Rock Hall, Maryland, is a small, tranquil community nestled in Kent County on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay. Settled by fishermen and recently released indentured servants lured by subsistence fishing and farming, the town soon earned a reputation for enormous hauls of rockfish; thus, Rock Haul (later Rock Hall) was named. Eventually shipbuilding and other water-oriented enterprises developed, and the town evolved. More than 300 years later, farmers and watermen still provide the basis of the communitys economy, and the residents are evermore dedicated to historic preservation. In Images of America: Rock Hall, vintage photographs depict Rock Hall harbor, Tolchester Beach, Eastern Neck Island, and the Chesapeake Bay.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is the most famous rock and roll institution in the world. In 2009, the Hall of Fame celebrated its twenty-fifth year with numerous events in Cleveland and a two-day anniversary filmed concert on October 29 and 30, 2009 at Madison Square Garden. A four-hour edited version appeared on HBO. An illustrated, vibrant book commemorating the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s twenty-fifth anniversary through colorful profiles of its inductees over the years, this volume includes a wealth of historical photography, archival memorabilia, and the low-down on the musicians and their contributions to the genre. It is published with the full support of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, allowing full access to their archives. Jann Wenner, co-founder and publishier of Rolling Stone magazine, has contributed the foreword. It is an essential volume that completes every rock lover's bookshelf. Every inductee in the Hall of Fame is included--from musicians to producers--in an engaging visual format that features great vintage and contemporary photography, memorabilia from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, first-person quotes and anecdotes, encapsulated biographies, statistics on top-selling records, hits, awards, influences and influencers. Often hilarious, sometimes sentimental and sometimes very serious, the book answers questions like: What did Sheryl Crow say when she inducted Fleetwood Mac? What did the Edge say when he inducted the Clash? What did Bono say when he inducted Bruce Springsteen in 1999--and six years later, what did Springsteen say about U2? It is a seminal book for rock and roll fans around the world.
The behind-the-scenes battle for the Rock Hall For 25 years, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has defined Cleveland's image as the "Rock and Roll Capital of the World." But while the Rock Hall has become an iconic landmark for the city of Cleveland and for fans of rock and roll around the world, it was just one missed phone call away from never being built in Cleveland. If the prominent singer and actress Leslie Gore hadn't contacted radio personality Norm N. Nite in August 1983, the Hall of Fame would not be in Cleveland--period. Earlier that summer, Gore had learned that the newly formed Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation was looking for a city to house their planned museum honoring the history of rock. Gore knew that a year earlier, Nite had pitched an idea for a similar museum, so she reached out to let him know that other figures in the music industry were working to turn his dream into a reality. Nite immediately joined the project's Rules and Nominating Committee and spearheaded the campaign to bring the museum to Cleveland. At the time, the search committee was considering several other cities, including Memphis, Detroit, and New York, but Nite argued that the city's deep historical connection to rock music through Alan Freed and the Moondog Coronation Ball made Cleveland the perfect location. He began lobbying local and state politicians, fundraising with music moguls and civic leaders, and promoting the museum to the broader Cleveland public. As fans got involved, especially with their overwhelming response to a USA Today phone poll, Nite's campaign to bring the Hall to Cleveland was ultimately successful. This book, told from Nite's insider perspective, draws on both first-person accounts and exclusive interviews with influential business leaders, government officials, and giants of the music industry. A detailed record of the Rock Hall's inception and creation, The House That Rock Built becomes a true tribute to the people who made it happen--through Herculean efforts--and to the music it celebrates.
Frustrated over his failure to sell antiques in Betterton, a small town on the Chesapeake Bay, Mark Hopkins, a handsome, rich and bright 27-year old former SEAL, decides to become a private art dealer and buys a farm outside Rock Hall, near the Eastern Neck Island Wildlife Refuge. Two weeks later he discovers an important impressionist painting in an antiques store in Baltimore, which he buys for $10,000 and sells for $329,000. His joy, however is short-lived when his father dies unexpectedly, forcing him to take over operation of his familys steel mill in Baltimore. After the funeral, his death is ruled by suspicious means. A subsequent murder resolves everything, with at least two gorgeous women always competing for his love. The characters are strong, with a storyline that reads like a movie script.
Rock and roll music evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and 1950s, as a combination of African American blues, country, pop, and gospel music produced a new musical genre. Even as it captured the ears of the nation, rock and roll was the subject of controversy and contention. The music intertwined with the social, political, and economic changes reshaping America and contributed to the rise of the youth culture that remains a potent cultural force today. A comprehensive understanding of post-World War II U.S. history would be incomplete without a basic knowledge of this cultural phenomenon and its widespread impact. In this short book, bolstered by primary source documents, Mitchell K. Hall explores the change in musical style represented by rock and roll, changes in technology and business practices, regional and racial implications of this new music, and the global influences of the music. The Emergence of Rock and Roll explains the huge influence that one cultural moment can have in the history of a nation.
Longlisted for the 2020 Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence This blazingly intimate biography of Janis Joplin establishes the Queen of Rock & Roll as the rule-breaking musical trailblazer and complicated, gender-bending rebel she was. Janis Joplin’s first transgressive act was to be a white girl who gained an early sense of the power of the blues, music you could only find on obscure records and in roadhouses along the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast. But even before that, she stood out in her conservative oil town. She was a tomboy who was also intellectually curious and artistic. By the time she reached high school, she had drawn the scorn of her peers for her embrace of the Beats and her racially progressive views. Her parents doted on her in many ways, but were ultimately put off by her repeated acts of defiance. Janis Joplin has passed into legend as a brash, impassioned soul doomed by the pain that produced one of the most extraordinary voices in rock history. But in these pages, Holly George-Warren provides a revelatory and deeply satisfying portrait of a woman who wasn’t all about suffering. Janis was a perfectionist: a passionate, erudite musician who was born with talent but also worked exceptionally hard to develop it. She was a woman who pushed the boundaries of gender and sexuality long before it was socially acceptable. She was a sensitive seeker who wanted to marry and settle down—but couldn’t, or wouldn’t. She was a Texan who yearned to flee Texas but could never quite get away—even after becoming a countercultural icon in San Francisco. Written by one of the most highly regarded chroniclers of American music history, and based on unprecedented access to Janis Joplin’s family, friends, band mates, archives, and long-lost interviews, Janis is a complex, rewarding portrait of a remarkable artist finally getting her due.
Explores the life of the artist who has won more Grammy Awards than any other female singer and who, along with her success in soul and gospel music, has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Presents the life and career of musician Elton John, known for his colorful costumes, he has released nine gold and twenty-five platinum albums and continues to impact the music industry.
