Posts by Howard Kramer
The Rock Hall in Graceland
One of the strongest and most enduring relationships the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum has enjoyed is the one we have with Elvis Presley Enterprises/Graceland. As the Museum was being developed, Graceland was on board from the beginning to loan items for exhibition. They’ve always strongly felt that Elvis Presley should have a prominent presence in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, and we’re grateful for it.
Every few years, I meet with Angie Marchese, Graceland’s director of archives, in Memphis, to update and gather new items for the Rock Hall's Presley exhibit. Few people in the world are as knowledgeable about Presley’s life and career as Marchese, and she’s been instrumental in helping the Museum curate our exhibit dedicated to “the King of Rock and Roll.”
Two years ago, Marchese reached out to the Rock Hall with an idea for an exhibit that examined Presley’s influence ...
Van Halen's Seat of Power
Van Halen burst on the rock scene in 1978 like a larger-than-life, hard rocking, non-stop party, and channeled that energy into a seminal debut. Ostensibly, the band had two frontmen: leonine lead vocalist David Lee Roth and volcanic guitarist Edward Van Halen. Both possessed the charisma and talent to be the focal point of a solid rock band, but together, they created an undeniable dynamic that quickly captivated legions of loyal fans. Anchoring the unit was the powerhouse rhythm section of bassist Michael Anthony and drummer Alex Van Halen, Eddie's brother. By the time Van Halen arrived in the studio to record their debut, they had honed their skills honestly, playing nightclubs, parties and high school gymnasiums across Southern California. It was during those formative years of touring that the band learned the value of showmanship – and how to win audiences all over the world with it.
As Van Halen grew in popularity, the production quality of their stage show followed suit as an increasingly flamboyant rock and roll spectacle. Alex Van Halen used the drum kit not only as a percussion instrument, but also as a visual art form. Working with various drum manufacturers, Alex custom designed enormous ...
Knee-Deep in Funk with George Clinton
On July 30, I hosted a Hall of Fame Series interview with George Clinton, founder and leading light behind Parliament and Funkadelic, who treated a sold-out audience in the Museum's Foster Theater to stories and insights he's gathered during his singular career.
One of the most creative individuals in music, Clinton was very generous in talking about his youth in New Jersey, his move to Detroit and the long gestation of Parliament and the birth of Funkadelic.
Clinton likened his role in Parliament-Funkadelic to that of a jazz bandleader working with different musicians from session to session, though recording under a single moniker. For decades, Clinton has been an innovative maestro, the visionary leading a rotating cast of musicians that is the Parliament-Funkadelic family.
Each time The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum has an Inductee share his or her story as part of the live Hall of Fame Series, there are moments that really take the event to another level – and this event was no exception. The conversation got deep when we were joined on stage by several members of the group, including Lige Curry, Michael “Clip” Payne, and inductees “Billy Bass” Nelson and Michael ...
Tribute to the late, great Steve Popovich
When I heard that Steve Popovich had died, I was shocked in an incredulous way. Steve was a Mount Rushmore-type figure. He’d done so much and knew so many people, you just assume a guy like him was going to be a constant. Alas, no one is like that. Dust to dust.
I knew Steve casually, but his loss makes me wish I knew him better. He was the kind of person you wish you could be – smart, engaging, widely respected. He had an insatiable appetite for music and conversation. He was a true blue collar guy, son of a coal miner from Nemacolin, PA. He was the living proof that you never judge a book by the cover. He appeared to be no different than the guy at the end of the bar. The exception being that Steve was responsible for breaking hit records from major stars like Boz Scaggs, Michael Jackson, Boston and others during his tenure at Epic Records. As the founder and guiding visionary behind Cleveland International Records, Steve championed artists who moved him, like Meat Loaf, Ian Hunter, Frankie Yankovic, Ronnie Spector and Brave Combo. He truly lived and breathed music. It had no ...
Country music artist Jamey Johnson tours the Rock Hall
In the spring of 2008, I received a call from Brian Jennings, the program director of WGAR, the country radio station in Cleveland. A new artist was going to be visiting the station and was interested in visiting the Museum. That was the first time I met Jamey Johnson. There’s no doubt upon meeting Jamey is that he is the real deal, a sincere and true artist who has a deep and abiding respect for the true soul of music. If you’ve heard any of his records, you know what I mean. We had a great time that day walking around the museum talking about all kinds of music and bonding over our mutual love for Hank Williams, Sr. Jamey, like ol’ Hank, is from Montgomery, Alabama. We’ve kept in touch periodically through email and it’s been very satisfying to see him achieve the level of success and volume of accolades he has earned.
Last week an email shows up from Jamey saying he was in town to play at the House of Blues (a gig I was embarrassingly unaware of) and wanted to know if he could bring over a few friends. About 30 minutes ...
Happy Birthday, Roy
Every weekend I try to pull out some music to take in the car. (Full disclosure -- I do not have my collection on an iPod nor do I own one. I don’t object to them, I just haven’t done it yet.) Anyway, I try to pick out things I haven’t heard in a while. Sometimes I close my eyes, drag my fingers along the spines of the CDs and stop randomly. Last weekend I ended up on a copy of The Essential Roy Orbison, the outstanding double CD collection from 2006. As much as I love to discover new music that moves me, I keep going back to the first generation of rock and roll artists. That group of artists will never fail you musically. Roy, in particular, is worth periodic reexamination. His voice, the songwriting, the arrangements and the records themselves are all without parallel. The arc of his career is completely unique. He starts as a West Texas rocker, like his contemporary Buddy Holly and, along the way, becomes a skilled songwriter. As a performer and recording artist, Roy hit an amazing stride in the early Sixties. The songs from his Monument Records era may ...
Record Store Day: Keeping Music Alive in the Community
This Saturday, April 17, is Record Store Day. It’s an international celebration of the places where many generations went to pick up new releases by their favorites, discover new artists, look in wonder at covers and artwork and generally mix with a group of strangers who had the same relationship to music as you. Trying to get people to rally for a commercial concern doesn’t, at surface, seem that noble. But record stores, particularly independent record stores, are an integral component of music in our lives.
Though the internet is a wonderful communication platform, it removed for many the tactile experience of shopping for music. I don’t want to sound like an old fart, but there was, and still is, something to a planned trip to a record store. Sure, you can click a button on iTunes or Rhapsody and get a track immediately. Where’s the adventure in that? You walk in and face the rack of new releases, you troll through the used and the import bins and then you hear a song on the stores’ PA and you ask a clerk about it. (As a former record store employee, I can tell you there ...
At the Heart of the Matter
Admittedly, working at the museum provides a unique perspective on the induction ceremony. We sometimes will know far in advance who is or isn’t appearing and who may or may not perform. You look at it on paper and the conversation starts. What will this year’s event be like? It’s taken me a long time to come to a conclusion but I think I’ve figured it out. It doesn’t matter if this band member doesn’t come or that artist doesn’t perform. That’s all distraction. What makes each annual ceremony a singular event is the display of real human emotion. That’s all that truly matters. It’s the moment these performers drop the artifice and protection mode they often employ just to survive being in the spotlight, and genuinely reveal themselves. Last night at the Waldorf, Iggy Pop, the most fearsome and uncompromising performer I have ever seen, spoke of the Stooges and his late friend and band mate Ron Asheton, with tears in his eyes. ABBA’s Benny Andersson wistfully remembering buying his first record (Elvis Presley’s “Don’t Be Cruel” / “Treat Me Nice”) and how this new and totally ...
