Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum

American Music Masters® Series

The American Music Masters® series, a co-production of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and the College of Arts and Sciences at Case Western Reserve University, celebrates the lives and careers of artists who changed the shape and sound of American culture.

Each year, the series explores the legacy of one of those pioneering figures in a range of events that includes Museum exhibits, lectures, films, a major conference and a tribute concert benefiting the Rock Hall’s education department. Drawing together music experts, artists, fans and friends, these events aim to provide new perspectives on some of the most beloved and influential musicians of the past century.

The American Music Masters® series began in 1996 when the museum paid tribute to Woody Guthrie with a 10-day celebration of his life and legacy. Other honorees include: the father of country music, Jimmie Rodgers in 1997; blues legend, Robert Johnson in 1998; rhythm and blues pioneer, Louis Jordan in 1999; the legendary Muddy Waters in 2000; the “Empress” Bessie Smith in 2001; Hank Williams, the first country western superstar in 2002; Buddy Holly in 2003; folk-blues artist Lead Belly in 2004; soul singer Sam Cooke in 2005; and Roy Orbison in 2006.

American Music Masters® programs are designed not only to honor the individuals who contributed to rock and roll’s rise in the 1950s and 1960s but also to trace the lines of descent to contemporary popular music. American Music Masters® concerts include a diverse mix of artists and musical styles: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Bruce Springsteen, Ruth Brown, B.B. King, Bonnie Raitt, the Allman Brothers Band, Robert Plant, Aretha Franklin, Elvis Costello, Solomon Burke and Pete Seeger have all performed, as well as current and classic acts such as Ani DiFranco, Keb’Mo’, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Robert Lockwood Jr., Vernon Reid, Los Lobos, Peter Wolf, Gavin DeGraw and Alison Krauss.

These programs have also inspired a book, radio specials, a documentary film and even a live CD. In 1999, the book, Hard Travelin’: The Life and Legacy of Woody Guthrie (Wesleyan University Press), was published and over 250 stations nationwide picked up the multi-part radio special on Guthrie. The 1998 program on Robert Johnson generated a documentary film, Hellhounds on My Trail: The Afterlife of Robert Johnson, which was also released for commercial sale in 1999.

Through this series, the Museum further achieves its goal of increasing public knowledge and appreciation for rock and roll music and its history.

Jerry Lee Lewis 2007

Playhouse Square Performers

Roy Orbison 2006

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum participants

Wilbert’s participants

Playhouse Square performers

Sam Cooke 2005

Playhouse Square, State Theater

Lead Belly 2004

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum Performers

Beachland Ballroom Performers

Severance Hall Performers

Buddy Holly 2003

Cleveland Play House Perfomers

Hank Williams 2002

Playhouse Square Performers

Bessie Smith 2001

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum Performers

Muddy Waters 2000

Odeon Performers

Severance Hall Performers

Louis Jordan 1999

Allen Theatre Performers

Odeon Performers

Robert Johnson 1998

Tri-C Performers

Odeon Performers

Severance Hall Performers

Jimmie Rodgers 1997

Odeon Performers

Severance Hall Performers

Woody Guthrie 1996

Odeon Performers, September 28, 1996

Severance Hall Performers

Jerry Lee Lewis

2007 American Music Master honoree



Public Programs


David Bowie's Red Vinyl Platform Boots, 1970s

Photo by Design Photography
Collection of David Bowie