Exhibit
Level 0
Free
With Museum Admission
Motown in Detroit, New York's punk scene, Seattle grunge bands - learn all about the cities and movements that changed music. This great hall of rock & roll history showcases the musical eras that put entire regions on the map. Also featured are collections that represent rock’s early years, the sound of soul, and heavy metal music.
ROCK & ROLL'S EARLY YEARS. Rave On pays tribute to the pioneers who created the sound and style of rock and roll. This exhibit includes original costumes, vintage posters, guitars and other instruments, lyric manuscripts, sheet music and other documents.
WHOLE LOTTA SHAKIN’ GOIN’ ON: 1948 - 1959. This section highlights Memphis’ contributions to the early years of rock and roll. It includes the history of Sun Records and early rock & roll pioneers.
DANCIN’ IN THE STREET: 1962 - 1971. This portion focuses on Detroit during the Motown era.
FERRY CROSS THE MERSEY: 1963 - 1966. This section concentrates on the British Invasion, from early skiffle to Beatlemania and beyond.
SOMEBODY TO LOVE: 1965 - 1969. This exhibit focuses on San Francisco during the psychedelic era. It includes artifacts from the key musicians of the era – the Grateful Dead, Country Joe and the Fish, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Janis Joplin and the Jefferson Airplane – as well as other important cultural icons, including Bill Graham and Ralph J. Gleason.
I LOVE LA: 1965 - 1979. This area draws attention to the era of the singer/songwriter and country-rock. The troubadour scene, older folk scene and the new electric folk rock are highlighted.
THE SOUND OF SOUL. Soul music was the predominant black music style of the Sixties. Smooth and sensual, passionate and heartfelt, soul included elements of the blues, rhythm & blues, doo-wop and, most notably, gospel. It can be traced back to the Fifties and such artists as Ray Charles, Sam Cooke and James Brown, each of whom incorporated various aspects of gospel into rhythm & blues. But it took a confluence of factors – the civil rights movement, black pride and the work of some enlightened record executives like Atlantic’s Jerry Wexler – for soul music to come into its own. This exhibit presents dozens of artifacts chronicling the lives and careers of soul music’s most influential performers.
THE BLANK GENERATION: 1975 - 1980. This section focuses on the development of punk rock in London, New York and Los Angeles.
SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT: 1985 - 1995. This exhibit spotlights the grunge era. The various artifacts define grunge not only as a genre and sound, but also as a scene and fashion statement.
HEAVY METAL. If it’s too loud, you’re too old. That’s the message that’s always been at the root of heavy metal. With its ear-shattering volume, distorted guitars and screeching vocals, this highly amplified, blues-based guitar rock came of age – and commercial dominance – during the early Seventies, particularly with such British bands as Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple. But heavy metal’s roots can be traced back to the Sixties. In America, such groups as Iron Butterfly and Blue Cheer scored hits (“In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida,” “Summertime Blues”) that predicted heavy metal’s assault, while in England, the Who, the Kinks, and the Yardbirds and power trios like Cream and the Jimi Hendrix Experience helped create the sound and stance that would come to dominate the genre.
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