 visitors, many of whom conducted research using one-of-a-kind archival materials in our Archives Reading Room. Our visitors included scholars from around the country, students and teachers from local colleges and universities, authors, documentarians and music fans. The Library and Archives staff also handled more than 800 reference queries, most of which arrived via phone and e-mail.
Many notable people visited the Library and Archives during our first year, including Hall of Fame Inductees Ron Wood, Kenney Jones, and Ian McLagan of the Faces, Chuck Berry, Tom Constanten (Grateful Dead), and Glyn Johns; music writer Peter Guralnick; scholars Craig Werner, David Brackett, and Andy Flory; former National Endowment for the Arts Chairman John Frohnmeyer; Govinda Gallery founder and director Chris Murray; Grateful Dead archivist David Lemieux; and Hank LoConti, owner ...
Video: Interview with Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart
The 2013 class of Hall of Fame inductees was announced at a press conference on Tuesday, December 11, 2012, at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. Among the inductees on hand during the conference were Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart, who sat down with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum to share what it was like learning they were being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, their influences – including Hall of Fame inductees Led Zeppelin, the Beatles, Elton John, Aretha Franklin and Paul Simon – and the importance of preserving this music at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio.
The Rock Hall Presents An Interview with Devon Allman
Although guitarist, vocalist and songwriter Devon Allman shares a surname that will ring familiar to rock and roll fans, Devon has cultivated a sound all his own. He's mindful of his family's storied musical legacy and the contributions of other venerable rock pioneers, but also has an ear for what's next. The son of Allman Brothers Band founding member, vocalist and key player Gregg Allman, and nephew of virtuoso guitarist Duane Allman, Devon records and performs in blues-rock outfits Honeytribe and Royal Southern Brotherhood. Earlier this year, Devon wrapped recording sessions for his solo debut, Turquoise, scheduled for release in February 2013, and is currently on tour in the United States. Recently, Devon visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio, and took time to share his thoughts on being an Allman, his influences both old and new (and familial), making music on his own terms, highlights of the Museum's collection and ...
Behind the Scenes: Rage Against the Machine's Tour Van
Recently, Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, who are celebrating the 20th anniversary of their debut self-titled album's release, donated the 1985 Chevy Astro van that he and his bandmates used as a tour vehicle in the earliest days of their career. Set to go on exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio, in early 2013, the Rock Hall's curatorial team got a first look at the van and its contents in preparation of it being exhibited.
In a letter to the Rock Hall's curatorial department, Tom Morello wrote:
"Rage toured with this vehicle from 1991-1993, opening for Pearl Jam, Public Enemy and Ice T, and countless shows of our own. From desperate escapes from Tijuana to fomenting riots in Bakersfield, the Astro was always there. The Astro was also my ride at Harvard taking my various cover bands around the campus and the Boston area. And of course it ...
Interview with Guitarist Joe Bonamassa
Guitarist Joe Bonamassa is a charismatic blues-rock star and singer-songwriter of stylistic depth and emotional resonance. A child prodigy, Bonamassa caught B.B. King’s ear at the age of 10. After hearing him play for the first time, King said: “This kid's potential is unbelievable. He hasn't even begun to scratch the surface. He's one of a kind.” By age 12, Bonamassa was opening shows for the blues icon and went on to tour with artists such as Buddy Guy, Foreigner, Robert Cray, Stephen Stills, Joe Cocker and Gregg Allman. Bonamassa’s recording career began in the early ’90s with Bloodline, a hard-charging blues-rock group also featuring Robby Krieger’s son, Waylon, and Miles Davis’ son Erin. His 2000 solo debut, A New Day Yesterday, was produced by 2012 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee Tom Dowd.
He was named Billboard’s Number One Blues Artist in 2010 based on the charting success of Black Rock ...
Interview with Photographer Robert Alford: Photographing Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top in Mexico
A leading music photographer, Robert Alford has had his work featured in Creem, Rolling Stone and People magazines and on television, album covers and liner notes. The extensive list of musicians he has photographed reads like a "who's who" of popular music, from AC/DC to ZZ Top. In this interview, Alford shares the story of his trip to Mexico with ZZ Top singer and guitarist Billy Gibbons, and the misadventures they shared along the way all to get the perfect photo. Robert Alford's photos are the subject of Just Can't Get Enough, an exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland,Ohio.
Spotlight Exhibit: Grateful Dead at Giza
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum curatorial director Howard Kramer shares the story behind the Grateful Dead's performances at the Great Pyramid of Giza in 1978, including the dress vocalist Donna Jean Godchaux wore during one of the Grateful Dead's performances during the group's three-night engagement and the artwork created by Kerry to commemorate the occasion. Both items are featured in Grateful Dead: the Long, Strange Trip, on exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio, through 2012.
Interview with Grateful Dead Drummer Mickey Hart
In 2012, Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart sat for an interview at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio, where he was on hand to perform and help open the Grateful Dead: the Long, Strange Trip exhibit. In this clip, Hart shares the story of when he first saw the Grateful Dead perform, before he was a member, and how an invitation from founding drummer Bill Kreutzmann to come by a practice session eventually led to Hart's first live performance with the band at the Straight Theater in San Francisco. "I had never heard their music," says Hart. "And then we started playing and hours later it stopped ... And Jerry [Garcia] said, 'We could take this around the world. This is the Grateful Dead.'"
