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Celebration Week Underway at Rock Hall

This is a big week for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  The 30th induction ceremony will be held this year at Cleveland’s Public Hall.   A rock celebration week kicked off with a free day at the hall on Saturday and a new exhibition has opened about this year’s inductees. ideastream’s Mark Urycki reports


This year’s inductees are Lou Reed, the 5 Royales, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Green Day,  Bill Withers, Stevie Ray Vaughn and Double Trouble, the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, and Ringo Starr.  The museum curators have been rushing since the inductees were announced in December to acquire objects from the artists or their families.   Stevie Ray Vaughn’s guitar won’t be here until Friday when his brother Jimmy, who will play at the induction ceremony, hand delivers it.   But Karen Herman of the Rock Hall points out Ringo did send his Beatles drum kit

“Ringo Starr drum kit 1964 Ludwig oyster black pearl kit.  This was his 4th kit, most notable for the Shea Stadium show in ’66 as well as their last appearance ever at Candlestick park.

You can see the pearl veneer has been scraped off the edges from use and moving for the Beatles last tour.

"Oh yeah, its worn, you can see little bits of little bits of scotch tape for when they wanted a little bit of a lighter sound on the snare.  So yeah it’s a well-worn, well-loved kit.” 

The drums are set out on the floor, rather than against a wall,  of the Beatles section in the hall.  Visitors can get c;loser and walk around it.   The exhibition on the new inductees has been placed in the main hall for the first time.  Herman says they want it to be the first thing visitors see.    The induction ceremony takes place Saturday night.