This Week in Rock History
Cleveland rocks… a little more than usual
This is my favorite week of the year, every year – not the first week of November, but the week that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame & Museum and Case Western Reserve University present the American Music Masters Series. It’s a week of lectures, panel discussions, films, interviews, and musical performances. It starts on Mon 10/31, with one or two events at the Rock Hall each day, and culminates the following Sat 11/5 with an all-day conference followed by an all-star concert. This year it’s titled Lady Soul: The Life and Music of Aretha Franklin.
As you’ve probably guessed, unless you’re kind of stupid, this year is all about Aretha Franklin. I’m not going to tell you anything about Aretha Franklin, for two reasons. And I’ll tell you the second one first: Unless you’re too young or too old, you already know who she is and what she’s done, and, anyway, if you don’t know who she is and what she’s done, you can attend all the Rock Hall events and learn about her.
But the more significant reason is that it really doesn’t matter who the subject of the American Music Masters week is. It doesn’t matter if it’s your favorite recording artist or your least favorite, someone about whom you know everything or know nothing, because it’s always fascinating, edifying and entertaining. And it’s not just about whomever that year’s honoree is, it’s also about the history of the era in which the person lived and made music, it’s about the history of pop music in general, and it’s about the artist’s musical and cultural legacy.
This a rare opportunity right here in your backyard. Take advantage of it.
The American Music Masters Series @ the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame + Museum runs from Mon 10/31 – Sat 11/5. Click here for all the details: http://RockHall.com.
David Budin is a freelance writer and a folk and rock musician, whose folk group, Long Road, performs occasionally. He is a former editor of Northern Ohio Live and Cleveland Magazine. His writing focuses on the arts and pop culture, focusing on pop music history and food. He is currently writing a music history and food book titled Kitchen Counter Culture.