Qualla: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Cleveland's Glass Pyramid of Sound https://qualla.com/rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:15 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_m/d/p/m/u/rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-wp/hero-small.webp Qualla: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Cleveland's Glass Pyramid of Sound https://qualla.com/rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Cleveland's Glass Pyramid of Sound: Introduction https://qualla.com/rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame/ Photo credit Americasroof, CC BY 3.0. Cleveland almost didn't get it. Philadelphia had American Bandstand. Memphis had Sun Studios and Stax. Detroit had Motown. New York had everything. But when Ahmet Ertegun, the founder of Atlantic Records, established the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation in 1983, Cleveland made the argument that won: a local disc jockey named Alan Freed had coined the term 'rock and roll' at radio station WJW, and in 1952 he staged the Moondog Coronation Ball at the Cleveland Arena - widely credited as the first major rock and roll concert. Cleveland's civic leaders pledged $65 million in public money. In 1986, the city was chosen as the Hall's permanent home. I.M. Pei designed a building bold enough to match the music, and on September 1, 1995, Yoko Ono and Little Richard cut the ribbon before a crowd of more than ten thousand.

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]]> Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/p/m/u/rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-wp/dpmu-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-clevelands-glass-pyrami-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Cleveland's Glass Pyramid of Sound: The Pyramid on the Lake https://qualla.com/rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame/ Photo credit Derek Jensen (Tysto), Public domain. I.M. Pei's design rises from the shore of Lake Erie as a collision of geometric forms anchored by a 162-foot tower. The tower supports a dual-triangular glass tent that extends across a 65,000-square-foot plaza. Pei originally planned the tower taller, but had to reduce its heigh...

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Image: Derek Jensen (Tysto) | Public domain

]]> Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/p/m/u/rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-wp/dpmu-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-clevelands-glass-pyrami-the-pyramid-on-the-lake.mp3 0:06 2 full Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Cleveland's Glass Pyramid of Sound: Inside the Hall https://qualla.com/rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame/ Photo credit Yooperz at English Wikipedia, Public domain. The lower level holds the Ahmet M. Ertegun Exhibition Hall, tracing rock's roots through gospel, blues, rhythm and blues, folk, country, and bluegrass. Exhibits map the cities that shaped the sound: Memphis, Detroit, London, Liverpool, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, and Se...

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Image: Yooperz at English Wikipedia | Public domain

]]> Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/p/m/u/rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-wp/dpmu-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-clevelands-glass-pyrami-inside-the-hall.mp3 0:06 3 full Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Cleveland's Glass Pyramid of Sound: The Induction Wars https://qualla.com/rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame/ Photo credit CC BY-SA 3.0. The Hall inducts new members annually, and nearly every class sparks debate. The first group, in 1986, included Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, and Buddy Holly. Artists become eligible 25 years after their first record, and roughly 500 experts worldwide vote...

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]]> Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/p/m/u/rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-wp/dpmu-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-clevelands-glass-pyrami-the-induction-wars.mp3 0:06 4 full Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Cleveland's Glass Pyramid of Sound: Cleveland's Claim https://qualla.com/rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame/ Photo credit k_e_lewis, CC BY 2.0. The Rock Hall gives Cleveland something no amount of economic development could manufacture: a cultural identity beyond industrial decline. The museum draws over 500,000 visitors annually, and induction ceremonies held in Cleveland have generated more than $13 million in economic...

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Image: k_e_lewis | CC BY 2.0

]]> Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/p/m/u/rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-wp/dpmu-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-clevelands-glass-pyrami-clevelands-claim.mp3 0:06 5 full