‘The Instruments Of Rock & Roll’ Make For An ImpressiveDisplay
Cleveland rocks.
And it has done so since 1951 when Cleveland disk jockey Alan Freed coined the term “Rock and Roll” to describe the up-beat tempo in the records he played of black R&B artists on Cleveland radio station WJW.
Today it continues with the sights and sounds of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and a new exhibit that features the instruments of famed rockers.
“Play It Loud: Instruments of Rock & Roll” is the largest single exhibit the hall has ever displayed and it takes over the entire complex on all levels of the museum with the primary display being on floors 4, 5 and 6.
Instruments and memorabilia in the exhibit include more than 130 guitars, drum kits, pianos synthesizers, and other instruments which date from 1939 to 2017.
Many have never been seen outside their original concert performances.
This exhibit debuted at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City in April 2019 and is now in Cleveland.
The number of instruments is a rock fan’s real-life fantasy. It has Eddie Van Halen’s performance rig from 2013 including his famous “taped” guitars, various instruments from other rock stars, and sets from The Rolling Stones and Rage Against the Machine. The latter are flanked by overhead documentary video interviews of Eddie, Keith Richards, and Tom Morello.
There is also a flamboyant costume worn by Prince, Clarence Clemons’ saxophone, Keith Richards hand-painted Gibson Les Paul Guitar used to record “Beggars Banquet,”Prince’s Gold Symbol Guitar, Kate Pierson’s (B-52’s) keyboard used to perform “Rock Lobster” and John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin) Keyboard used to record “Stairway to Heaven.”
And that’s just part of the display.
Other instruments and memorabilia worth mentioning include: Chuck Berry’s early hollow-body Gibson guitar Bruce Springsteen’s guitar Eric Clapton’s Martin acoustic guitar model 000-42 used during his famous MTV Unplugged concert Jerry Garcia’s “Wolf” guitar Rory Gallagher’s iconic 1961 Fender Stratocaster Jimi Hendrix’s hand-decorated electric guitar, dubbed “Love Drops,” made in 1967 James Jamerson’s upright bass used on many early Motown hits Steve Miller’s electric guitar painted with psychedelic designs ca. 1972
“Play It Loud, The Instruments of Rock & Roll” was co-organized by The Met in New York City and was hosted in person by Rock Legends Nancy Wilson (Heart), Don Felder (formerly of The Eagles) and Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo of Metallica.
Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Fast Facts
General admission to the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame is $26.
It is open daily from 10:30 a.m.,-5:30 p.m., and stays open Wednesdays until 9 p.m.
It is located at: 1100 Rock and Roll Boulevard Cleveland, Ohio 44114
Its website is: rockhall.com
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Contributor’s Bio: Jack Fleming is a contributing photographer and writer for PubClub.com. Originally from Granville, Ohio, Fleming resided in Los Angeles for 20 years from 1995 to 2015 until Family obligations called him back to Ohio. While in California Fleming worked for Disney Consumer Products and Disney Online, ESPN.com, NASCAR.com, Artist Direct Records and operated his own photography studio in Eagle Rock. Fleming is most known for his fashion runway, professional sports and event photography often contributing to PubClub topics. Fleming makes regular trips to California and most recently worked with PubClub.com and Pub Club Live at The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa during Tennessee “Hate Week” earlier in November.
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