In 1985, when the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation was deciding where to open its physical museum, Cleveland threw its hat into the ring for consideration. Thanks to a groundswell of public support and a $65 million commitment from city officials, the Foundation chose Cleveland as the winning site, over locales such as New York, San Francisco, Memphis and Chicago. Needless to say, the Rock Hall’s construction was cooler than most. On June 7, 1993, the Who’s Pete Townshend, Chuck Berry, Billy Joel, Sam Phillips, and Ruth Brown (to name a few) attended the Cleveland groundbreaking ceremony, while Jerry Lee Lewis performed a year later when the building was finished off with the placement of one last steel beam.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame threw open its doors on September 2, 1995, and celebrated with a blockbuster benefit concert at nearby Cleveland Municipal Stadium. This marathon show featured once-in-a-lifetime pairings and performances by greats such as James Brown, Bob Dylan, Jerry Lee Lewis, Aretha Franklin, Johnny Cash and Booker T. and the M.G.s. Besides the Municipal Stadium concert, the Rock Hall’s festive opening weekend featured a downtown Cleveland parade and a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by Little Richard and Yoko Ono.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame website was generously funded by a grant from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation.
Greg Harris is the current CEO of The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. You can find him on Twitter + Instagram at @gregharrisrock.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame leadership team is dedicated to bringing the museum’s vision of engage, teach and inspire through the power of rock and roll to life.
Rock & Roll hit America like a bolt of lightning and then spread like wildfire from city to city, igniting a generation.
As each city developed its own unique music scene and its own voice, the most significant people, bands, talent, and energy driving rock & roll forward all gravitated to just a handful of key venues scattered around the country.
These were the places where the heart of this new music beat the strongest – each sparking new sounds and voices, entirely unique to their place and time.
Below is a list of all the (sacred) Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Landmarks.
- Ryman Auditorium, Nashville TN (2022)
- Cosimo Matassa’s J&M Studios, New Orleans LA (2010)
- Austin City Limits, Austin TX (2009)
- The Surf Ballroom, Clear Lake IA (2009)
- King Records, Cincinnati OH (2008)
- Whiskey A Go-Go, Austin TX (2007)
- Corner Tavern, Cleveland OH (2002)
- Leo’s Casino, Cleveland OH (1999)
- Brooklyn High School / Elvis’ first appearance above Mason-Dixon Line, Brooklyn OH (1998)
- The Crossroads, Clarksdale MS
- WEWS TV Home of The Upbeat TV Show, Cleveland OH
- WJW AM / Alan Freed’s Cleveland Radio Station, Cleveland OH
