The History Of The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame
There is an unwritten rule in the music business: Getting a Grammy Award means you have won the approval of your peers. Getting inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame means you've become a respected and enduring legend.
During the past 21 years, the Hall of Fame honor has gone to such an elite group that it is little wonder the induction ceremonies have produced unforgettable moments -- reunions of disbanded superstar groups, emotional and historically rich speeches and once-in-a-lifetime, all-star jam sessions.
"The idea of having the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame started with a pay-per-view TV company that owned the rights to the name," says Ahmet Ertegun, the co-founder of Atlantic Records and considered by many to be the official "godfather" of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Ertegun is one of the music industry's pioneers and one of the earliest champions of R&B and rock'n'roll.
"They asked for my help in putting the show together. At first I turned them down, because I didn't want to get involved in a scheme that would create just another music show on television."
Ertegun says he changed his mind when the company convinced him that without his help, the show might turn into tacky farce with questionable credibility.
"So I said, 'If I do it, I want to get all the right people involved who love rock'n'roll and who understand that we want to make something like this dignified.'"
In 1983, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation was created. Ertegun invited record company leaders, top managers, attorneys and other influential industry people to take part.
A select group of people joined the foundation's board of directors. They included Ertegun as chairman, Rolling Stone co-founder and editor-in-chief/publisher and Wenner Media chairman Jann Wenner as vice chairman, Sire Records co-founder and president Seymour Stein as president, attorney Suzan Evans as executive director and attorney Allen Grubman as secretary/treasurer.
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