The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation was created April 20, 1983. However, do not own a home. Search committee considered several cities, including Memphis (home Sun Studio and Stax Records), Cincinnati (home King Records), New York and Cleveland. Cleveland lobbied hard to choose, arguing that the Cleveland disc jockey Alan Freed is widely credited with promoting a new genre (and forward) of rock and roll ", and that Cleveland is the place of foundation stone and roll concert. Civic leaders in Cleveland, promising $ 65 million in public funds to finance construction. A petition signed by 600,000 fans in support of Cleveland on Memphis, and USA Today poll which Cleveland won by 100,000 voice. Hall of Fame board chose to build a museum in Cleveland.
Cleveland may have been chosen as the site of the organization because the city offers the best financial package. As noted by the Plain Dealer music critic Michael Norman, "It's not that Alan Freed. ... $ 65,000,000 Cleveland wanted here and save money." [Co-founder Jann Wenner and then say "a pathetic little thing that we do not in New York first," but added: "I am very pleased that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland. "
In preliminary discussions on where to build the Hall of Fame and Museum, the Board of Directors reviewed the Cuyahoga River. Ultimately, the chosen location is in downtown Cleveland by Lake Erie, east of Cleveland Stadium and the Great Lakes Science Center.
In point of the planning stage when the funding gap exists, the proposal was made in Rock Hall on the vacant May Company building, but he finally decided that the architect, IM Pei will design the new building. Ease at the beginning CEO Dr. Larry Thompson IM Pei as a design for the site created. Pei had the idea of a tower with a pyramid of glass protruding from it. Museum Tower was originally planned stand 200 ft (61 m) high, but must be cut down to 162 ft (49 m) because of its proximity to Burke Lakefront Airport. The basic construction is approximately 150,000 square feet (14,000 m2). dedication ceremony was June 7, 1993, with Pete Townshend and Chuck Berry do the honors. The first curator of the Hall of Fame are Dr. Bruce Conforth, a former folk musician, rock musician and artist who is also a professor of folklore, ethnomusicology, American culture, and blues music. The museum opened Sept. 2, 1995, to cut a ribbon through a set that included Little Richard and Yoko Ono, among others.
In addition to Hall of Fame, the museum documents the history of rock and roll, regardless of their induction. Hall of Fame are honored at a museum exhibition on the top of the tower.
The main criticism of the Hall of Fame is that the nomination process is controlled by a few individuals who are not musicians, such as founder Jann Wenner (who served as editor of Rolling Stone) Former Foundation Director Suzan Evans, and writer Dave Marsh, reflecting their tastes rather than to the rock world as a whole. A former member of the board appointments once said that "At one point Suzanne Evans regretted the choice because the name is not big enough to be selling tickets for dinner. He was quickly defeated by abandonment of the groups of doo-wop considered as support of the artist 'name' ... I saw how certain pioneering artists of the 50s and early 60s were rejected because it is necessary to find a better name in the list to get 70 superstars to the people who allow it. Some of the pioneers still not today. " According to Fox News, with tens of thousands of petition signatures are ignored and some groups that were signed with certain labels or companies or affiliated with various committee members have even been nominated without any discussion . The Committee has also been accused of ignoring the most genera specific. According to writer Brett Milano, "all kinds of pass through, including progressive rock, 60 Top 40, New Orleans funk and lots of music black. "
Another criticism is that too many artists who have opened. In fifteen years, 97 different artists were induced. At least 50% of votes necessary to take the oath, although the final percentages are not announced and a number of winners (five in 2009) established before the votes are sent. The committee usually appoints a small number of artists (12 in 2010) the increase in the number of different kinds. Some voters, including Joel Selvin, himself a former member of the nominating committee, did not submit their vote in 2007 because they did not feel that every candidate is really worth.
The surviving members of British punk rock band The Sex Pistols, was inaugurated in 2006 to maintain their anti-establishment image, refusing to attend the ceremony, calling the museum "piss stain"
Controversy
March 14, two days after the induction ceremony, 2007, Roger Friedman of Fox News published an article claiming that The Dave Clark Five should have sworn in the fifth, because they have more votes than Grandmaster Flash and Furious Five sworn. The article goes on to say: "[Jann Wenner] with strong technical today is due to come into reality, The Dave Clark Five got six more votes than Grandmaster Flash, but it felt we could not have another year without a rap. Laws. "
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame "500 songs that shaped Rock and Roll" is an unordered list of the 500 songs that feel they have been most influential in shaping the way rock and roll, even though some of them, including different styles, even after the consolidation of rock music (like some rap songs of the years 1980 and 1990.) It was held by Hall of Fame curator James Henke, who according to the room, "develop a list with the participation of conservation staff of the museum and many rock critics and musicologists. " This list is part of the permanent exhibition at the museum and imagine the museum as part of the opening 1995. This list contains songs from 1920 to 1990. The Beatles are the most representative groups on the list, with seven songs. Elvis Presley and the Rolling Stones have all six songs on the list, while the Beach Boys and Bob Dylan each have five.
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame will be denied improve the sound, even if they do not deny that the late receipt of voice, said: "There is no format and the rules and procedures. There are some moments where the sound should be, and then they are counted. The group with five votes go top
The Dave Clark Five, and again in contention and then induced the next year.