The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame + Museum


Rock Hall’s Curatorial Director Talks about Rock and Roll and “the Latin tinge”

Friday, August 28: 5:31 p.m.
Posted by Howard Kramer

Jelly Roll Morton, the self-proclaimed inventor of Jazz, spoke of “the Latin tinge” in music. It was always there, as far as he was concerned. It’s also true with rock and roll. In the Fifties in Los Angeles, Latinos there embraced early rhythm and blues and vocal group harmony. Ritchie Valens was a high school kid from the San Fernando Valley who played guitar and was crazy about Little Richard. Consider this – Valens’ professional career lasted barely six months. Here we are, more than 50 years after his untimely death, and his influence can still be felt. He was only 17 when he died. When I look at photos of Valens, I see a pudgy kid with spotty skin and a glowing smile, slinging a Stratocaster and oozing confidence. We have one of his stage outfits on display here in the Rave On case. It’s a two-piece vest and pants set with rhinestones trimming the lapel of the vest. He bought it at Nudie’s, the famous Western wear tailor in North Hollywood. Hank Williams and Elvis Presley wore clothes from Nudie. To me, that sort of encapsulates how cool Valens was. That and his enduring music, of course. Latino Heritage Day at the Rock Hall will reflect on Ritchie Valens as a major figure and represent some rising talent from today.

The Rock Hall’s Latino Heritage Festival will take place on the Main Stage of the Rock Hall on Sunday, August 30 from Noon to 4 p.m.

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Comments (2)

I would like to know why the Moody Blues have not been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Surely they meet all the criteria. They continue to tour and have toured for over 40 years. They have been described as a progressive rock band and have sold over 50 million albums. Nights in White Satin was No. 2 on the billboard list. More information can be obtained by going to Wikipedia.org. Plus they are nice guys! I have seen them in Cleveland at least 6 times. So I would really like to know why the Moody Blues have not been induced.

Estelle Griffiths | Sunday, January 24: 2:22 a.m.

I agree. I think their album record to date is 75 million but that shouldn't be the only reason why they're inducted. It's disappointing that R.N.R.H.O.F. doesn't recognize musicians as to mainstream music. Over 45 years of two groups (Band 1 and Band 2) of British musicians creating groundbreaking, earth-shattering, psychedelic, and original music is more meaningful to me than music copied by other influences of the time.
If The Moodies were inducted, it would mean a lot to the fans, but more importantly, it would be a huge thank you to the band from the USA for half a century of music (Including the vision of Denny Laine, this wouldn't have happened). So, it's not just recognizing talent of a new vision, it's acknowledging that the British invasion wasn't about selling records or starved for attention. It was about exploring and testing the waters of American roots music of jazz and blues. The words are from real experiences that I can relate to and wish life could be.
Modesty and humbleness are recognized on a seldom level in the music business.

Josh Houle | Sunday, August 22: 12:02 p.m.