Rock is as much about the swag as it is about the music: T-shirts, posters, programs, records and souvenirs. There鈥檚 a new collection of swag on view at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, saluting this year鈥檚 class of inductees.
All 13 of the performer inductees are represented, from Salt-N-Pepa鈥檚 鈥淧ush It鈥� jackets to the late Joe Cocker鈥檚 broken Grammy.
鈥淚t was broken probably decades ago, but we just decided we'll display the two pieces of it together,鈥� said Andy Leach, director of collections. 鈥淭here'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.鈥�
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鈥檛 attend. Yet he did send plenty for the exhibit.
鈥淚 don't think he's kept outfits that he wore back in the 鈥�60s,鈥� Leach said. 鈥淲e really just went with 鈥� 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.鈥�
Checker, 84, once protested outside of the induction ceremony, arguing that his string of 鈥�60s 鈥渢wist鈥� records weren鈥檛 getting the attention they deserved. He was born the same day as eclectic producer Lenny Waronker, who receives this year鈥檚 Ahmet Ertegun Award.
Also being honored are 鈥�70s rockers Bad Company, hip-hop duo OutKast and iconic 鈥�80s pop star Cyndi Lauper. One of her artifacts in the exhibit is the handwritten lyrics to 鈥淭ime After Time.鈥� Rock Hall Curatorial Director Amanda Pecsenye called it 鈥渁 perfect song.鈥�
鈥淚t was her first no. 1 single,鈥� Pecsenye said. 鈥淪eeing 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 鈥楽he Bop.鈥� So, we kind of got two-in-one there!鈥�
The exhibit uses awards, posters and album covers to represent deceased performers such as 鈥淧hilly Soul鈥� producer Thom Bell, British keyboard legend Nicky Hopkins and singer-songwriter Warren Zevon.
鈥淚 hope those kind of artifacts are inspiring to visitors to dig deeper and learn more about an artist that they might not know,鈥� Pecsenye said.
This year鈥檚 oldest inductee, session bassist Carol Kaye, 90, is also not planning to attend. She鈥檚 represented by album covers for some her most iconic performances, such as on the Beach Boys鈥� 鈥淧et Sounds鈥� and Ike & Tina Turner鈥檚 鈥淩iver Deep 鈥� Mountain High.鈥�
About 1,200 artists, historians, previous inductees and music industry professionals voted on this year鈥檚 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 鈥� 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鈥檚 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鈥檚 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 鈥� from 2009 until the COVID-19 pandemic 鈥� the ceremonies generally took place in April on a rotation of one year at Cleveland鈥檚 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.
