Hall of Fame shakes, rattles, and rolls

[Ribbon Cutting] September 1, 1995

From Correspondent Paul Vercammen

CLEVELAND (CNN) -- My my, hey hey, rock and roll is here to stay.

And with the grand opening of the $92 million Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum, rock is now a permanent fixture in Cleveland.

The site has already gotten some great reviews by people in the business. Yoko Ono even said her late husband John Lennon would have loved it. (94k .aiff sound file)

From the King to Kiss to the masters of Mowtown, all are a part of the complex on the shores of Lake Erie.

"It has nothing to do with whether I'm the best or whether I'm a rock and roller or whether I'm a blues singer or whether I'm none of those things," says Sam Moore of Sam and Dave. "I'm part of history."

"It's been done in all the right spirit," says Boz Scaggs. "The people who put this thing together did it for all the right reasons."

Cleveland shook, rattled, and rolled Friday morning with a raucous parade to commemorate the museum that's been almost 10 years in the planning.

According to folklore, the term "rock and roll" was coined here in Cleveland. Now, Clevelanders say the museum makes a lasting statement about their relationship with the movement.

"We're the happening place," says one resident. "Forget New York. Forget LA. Cleveland is number one."

"We don't have Palm Beach climate. We don't have LA climate. We've got Cleveland weather. It's gray in the winter time. People want something to do, and they enjoy their music," says another Clevelander.

Designed by renown architect I.M. Pei, the Hall of Fame Museum is expected to crank out an economic boost to the tune of $90 million a year for Cleveland.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Little Richard never envisioned that his music would be enshrined in a museum when he screamed to crowds decades ago.

"Back then I didn't realize I was the architect of rock and roll ... But I know now it's me," says the rock legend.

The heroes of rock and roll are now preserved in Cleveland, where even the dead seem larger than life.

Hall of Fame shakes, rattles, and rolls

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