CLEVELAND — The story of the first 250 years of America cannot be written without the story of American music. Blues, jazz, big band, folk and country, yes, but arguably no genre of music is more closely tied to the growth and evolution of this country than what we celebrate in Cleveland on a daily basis, Rock & Roll.
Much like the country it was born in, Rock and Roll was, in a word, rebellious. It challenged accepted norms. It didn’t speak truth to power; it sang it and did so in a way that brought together people who were otherwise often diametrically opposed.
"Rock and Roll was really the first colorblind experience that people had," said longtime Rock and Roll manager David Spero. His father, Herman, created the Upbeat Show, which was syndicated to over 100 markets across the country from our studios here at News 5. It was a show that brought together Black and white artists, dancers and audiences.
"It was like we don't care. We’re doing this for the music," he said. "I don’t care what he looks like or where he came from or where she was born. It just didn’t matter if musically it worked."
Rock appealed to a primarily teen audience, the massive baby boom generation not tainted by decades of prejudice and more willing to look past outward differences and toward a shared appreciation of the music.
"Teenagers at that time played such an important role, maybe without even realizing it, in breaking down some of those barriers that existed," said John Goehrke, director of fan engagement at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. "Rock and Roll has been a foundational piece, I think, of our country's history; it's helped to create change, it's helped to create platforms for large movements, helped to give voice for people and for movements who otherwise didn't have one."
The early leader of this movement was Cleveland DJ Alan Freed, who coined the phrase Rock & Roll and brought together a diverse audience for what's been billed as the first-ever Rock concert, the Moondog Coronation Ball at the old Cleveland Arena.
"The moment that music would start, the audiences would come together," said Goehrke. "People across the region from the Midwest even to the East Coast were recognizing that Cleveland was a key hotbed for this new thing called Rock and Roll. So the Moondog Coronation Ball was an effort to actually put on a live show."
"Everybody that was in that thing, the biggest shock they had was when Alan Freed walked out, and he was white," said David Spero of the crowds that knew Freed only from the radio. "They always thought he was Black."
Freed would pave the way for other influential DJs, cementing Cleveland's growing reputation.
"The first show Elvis ever did north of the Mason-Dixon Line was at Brooklyn High School in Cleveland," said Spero. "He was brought here by Bill Randle, the disc jockey. He had the records and was freaking out and was like ‘we gotta get this guy up here.’"
Through WMMS, Cleveland would serve as a launching pad for Rock icons like David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen and Rush.
"If we played something, you could go platinum," recalled Spero of the power of the radio station. "You could sell 1 million records in the Cleveland-Akron-Canton area, however far our listening area went. A million records. Led Zeppelin sold a million out of Cleveland."
And just like Rock and Roll was born from other forms of music, its DNA can be found across the musical spectrum. Heavy metal, Punk, Hip-Hop, Rap.
"I think Rock definitely changed the world more than any other kind of music," said Spero.
For the better part of the past century, Rock and Roll was not only the soundtrack for our nation's history but an actual player in it. A legacy celebrated permanently in the city where much of it began.
"It's been over 30 years, and we've welcomed almost 15 million visitors from all 50 states and 100 countries over that time," said the Rock Hall's John Goehrke. "All to celebrate and connect with that story of Rock and Roll."
