HomeNews Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Celebrates Black History Month
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Celebrates Black History Month
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The Rock Hall is presenting FREE Black History month educational programming all month long with "the woman who invented rock and roll," Deborah Chessler; Lloyd Price; Little Anthony & the Imperials and more!
A vital part of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum's mission is to educate visitors, fans, students and scholars from around the world about the history and continuing significance of rock and roll music.
The Rock Hall exhibits and educational programs over the past 13 years have demonstrated and celebrated the African-American impact on rock and roll each and every day. Black History Month gives us a chance to shine a light on a particular facet of African-American history. This month, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum has planned a month-long tribute entitled Through the Lens of Sepia Magazine: 35 Years of the African-American Experience in Music in conjunction with the Sepia photo archive currently exhibited at the Rock Hall.
The Rock Hall's celebration of Black History Month will focus on musicians and record labels from the 1950s and 1960s, especially the blues artists and vocal groups that gave birth to rock and roll, the rhythm and blues of King Records in Cincinnati and Chess Records in Chicago, and the driving rhythms of New Orleans.
The Rock Hall's 2009 Black History Month Schedule of Events
Events are FREE with reservation. To RSVP, please email
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or call (216) 515-8426.
Monday February 9, 7 p.m., Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, 4th Floor Theater An Evening with Deborah Chessler, Songwriter and Former Manager of the Orioles
In a 1993 feature story on Deborah Chessler in Rolling Stone magazine, esteemed rock critic Greil Marcus asked, "is this the woman who invented rock and roll?"
As the songwriter and creative force behind the legendary vocal quintet, the Orioles, Deborah Chessler helped shape a new style of music that would become known as rhythm and blues. Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, Deborah started writing songs at a young age. After being introduced to the Orioles' singer Sonny Til in 1948, Deborah soon became the group's manager. The Orioles' first recording was the Deborah Chessler composition, "It's Too Soon To Know." The song was such a departure from the pop-influenced songs of the day that hundreds of African-American vocal groups immediately changed their singing styles to sound like the Orioles. During Deborah's six years managing the group (which included the Chessler-penned recordings "Tell Me So" and "Forgive and Forget") the Orioles created a sound that evolved into the Golden Age of Vocal Groups. Deborah will be interviewed in front of a live audience by Dr. Charles Horner, one of the foremost authorities on early rhythm and blues and doo wop music.
Wednesday February 11, 4:30 p.m., Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Eat to the Beat Teachers Rock: Professional Development Series for K-12 Educators with Toni Starinsky
This Black History Month edition of Teachers Rock will feature Cleveland School of the Arts teacher and director of visual arts Toni Starinsky. Starinsky will discuss creative lessons that she has initiated for photography students that encourage critical analysis of relevant socio-cultural issues that face the city of Cleveland. She will outline the methods she employs to develop these materials and her students will present their final projects.
Wednesday February 11, 7 p.m., Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, 4th Floor Theater Hall of Fame Series with Lloyd Price
Lloyd Price is widely known as "Mr. Personality," a nickname taken from his 1959 hit "Personality." His biggest hit was "Lawdy Miss Clawdy," an original song produced by Dave Bartholomew and featuring Fats Domino on piano, which topped the rhythm and blues charts for seven weeks in 1952.
Price continued to place his own recordings on the rhythm and blues charts into the Seventies. Meanwhile, he performed around the country with a nine-piece band while keeping a resourceful hand in various other entrepreneurial pursuits and ventures. Price will be interviewed in front of a live audience as part of the Museum's Hall of Fame Series, which offers audiences rare and unique access to Hall of Famers in an intimate setting.
Friday February 13, 1 p.m., Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, 4th Floor Theater Hall of Fame Series with Little Anthony & The Imperials
Little Anthony & The Imperials is a rhythm and blues/soul/doo-wop vocal group from New York, first active in the 1950s. Lead singer Jerome Anthony "Little Anthony" Gourdine was noted for his high-pitched falsetto voice influenced by Jimmy Scott. Changing their name to The Imperials in 1957, they signed with End Records in 1958. Their first single was "Tears on My Pillow", which was an instant hit. In 1964 the group made a rare transition into soul music with a series of hit including "I'm On the Outside (Looking In) and "Goin' Out of My Head." Little Anthony and the Imperials will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April 2009.
Little Anthony will be interviewed in front of a live audience as part of the Museum's Hall of Fame Series, which offers audiences rare and unique access to Hall of Famers in an intimate setting.
Wednesday February 18, 7 p.m., Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, 4th Floor Theater From Songwriters to Soundmen with Philip Paul
Born in New York and raised in Manhattan, legendary drummer Philip Paul began his music career at the age of 16. His career took off when he began playing with musicians such as Sonny Stitt, Bud Powell, and Dizzy Gillespie. In 1951, Paul traveled to Cincinnati, where he would soon meet Syd Nathan, president and owner of King Records. Philip became the studio drummer for King Records from 1952 to 1964, playing on over 350 recordings with artists such as Hank Ballard, Milt Buckner, and Freddie King.
Philip Paul will be interviewed in front of a live audience as part of the Museum's "From Songwriters to Soundmen: The People Behind the Hits" free educational series that shines the spotlight on the people whose contributions to the rock and roll art form are often as powerful as those of the artists themselves. He will be joined onstage by his wife, Juanita Paul, a former employee of King Records.
Monday February 23, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, 4th Floor Theater 7 p.m.: Film Screening - Cadillac Records 6:30 pm: Special Pre-Screening discussion with Director Darnell Martin
Cadillac Records chronicles the rise of Chess Records and its recording artists. In this tale of sex, violence, race and rock and roll in 1950's Chicago, the film follows the exciting but turbulent lives of some of America's musical legends, including Muddy Waters, Leonard Chess, Little Walter, Howlin' Wolf, Etta James, and Chuck Berry.
The film stars Adrien Brody as Leonard Chess, Jeffrey Wright as Muddy Waters, Columbus Short as Little Walter, Mos Def as Chuck Berry and Beyoncé Knowles as Etta James.
Director Darnell Martin has made a name for herself as the director of numerous television dramas, including Homicide: Life on the Street, Oz, ER, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, Grey's Anatomy, The L Word, and Law and Order: Criminal Intent. In 2005, she helmed HBO's Their Eyes Were Watching God, starring Halle Berry and Terrence Howard, and produced by Quincy Jones and Oprah Winfrey.
Wednesday February 25, 7 p.m., Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, 4th Floor Theater Rock and Roll Night School: The History of King Records
Between 1943 and 1971, the address of 1540 Brewster Avenue in Cincinnati was home to some of the most vibrant and eclectic music making in America. King Records brought together the most diverse range of American voices that reflect Cincinnati's unique geographical position as a crossroads of American culture: rhythm and blues, country, bluegrass, rockabilly, pop and blues records all poured out of King's studios.
Join us as we examine Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees like Hank Ballard, James Brown, and label founder Syd Nathan, while also looking at the contributions of artists such as Otis William & the Charms, Johnny "Guitar" Watson, and the Stanley Brothers. This class will also draw on interview footage recently conducted by Rock Hall staff and featuring Otis Williams (of the Charms), Bootsy Collins, and Ralph Stanley.
Additional events will be announced in the coming weeks.
For more information on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, please visit www.rockhall.com
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