Rock is as much about the swag as it is about the music: T-shirts, posters, programs, records and souvenirs. There’s a new collection of swag on view at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, saluting this year’s class of inductees.
All 13 of the performer inductees are represented, from Salt-N-Pepa’s “Push It” jackets to the late Joe Cocker’s broken Grammy.
“It was broken probably decades ago, but we just decided we'll display the two pieces of it together,” said Andy Leach, director of collections. “There's probably not a need for an explanation, but we decided we're not going to repair it because this is the way it was when he owned it.”
The class of 2025 will be inducted Nov. 8. Artists are eligible 25 years after the release of their first record. One of the longest-eligible performers, Chubby Checker, has a scheduling conflict and won’t attend. Yet he did send plenty for the exhibit.
“I don't think he's kept outfits that he wore back in the ‘60s,” Leach said. “We really just went with … what he decided was important. He gave us a couple of outfits and boots that he has worn multiple times. And we have them displayed doing the twist.”
Checker, 84, once protested outside of the induction ceremony, arguing that his string of ‘60s “twist” records weren’t getting the attention they deserved. He was born the same day as eclectic producer Lenny Waronker, who receives this year’s Ahmet Ertegun Award.
Also being honored are ‘70s rockers Bad Company, hip-hop duo OutKast and iconic ‘80s pop star Cyndi Lauper. One of her artifacts in the exhibit is the handwritten lyrics to “Time After Time.” Rock Hall Curatorial Director Amanda Pecsenye called it “a perfect song.”
“It was her first no. 1 single,” Pecsenye said. “Seeing those handwritten lyrics definitely made me get choked up a little bit. And then it had the added bonus that on the back of one of the pages was a snippet of ‘She Bop.’ So, we kind of got two-in-one there!”
The exhibit uses awards, posters and album covers to represent deceased performers such as “Philly Soul” producer Thom Bell, British keyboard legend Nicky Hopkins and singer-songwriter Warren Zevon.
“I hope those kind of artifacts are inspiring to visitors to dig deeper and learn more about an artist that they might not know,” Pecsenye said.
This year’s oldest inductee, session bassist Carol Kaye, 90, is also not planning to attend. She’s represented by album covers for some her most iconic performances, such as on the Beach Boys’ “Pet Sounds” and Ike & Tina Turner’s “River Deep – Mountain High.”
About 1,200 artists, historians, previous inductees and music industry professionals voted on this year’s class, along with the online fan vote. In the past, groups such as Yes and the Dave Matthews Band have made strong showings online without making the cut — only to be inducted later.
This year, Phish led the internet poll with more than 327,000 votes, but is not being inducted. However, the Vermont jam band is still part of the Rock Hall: Visitors to the museum’s atrium were greeted by a massive hot dog from their 1994 stage set.
The 40th inductions will stream live on Disney+ from Los Angeles, part of a rotating slate of venues in recent years.
From 1986-2008, the ceremony was held at New York City’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel, with two exceptions. In 1993, the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles hosted the inductions. In 1997, after much lobbying by Northeast Ohio leaders, the ceremony moved to the Renaissance Hotel in Cleveland.
After that — from 2009 until the COVID-19 pandemic — the ceremonies generally took place in April on a rotation of one year at Cleveland’s Public Hall followed by two years in New York City. Exceptions were 2013, when the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles hosted, and 2020, when the ceremony went virtual.
After that, the event moved to the fall. Rock Hall Foundation Chairman John Sykes suggested in the past that London and Nashville could be added to the rotation too.
