30 Years of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!
This year is a very exciting year for Rock and Roll fans: January 23rd 2016 will mark 30 years since the first ever induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame! The very first induction was for the epitome of rhythm and blues, Chuck Berry on the 23rd January 1986 along with Chuck other inductees in 1986 were James Brown, Sam Cooke and the king himself Elvis Presley.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is an organisation which was created in 1983 by Atlantic Records founder and chairman Ahmet Ertegun. The foundation began inducting artists in 1986, but the Hall of Fame had nowhere to call home. Many cities were considered, such as New York and Detroit, but in the end Cleveland lobbied for the museum and won. WJW disk jockey Alan Freed popularised the term "Rock and Roll" on his station and the museum took the full name Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The museum today lives on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, and is dedicated to archiving the history of the artists who have been massive influencers in the music industry.
This years' induction ceremony will be held on the 8th of April and will induct Cheap Trick, Chicago, Deep Purple, Steve Miller and N.W.A as honorary members.
Here at Kaplan, we're huge fans of all things Rock, so we've put together a list of Hall of Famers from Kaplan cities around the world. Check it out!
Liverpool - The Beatles - inducted 1988
When Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr came together in 1960 in the city of Liverpool, few could have guessed how unbelievably popular they would become. The band played their first gigs in small venues around Liverpool including The Cavern Club and The Casbah Coffee Club. Kaplan students can still visit some of these venues today.
Los Angeles - The Beach Boys - inducted 1988.
The Beach Boys first gained massive attention on the famous Los Angeles radio stations KFWB and KRLA. Their striking vocal harmonies and surf-themed songs found huge popularity amongst the young Los Angeles counter-culture. Our L.A. school is minutes away from where The Beach Boys surfed the waves.
Sydney - AC/DC - inducted 2003
Although Malcolm, Angus and Scott Young were born in Scotland, it was Sydney, Australia where they started playing their first gigs with bands like The Easybeats. They quickly established themselves as one of the most popular bands in Australia before moving into the ranks of the best Heavy Rock bands of all time. It was a long way to the top, but AC/DC made a massive impact on the legacy of Rock and Roll.
Dublin - U2 - inducted 2005
Ireland has produced some of the greatest musical legends of all time, from Rory Gallagher to Van Morrison, Sinead O'Connor and Gary Moore. Few of them are more world renowned however than Bono and the gang, who grew up amongst the post-punk scene of '70s Dublin. It's still possible to take a trip out to visit Mount Temple Comprehensive School - the school in which the four youngsters met and played together.
London - The Clash - inducted 2003
Walk into any dive bar music venue in London and chances are someone amazingly famous has played there - such is the quality and diversity of the London music scene. Within a ten-minute radius from the Kaplan head office is Jimi Hendrix' first gig venue in the UK and a house that used to belong to Freddie Mercury!
London has so much musical history that it was extremely hard to choose a single band to represent it, but in the end, we went with this most iconic of London locals, The Clash. With hits like London Calling and Guns of Brixton, The Clash were true London boys and caused havoc in gig venues all over the city. The giant mural of Joe Strummer on Portobello Road is, to this day, a centerpiece in every Rock pilgrim's London itinerary and a true testament to the musical legacy born in this vibrant city.
We hope you enjoyed our Kaplan rockers list. You can check out even more about our language schools all over the world by clicking here.