Today we went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I had never been before, despite living in Ohio for ten years, so I was really excited for this trip, especially since the class of 2015 had just been inducted into the Hall of Fame a few weeks ago.
The display for new inductees was actually the first thing we saw after descending the escalator into the main exhibit. Included among the 2015 inductees was Ringo Star, who was the last of the Beatles to be inducted as a solo artist – and thus the most relevant to our class. Ringo’s drum set was actually on display, which was really cool, especially since it was in the exact condition that he left it that last time it was played. Other inductees this year included Paul Butterfield, Green Day, Joan Jett, Stevie Ray Vaughn, and more.
Moving on through the exhibit, we got to read all about the history of Rock and Roll, especially about the influence that the Rhythm and Blues genre and black artists had on the creation of Rock and Roll. I really loved that they included so many artists from this genre in the exhibit. While not necessarily “Rock and Roll”, they played an extremely important impact on Rock music and its history.
Some other big exhibits worth mentioning are Elvis, The Beatles, and the Rolling Stones. The Beatles and the Stones are both part of the British Invasion, so we spent a lot of time at these exhibits learning more about their music and lives. I though it was great that they had John Lennon’s Sergeant Pepper costume – it was just as gloriously tacky as I imagined it would be. I also really liked learning about Elvis Presley. While Elvis, being American, was not part of the British Invasion, he still played a huge role in the music of the 60’s and Rock and Roll.
Overall, I really enjoyed visiting the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It was really interesting to be able to actually experience everything that we had been learning in the classroom. As with most famous people, it is easy to forget that these musicians were actual people, and it was incredible to be able to see artifacts from their lives and careers. These musicians all had such a huge impact on the music industry and Rock and Roll, and I really enjoyed discovering more about them.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
John’s Sergeant Pepper costume
The Beatles’ signatures in the Hall of Fame