The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame actually started inducting people from rock music history in 1986, but it was June 7, 1993, that ground officially broke on the future home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. There were plenty of rockstars and music execs on hand for the ground breaking including The Who guitarist Pete Townshend who were inducted into the hall in 1990.
“I said something about the fact that I had been, not skeptical, but doubtful about the value of a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as everybody else. You know, even [Rock Hall founder and Atlantic Records founder and chairman] Ahmet [Ertegun] was at the very beginning. I mean he was canvassing opinion from left, right and center. [He] wasn’t really sure that it was a good idea and everybody that’s involved in it didn’t seem to be particularly sure. And I realized in a sense what’s really important about was the white side continuing to honor, pay reverence, to its engagement with the black side.”
Two years later the hall opened with a huge concert next door at Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium featuring performances by Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Aretha Franklin, John Fogerty, John Mellencamp, The Kinks, The Allman Brothers Band, The Pretenders, Jackson Browne, Robbie Robertson, Johnny Cash and many others.
