Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, is an English rock and blues guitarist and songwriter. He is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist and separately as a member of the Yardbirds and of Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most influential guitarists of all time. Clapton ranked second in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and fourth in Gibson's "Top 50 Guitarists of All Time", he was named number five in Time magazine's list of "The 10 Best Electric Guitar Players" in 2009. In the mid-1960s Clapton left the Yardbirds to play with the Bluesbreakers. After leaving Mayall, Clapton formed the power trio Cream with drummer Ginger Baker and bassist Jack Bruce, in which Clapton played sustained blues improvisations and "arty, blues-based psychedelic pop". After Cream broke up, he formed blues rock band Blind Faith with Baker, Steve Winwood, Ric Grech. Clapton's solo career began in the 1970s, where his work bore the influence of the mellow style of J. J. Cale and the reggae of Bob Marley.
His version of Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff" helped. Two of his most popular recordings were "Layla", recorded with the Dominos. Following the death of his son Conor in 1991, Clapton's grief was expressed in the song "Tears in Heaven", which appeared on his Unplugged album. Clapton has been the recipient of 18 Grammy Awards, the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music. In 2004 he was awarded a CBE at Buckingham Palace for services to music, he has received four Ivor Novello Awards from the British Academy of Songwriters and Authors, including the Lifetime Achievement Award. In his solo career, Clapton has sold more than 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling musicians of all time. In 1998, Clapton, a recovering alcoholic and drug addict, founded the Crossroads Centre on Antigua, a medical facility for recovering substance abusers. Clapton was born on 30 March 1945 in Ripley, England, to 16-year-old Patricia Molly Clapton and Edward Walter Fryer, a 25-year-old soldier from Montreal, Quebec.
Fryer shipped off to war prior to Clapton's birth and returned to Canada. Clapton grew up believing that his grandmother and her second husband, Jack Clapp, Patricia's stepfather, were his parents, that his mother was his older sister; the similarity in surnames gave rise to the erroneous belief. Years his mother married another Canadian soldier and moved to Germany, leaving young Eric with his grandparents in Surrey. Clapton received an acoustic Hoyer guitar, made in Germany, for his thirteenth birthday, but the inexpensive steel-stringed instrument was difficult to play and he lost interest. Two years Clapton picked it up again and started playing consistently. Clapton was influenced by the blues from an early age, practised long hours to learn the chords of blues music by playing along to the records, he preserved his practice sessions using his portable Grundig reel-to-reel tape recorder, listening to them over and over until he felt he'd got it right. In 1961, after leaving Hollyfield School in Surbiton, Clapton studied at the Kingston College of Art but was dismissed at the end of the academic year because his focus remained on music rather than art.
His guitar playing was so advanced. Around this time, Clapton began busking around Kingston and the West End. In 1962, Clapton started performing as a duo with fellow blues enthusiast David Brock in pubs around Surrey; when he was seventeen years old, Clapton joined his first band, an early British R&B group, the Roosters, whose other guitarist was Tom McGuinness. He stayed with this band from January until August 1963. In October of that year, Clapton did a seven-gig stint with the Engineers. In October 1963, Clapton joined the Yardbirds, a blues-influenced rock and roll band, stayed with them until March 1965. Synthesising influences from Chicago blues and leading blues guitarists such as Buddy Guy, Freddie King, B. B. King, Clapton forged a distinctive style and became one of the most talked-about guitarists in the British music scene; the band played Chess/Checker/Vee-Jay blues numbers and began to attract a large cult following when they took over the Rolling Stones' residency at the Crawdaddy Club in Richmond.
They toured England with American bluesman Sonny Boy Williamson II. Yardbirds' rhythm guitarist, Chris Dreja, recalled that whenever Clapton broke a guitar string during a concert, he would stay on stage and replace it; the English audiences would wait out the delay by doing what is called a "slow handclap". Clapton's nickname of "Slowhand" came from Giorgio Gomelsky, a pun on the slow handclapping that ensued when Clapton stopped playing while he replaced a string. In December 1964, Clapton made his first appearance at the Royal Albert Hall, with the Yardbirds. Since Clapton has performed at the Hall over 200 times, has stated that performing at the venue is like "playing in my front room". In March 1965, Clapton and the Yardbirds had their first major hit, "For Your Love", written by songwriter Graham Gouldman, who wrote hit songs for Herman's Hermits and the Hollies. In part because of its success, the Yardbirds elected to move toward a pop-oriented sound, much
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin was an American singer, songwriter and civil rights activist. Franklin began her career as a child singing gospel at New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit, where her father C. L. Franklin was minister. At the age of 18, she embarked on a secular career recording for Columbia Records. However, she achieved only modest success, she found acclaim and commercial success after signing with Atlantic Records in 1966. Hit songs such as "Respect", "Chain of Fools", "Think", " A Natural Woman", "I Never Loved a Man", "I Say a Little Prayer", propelled her past her musical peers. By the end of the 1960s, Aretha Franklin had come to be known as "The Queen of Soul", she continued to record acclaimed albums such as I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You, Lady Soul, Spirit in the Dark, Young and Black, Amazing Grace, Sparkle before experiencing problems with her record company. Franklin signed with Arista Records, she appeared in the 1980 film The Blues Brothers before releasing the successful albums Jump to It, Who's Zoomin' Who?, Aretha on the Arista label.
In 1998, Franklin returned to the top 40 with the Lauryn Hill-produced song "A Rose Is Still a Rose" issuing the album of the same name, which went gold. That same year, Franklin earned international acclaim for her performance of "Nessun dorma" at the Grammy Awards, filling in at the last minute for Luciano Pavarotti, who had canceled after the show had begun. In a noted performance, she paid tribute to 2015 honoree Carole King by singing " A Natural Woman" at the Kennedy Center Honors. Franklin recorded 112 charted singles on Billboard, including 77 Hot 100 entries, 17 top-ten pop singles, 100 R&B entries, 20 number-one R&B singles, becoming the most charted female artist in history. Franklin's other well-known hits include "Rock Steady", "Call Me", "Ain't No Way", "Don't Play That Song", "Spanish Harlem", "Day Dreaming", "Until You Come Back to Me", "Something He Can Feel", "Jump to It", "Freeway of Love", "Who's Zoomin' Who", "I Knew You Were Waiting", she won 18 Grammy Awards, including the first eight awards given for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, she is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold more than 75 million records worldwide.
Throughout her career, Franklin received numerous honors. She was awarded the National Medal of Arts, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 1987, she became the first female performer to be inducted into the Roll Hall of Fame, she was inducted to the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005 and to the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2012. In 2010 Rolling Stone magazine ranked her number one on their list of the "100 Greatest Singers of All Time" and number nine on their list of "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". Aretha Louise Franklin was born on March 25, 1942, to Barbara and Clarence LaVaughn "C. L." Franklin. She was delivered at her family's home located at 406 Lucy Avenue, Tennessee, her father was a Baptist minister and circuit preacher from Shelby, while her mother was an accomplished piano player and vocalist. Both Mr. and Mrs. Franklin had children from prior relationships in addition to the four children they had together; when Aretha was two, the family relocated to New York. By the time Aretha turned five, C. L. Franklin had permanently relocated the family to Detroit, where he took over the pastorship of the New Bethel Baptist Church.
The Franklins had a troubled marriage due to Mr. Franklin's infidelities, they separated in 1948. At that time, Barbara Franklin returned to Buffalo with Vaughn. After the separation, Aretha recalled seeing her mother in Buffalo during the summer, Barbara Franklin visited her children in Detroit. Aretha's mother died of a heart attack on March 1952, before Aretha's tenth birthday. Several women, including Aretha's grandmother and Mahalia Jackson, took turns helping with the children at the Franklin home. During this time, Aretha learned, she attended public school in Detroit, going through her freshman year at Northern High School, but dropping out during her sophomore year. Aretha's father's driven sermons resulted in his being known as the man with the "million-dollar voice", he earned thousands of dollars for sermons in various churches across the country. His celebrity status led to his home being visited by various celebrities. Among the visitors were gospel musicians Clara Ward, James Cleveland, early Caravans members Albertina Walker and Inez Andrews.
Martin Luther King Jr. Jackie Wilson and Sam Cooke all became friends of C. L. Franklin, as well. Ward was romantically involved with Aretha's father from around 1949 to Ward's death in 1973, though Aretha "preferred to view them as friends". Ward served as a role model to the young Aretha. Just after her mother's death, Franklin began singing solos at New Bethel, debuting with the hymn "Jesus, Be a Fence Around Me"; when Franklin was 12, her father began managing her. He helped her sign her first recording deal with J. V. B. Records. Recording equipment was installed inside New Bethel Baptist Church and nine tracks were recorded. Franklin was featured on vocals and piano. In 1956, J. V. B. Released Franklin's first single, "Never Grow Old", backed with "You Grow Closer". "Precious Lord" backed with "Precious Lord (P
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. It was founded in 1887, evolving from the American Graphophone Company, the successor to the Volta Graphophone Company. Columbia is the oldest surviving brand name in the recorded sound business, the second major company to produce records. From 1961 to 1990, Columbia recordings were released outside North America under the name CBS Records to avoid confusion with EMI's Columbia Graphophone Company. Columbia is one of Sony Music's four flagship record labels, alongside former longtime rival RCA Records, as well as Arista Records and Epic Records. Artists who have recorded for Columbia include Harry Styles, AC/DC, Louis Armstrong, Tony Bennett, Beyoncé, Dave Brubeck, The Byrds, Johnny Cash, Mariah Carey, The Chainsmokers, The Clash, Miles Davis, Rosemary Clooney, Neil Diamond, Celine Dion, Bob Dylan, Wind & Fire, Duke Ellington, 50 Cent, Erroll Garner, Benny Goodman, Adelaide Hall, Billy Joel, Janis Joplin, John Mayer, George Michael, Billy Murray, Pink Floyd, Lil Nas X, Frank Sinatra and Garfunkel, Bessie Smith, Bruce Springsteen, Barbra Streisand, Andy Williams, Pharrell Williams, Bill Withers, Paul Whiteman, Joe Zawinul The Columbia Phonograph Company was founded in 1887 by stenographer and New Jersey native Edward D. Easton and a group of investors.
It derived its name from the District of Columbia. At first it had a local monopoly on sales and service of Edison phonographs and phonograph cylinders in Washington, D. C. Maryland, Delaware; as was the custom of some of the regional phonograph companies, Columbia produced many commercial cylinder recordings of its own, its catalogue of musical records in 1891 was 10 pages. Columbia's ties to Edison and the North American Phonograph Company were severed in 1894 with the North American Phonograph Company's breakup. Thereafter it sold only phonographs of its own manufacture. In 1902, Columbia introduced a molded brown wax record, to use up old stock. Columbia introduced black wax records in 1903. According to one source, they continued to mold brown waxes until 1904 with the highest number being 32601, "Heinie", a duet by Arthur Collins and Byron G. Harlan; the molded brown waxes may have been sold to Sears for distribution. Columbia began selling disc records and phonographs in addition to the cylinder system in 1901, preceded only by their "Toy Graphophone" of 1899, which used small, vertically cut records.
For a decade, Columbia competed with both the Edison Phonograph Company cylinders and the Victor Talking Machine Company disc records as one of the top three names in American recorded sound. In order to add prestige to its early catalog of artists, Columbia contracted a number of New York Metropolitan Opera stars to make recordings; these stars included Marcella Sembrich, Lillian Nordica, Antonio Scotti and Edouard de Reszke, but the technical standard of their recordings was not considered to be as high as the results achieved with classical singers during the pre–World War I period by Victor, England's His Master's Voice or Italy's Fonotipia Records. After an abortive attempt in 1904 to manufacture discs with the recording grooves stamped into both sides of each disc—not just one—in 1908 Columbia commenced successful mass production of what they called their "Double-Faced" discs, the 10-inch variety selling for 65 cents apiece; the firm introduced the internal-horn "Grafonola" to compete with the popular "Victrola" sold by the rival Victor Talking Machine Company.
During this era, Columbia used the "Magic Notes" logo—a pair of sixteenth notes in a circle—both in the United States and overseas. Columbia stopped recording and manufacturing wax cylinder records in 1908, after arranging to issue celluloid cylinder records made by the Indestructible Record Company of Albany, New York, as "Columbia Indestructible Records". In July 1912, Columbia decided to concentrate on disc records and stopped manufacturing cylinder phonographs, although they continued selling Indestructible's cylinders under the Columbia name for a year or two more. Columbia was split into one to make records and one to make players. Columbia Phonograph was moved to Connecticut, Ed Easton went with it, it was renamed the Dictaphone Corporation. In late 1922, Columbia went into receivership; the company was bought by its English subsidiary, the Columbia Graphophone Company in 1925 and the label, record numbering system, recording process changed. On February 25, 1925, Columbia began recording with the electric recording process licensed from Western Electric.
"Viva-tonal" records set a benchmark in tone and clarity unequaled on commercial discs during the 78-rpm era. The first electrical recordings were made by Art Gillham, the "Whispering Pianist". In a secret agreement with Victor, electrical technology was kept secret to avoid hurting sales of acoustic records. In 1926, Columbia acquired Okeh Records and its growing stable of jazz and blues artists, including Louis Armstrong and Clarence Williams. Columbia had built a catalog of blues and jazz artists, including Bessie Smith in their 14000-D Race series. Columbia had a successful "Hillbilly" series. In 1928, Paul Whiteman, the nation's most popular orchestra leader, left Victor to record for Columbia. During the same year, Columbia executiv
Bad English
Bad English was an English/American hard rock/glam metal supergroup formed in 1987. It reunited keyboardist Jonathan Cain of Journey with singer John Waite and bassist Ricky Phillips, his former bandmates in The Babys, along with Journey guitarist Neal Schon and drummer Deen Castronovo; the members decided on a name for the band while playing pool. John Waite missed a shot and Jonathan Cain made a comment on how bad his "english" was and the band decided to use the phrase. Jonathan Cain and guitarist Neal Schon, who had both enjoyed enormous success in Journey, formed Bad English with Waite after Journey disbanded, they were joined by Ricky Phillips, who had played bass for the Babys on two albums with Waite and Cain, drummer Deen Castronovo. The eponymously titled debut album was a big seller, contained three top-40 hit singles: the number one hit "When I See You Smile" written by Diane Warren, the top 10 hit "Price of Love," and "Possession." Another track from the debut album, "Best of What I Got", featured in the soundtrack to the 1989 feature film Tango and Cash, was released as a promotional single to Rock Radio, where the tune cracked the top 10.
The band's second album, Backlash and went without any fanfare. The only single, "Straight To Your Heart," missed the Top 40, peaking at No. 42. Ricky Phillips writes on his website that the group had parted company before the second album had been mixed. Both Phillips and guitarist Neal Schon expressed frustration with the "pop" side of the band's songs and wanted a harder edge. In the end, it proved to be the band's undoing. In interviews, Waite revealed that although he loved playing to stadium-sized audiences, he was uncomfortable with the corporate rock image that he felt the band had presented and has been a solo artist since. Schon and Castronovo went on to join the fledgling rock band Hardline in 1991. In the mid-1990s, Schon rejoined Cain in a reformed Journey. Castronovo joined Journey in 1998 leaving in 2015, he became a member of the Dead Daisies and Revolution Saints. Meanwhile, Phillips returned to session work, recording with artists such as Coverdale/Page, Bobby Kimball, Eddie Money, before joining Styx in the early 2000s.
John Waite returned to his solo career. John Waite - lead vocals Neal Schon - lead guitar, backing vocals Jonathan Cain - keyboards, rhythm guitar, backing vocals Ricky Phillips - bass, backing vocals Deen Castronovo - drums, backing vocals List of glam metal bands and artists John Waite Jonathan Cain Neal Schon Ricky Phillips Deen Castronovo
Deen Castronovo
Deen J. Castronovo is an American drummer and singer, best known for being a member of hard rock and metal acts Journey, Bad English, Revolution Saints, The Dead Daisies, he has been a touring and studio member for Ozzy Osbourne, Steve Vai, Paul Rodgers, Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler's GZR, others. Deen Castronovo was born in the city of Westminster and started drumming at the age of 6, he grew up in Oregon. Where he attended South Salem High School. Deen cites Steve Smith, Neil Peart, Terry Bozzio and Rush as influences. Deen met his first wife, Julie, in 2003 and was married in 2004. After they separated, he reconnected with Deidra in 2008, whom he had known since 1982, became engaged in 2013, he has two children. Castronovo was arrested on June 14, 2015 and charged with fourth-degree assault and menacing after police say he physically injured a woman; as a result, he was dropped from upcoming Journey performances and replaced by Omar Hakim on the band's 2015 tour. On June 29, 2015, Castronovo was indicted by a Marion County grand jury on felony charges of rape, sexual abuse, unlawful use of a dangerous weapon, contempt of court.
Deen took a plea bargain instead of going to trial and was sentenced to four years of probation and counselling for domestic violence. Castronovo is the former drummer for bands Wild Dogs, Bad English, Journey and is the current drummer for Revolution Saints and The Dead Daisies, he played on the song "Smoke of the Revolution" on the Neal Schon solo album Late Nite. Wild Dogs is an America rock band from Portland, Oregon formed loosely in 1981 by Jeff Mark, Danny Kurth, Matt McCourt, Pete Holmes. Drummer Pete Holmes was replaced by Jaime St. James; the band had an appearance on a compilation series, but before a full album could be recorded with Shrapnel Records, St. James left the band to join Black'n Blue, it was at this point Deen was first discovered by McCourt, who recruited the local, only 16-year-old drummer Castronovo to join the band. Deen played on the self-titled debut album Wild Dogs, the followup Man's Best Friend and Reign Of Terror; the band was known for its live show, that featured Castronovo's showmanship.
While working with Wild Dogs, Deen met and began working with Tony MacAlpine, which led to an introduction to future long-time collaboration partner, Neal Schon. Shortly after, Neal would invite Deen to audition for a new band with Jonathan Cain, John Waite and Ricky Phillips, which became Bad English. After two albums, which included being nominated for Best New Group in 1989 at the International Rock Awards, Bad English disbanded in 1991. In 1995 a Greatest Hits was released. Again working with Neal Schon, Deen played drums and sang backing vocals on Hardline's debut album Double Eclipse; the album's first single "Takin' Me Down" peaked at No. 37 on Billboard's Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The album's second single, a cover of the Danny Spanos song "Hot Cherie," rose to No. 25 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. Deen appeared on the seventh solo studio album by Ozzy Osbourne; the album reached number 22 on the UK Albums Chart and number four on the US Billboard 200. Deen toured with Ozzy on a portion of the 1995 leg of the Retirement Sucks Tour.
Deen continued to be in various bands along from Hardline to Paul Rodgers. After a 3-year stint with Vasco Rossi, he joined Journey, where he would spend the next 18 years and 5 albums as the drummer and occasional lead vocalist. While not the original drummer for Journey, Deen is the longest-serving drummer to date, having played on the albums Arrival, Red 13, Generations and Eclipse; as a vocalist, he sang "Still They Ride", "Mother, Father" and "Keep On Runnin'" in concert in order to let the main lead vocalists take a break. In the studio, he performed lead vocals on "A Better Life" and "Never Too Late", which were featured on Generations. After the Planet Us project did not produce an album, Neal Schon was determined to see the material he had written come to life. At the 2004 annual NAMM Show in Los Angeles, Schon met up with Jeff Scott Soto and tested the waters with a jam session. While in Los Angeles, Schon attended a showcase featuring Marco Mendoza. Inviting Soto and Deen Castronovo to join him, the new band, Soul SirkUS, began rehearsing and recorded 11 songs for their debut album, World Play.
Although all the foundation tracks on the album were written for Planet Us, only one completed song from that band was used for Soul SirkUS debut. In early 2005, with a completed album titled World Play the band was ready to tour, but Castronovo fell ill due to extreme exhaustion. Soon after, Castronovo bowed out of Soul SirkUS based on his doctor's recommendation and was replaced by Australian drummer Virgil Donati. Ultimate there were 3 editions of the album; the Black Sleeve version was the original with Deen drumming, the Green Sleeve version was an American edition remastered, the Yellow Sleeve had two versions: a European edition of remaster that included a bonus DVD, a Japanese edition of the remaster included a bonus track. The Black Sleeve version is the only one with Deen. While still with Journey, Jack Blades, Doug Aldrich formed Revolution Saints; the band, where Deen served as lead vocalist and handled drumming duties, released its self-titled debut album on February 24, 2015. A followup albu
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio and archives the history of the best-known and most influential artists, producers and other notable figures who have had some major influence on the development of rock and roll. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation was established on April 20, 1983, by Atlantic Records founder and chairman Ahmet Ertegun. In 1986, Cleveland was chosen as the Hall of Fame's permanent home. Founder Ahmet Ertegun assembled a team that included attorney Suzan Evans, Rolling Stone magazine editor and publisher Jann S. Wenner, attorney Allen Grubman, record executives Seymour Stein, Bob Krasnow, Noreen Woods; the Foundation began inducting artists in 1986. The search committee considered several cities, including Philadelphia, Detroit, New York City, Cleveland. Cleveland lobbied for the museum, with civic leaders in Cleveland pledging $65 million in public money to fund the construction, citing that WJW disc jockey Alan Freed both coined the term "rock and roll" and promoted the new genre—and that Cleveland was the location of Freed's Moondog Coronation Ball credited as the first major rock and roll concert.
Freed was a member of the hall of fame's inaugural class of inductees in 1986. In addition, Cleveland cited radio station WMMS, which played a key role in breaking several major acts in the U. S. during the 1970s and 1980s, including David Bowie, who began his first U. S. tour in the city, Bruce Springsteen, Roxy Music, Rush among many others. A petition drive was signed by 600,000 fans favoring Cleveland over Memphis, Cleveland ranked first in a 1986 USA Today poll asking where the Hall of Fame should be located. On May 5, 1986, the Hall of Fame Foundation chose Cleveland as the permanent home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Author Peter Guralnick said. Cleveland may have been chosen as the organization's site because the city offered the best financial package; as The Plain Dealer music critic Michael Norman noted, "It was $65 million... Cleveland wanted it here and put up the money." Co-founder Jann Wenner said, "One of the small sad things is we didn't do it in New York in the first place," but added, "I am delighted that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is in Cleveland."
During early discussions on where to build the Hall of Fame and Museum, the Foundation's board considered the Cuyahoga River. The chosen location was along East Ninth Street in downtown Cleveland by Lake Erie, east of Cleveland Stadium. At one point in the planning phase, when a financing gap existed, planners proposed locating the Rock Hall in the then-vacant May Company Building, but decided to commission architect I. M. Pei to design a new building. Initial CEO Dr. Larry R. Thompson facilitated I. M. Pei in designs for the site. Pei came up with the idea of a tower with a glass pyramid protruding from it; the museum tower was planned to stand 200 ft high, but had to be cut down to 162 ft due to its proximity to Burke Lakefront Airport. The building's base is 150,000 square feet; the groundbreaking ceremony took place on June 7, 1993. Pete Townshend, Chuck Berry, Billy Joel, Sam Phillips, Ruth Brown, Sam Moore of Sam and Dave, Carl Gardner of the Coasters and Dave Pirner of Soul Asylum all appeared at the groundbreaking.
The museum was dedicated on September 1, 1995, with the ribbon being cut by an ensemble that included Yoko Ono and Little Richard, among others, before a crowd of more than 10,000 people. The following night an all-star concert was held at the stadium, it featured Chuck Berry, Bob Dylan, Al Green, Jerry Lee Lewis, Aretha Franklin, Bruce Springsteen, Iggy Pop, John Fogerty, John Mellencamp, many others. In addition to the Hall of Fame inductees, the museum documents the entire history of rock and roll, regardless of induction status. Hall of Fame inductees are honored in a special exhibit located in a wing that juts out over Lake Erie. Since 1986, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has selected new inductees; the formal induction ceremony has been held in New York City 26 times. As of 2018, the induction ceremonies alternate each year between New Cleveland; the 2009 and 2012 induction weeks were made possible by a public–private partnership between the City of Cleveland, the State of Ohio, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, local foundations, civic organizations and individuals.
Collectively these entities invested $5.8 million in 2009 and $7.9 million in 2012 to produce a week of events, including free concerts, a gospel celebration, exhibition openings, free admission to the museum, induction ceremonies filled with both fans and VIPs at Public Hall. Millions viewed the television broadcast of the Cleveland inductions; the economic impact of the 2009 induction week activities was more than $13 million, it provided an additional $20 million in media exposure for the region. The 2012 induction week yielded similar results. There are seven levels in the building. On the lower level is the Ahmet M. Ertegun Exhibition Hall, the museum's main gallery, it includes exhibits on the roots of roll. It featu
Sammy Hagar
Samuel Roy Hagar known as The Red Rocker, is an American rock vocalist, songwriter and entrepreneur. Hagar came to prominence in the 1970s with the hard rock band Montrose, he launched a successful solo career, scoring an enduring hit in 1984 with "I Can't Drive 55". He enjoyed commercial success when he replaced David Lee Roth as the lead singer of Van Halen in 1985, but left in 1996, he returned to the band for a two-year reunion from 2003 to 2005. On March 12, 2007, Hagar was inducted into the Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Van Halen, his musical style consists of hard rock and heavy metal. A businessman, Hagar founded the Cabo Wabo Tequila brand and restaurant chain, as well as Sammy's Beach Bar Rum, his current musical projects include being the lead singer of The Circle. Named after his maternal grandfather, Samuel Roy Hagar was born in Salinas, United States, on October 13, 1947, but his family soon moved to Fontana, where his father worked at the Kaiser Steel Mill. Sammy Hagar graduated from Fontana High School.
As a teenager, Hagar became interested in the burgeoning Southern California music scene. He fronted the Fabulous Castilles, when he was 14 years old; as part of a duo known as Samson & Hagar, backed by the Peppermint Trolley Company, he released a 7" single on Ranwood Records with the tracks, "Reach Out to Find Me" and "Read My Thoughts."That same year, Hagar joined the Johnny Fortune Band as a vocalist and rhythm guitarist. Hagar was a member of a string of other pre-Montrose bands including Big Bang, Dustcloud, Cotton and Manhole, he next became a member of the Justice Brothers, along with guitarist Bob Anglin, keyboardist Al Shane, bassist Jeff Nicholson, drummer David Lauser. The Justice Brothers were the house band at a bar called "The Nightclub" in San Bernardino, before they relocated to San Francisco. Hagar's first major success came with the group Montrose, on their debut and second albums, which included the first song Hagar wrote, "Bad Motor Scooter". After conflicts during a European tour with the band's founder, Ronnie Montrose, Hagar quit the group.
Bassist Bill Church and drummer Denny Carmassi played in Hagar's backing band. After Montrose' second album Paper Money, Hagar began his solo career. In the mid-1970s, Hagar began a solo touring career with increasing success, he enjoyed moderate success on Capitol Records under the tutelage of A&R man Carter, with such albums as Nine on a Ten Scale and hits such as "Red", which would build his persona and style, leading to his nickname as "The Red Rocker". However, Hagar felt that Carter did not play to his strengths as "a heavy-metal guy" and instead tried to generate Top 40 hits with little success. Hagar was scheduled to open for Boston in San Bernardino, during their 1979 world tour. Prior to the show, Hagar was replaced on the bill by the up-and-coming Los Angeles club band The Knack. Hagar split with Carter for his 1979 Street Machine album, but after it and 1980's Danger Zone failed to break out, Hagar felt that Capitol was not supporting him sufficiently. Hagar left Capitol for the newly formed Geffen Records and made some personnel changes, including enlisting long-time friend and former Justice Brothers bandmate David Lauser as his drummer.
His first Geffen release, Standing Hampton, was his biggest-selling album to date and went platinum on the strength of songs such as "There's Only One Way to Rock". The follow-up, Three Lock Box, generated his first pop Top 40 hit single and his highest-charting solo single on the Billboard Hot 100, "Your Love Is Driving Me Crazy", which peaked at #13 in early 1983. Hagar continued to enjoy commercial success in the 1980s, with his best-known song, "I Can't Drive 55", from his 1984 album VOA, reaching #26 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart. By this time, Hagar had become a headlining act in many parts of the United States and Europe. In 1987, Hagar had his first #1 hit on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks with "Give to Live" from I Never Said Goodbye, released after he had joined Van Halen. In 1983 and 1984, Hagar and Neal Schon formed the supergroup HSAS along with former Foghat bassist Kenny Aaronson and former Santana drummer Michael Shrieve. HSAS released an album, Through the Fire; the tracks which appeared on the album were recorded live, but crowd noise was removed during the mixing process to create the feel of a studio album.
As intended from its start, HSAS was a short-lived project. One song in particular, a cover of "A Whiter Shade of Pale", received some airplay, peaking at #94 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart, while "Top of the Rock" became an under-the-radar airplay favorite in markets such as Seattle, Washington. In 1985, after parting ways with vocalist David Lee Roth, the remaining members of the band Van Halen contacted many potential replacements. In July, given Eddie Van Halen's appreciation of Montrose and at his car mechanic's suggestion, the band auditioned and hired Hagar to fill the opening. With Hagar at the front, Van Halen produced four multi-platinum, #1 Billboard charting albums: 5150, OU812, For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge, Balance, as well as many chart hits, including nine #1 Mainstream Rock hits. During Hagar's stint as Van Halen's vocalist, the band was informally referred to by fans as "Van Hagar" as a way to distinguish the band from the previous David Lee Roth era. Internal disputes led to Hagar's departure from the band in June 1996.
Hagar disagreed with a decisi
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