Tue 3/31 @ 11:30AM
The City Club is joining in the celebration of the U.S.’s 250 anniversary, as the state of Ohio dedicates March to Ohio music and entertainment. Its upcoming program, “The Birthplace of Rock & Roll,” will recycle the myth that Cleveland is ground zero of something whose birth was in reality very diffuse.
“In the 1950s, our city played a pivotal role in launching a new global musical movement that many credit to DJ Alan Freed, who coined the phrase ‘rock & roll,” they say. True, but rock & roll had many fathers — and mothers — many birthplaces. Yes, there have been those “iconic moments” — in dozens of places. But there’s no harm in boosting our own.
The panelists for the program — Rock Hall CEO Greg Harris and Happy Dog owner and president of the Ohio chapter of the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) Sean Watterson — will likely offer very different assessments of what Cleveland means in the national rock scene and how to advance it instead of just boasting about past accomplishments.
Music journalist Annie Zaleski will serve as moderator. The program will be livestreamed on the City Club’s website. And questions can be texted to 330-541-5794. Get tickets here.
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