CLEVELAND (October 9, 2012) – The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and Case Western Reserve University are pleased to announce the full week of events that will honor Chuck Berry at the 17th annual American Music Masters® tribute Roll Over Beethoven: The Life and Music of Chuck Berry. The series begins on Monday, October 22 and culminates with an all-star tribute concert on Saturday, October 27.
Joining the tribute concert lineup are Steve Jordan and Malina Moye. Previously announced tribute concert performers scheduled to appear include Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Ernie Isley and Darryl DMC McDaniels, Joe Bonamassa, Rick Derringer, Rosie Flores, John Fullbright, Ronnie Hawkins, Merle Haggard, David Johansen, Lemmy Kilmister, JD McPherson, Chuck Prophet, Vernon Reid, Duke Robillard, Ray Sharpe, Earl Slick and M. Ward. Chuck Berry will appear to accept the American Music Masters honor and is scheduled to perform. Tickets to the October 27th tribute concert range from $30 – $80 and are available at the PlayhouseSquare box office, by calling (216) 241-6000, or by visiting www.playhousesquare.org. TICKETS ARE STILL AVAILABLE, BUT ARE GOING FAST.
Roll Over Beethoven: The Life and Music of Chuck Berry, a weeklong celebration, will tell the story of the first artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Berry has had a lifetime of brilliant musicianship and has inspired nearly every rock artist to date. John Lennon once said, “If you tried to give rock and roll another name, you might call it ‘Chuck Berry’.â€
The series is sponsored by Republic Steel, Panasonic Automotive and ELS Surround.
The weeklong series of events:
FREE – Monday, October 22 at 7 p.m. – Rock and Roll Night School: A Spotlight on Chuck Berry in the Rock Hall’s Foster Theater on the 4th floor. Rock Hall educators will examine the scope and impact of Chuck Berry’s career, while focusing on select songs that spotlight Berry’s skills as a songwriter and guitar player. This event is free and reservations are not required. Seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis. This event will also be streamed live on rockhall.com.
FREE with RSVP – Tuesday, October 23 at 7 p.m. – An Evening with author Nadine Cohodas in the Library Reading Room, Rock Hall’s Library and Archives (2809 Woodland Avenue, Cleveland) Nadine Cohodas is the author of Spinning Blues into Gold: The Chess Brothers and the Legendary Chess Records. She will speak on the role Chess Records played in Chuck Berry’s career. This event is free with a reservation. Seating is limited. Reservations can be made through the Rock Hall website at https://tickets.rockhall.com or at the Rock Hall Box Office. Rock Hall Members can RSVP starting at 10 a.m. on Thursday, October 11. General public can RSVP starting at 10 a.m. on Friday, October 12.
FREE with RSVP – Wednesday, October 24 at 4:30 p.m. – Teachers Rock “Stop and Listenâ€: Using Spoken Word and Slam Poetry in the Classroom in the Rock Hall’s “Eat to the Beat†on the 3rd floor. Join us for a special teacher workshop inspired by Chuck Berry’s inventive wordplay. Learn how to bring spoken word and slam poetry into the classroom to help students connect with learning and with themselves. This workshop is appropriate for upper-elementary through high school teachers and is designed for educators around Northeast Ohio. This event is free with a reservation. Email education@rockhall.org or call 216.515.8426 to RSVP.
FREE with RSVP – Wednesday, October 24 at 7 p.m. – Film Screening: Chuck Berry: Hail! Hail! Rock ‘N’ Roll! (1987, 120 min) in the Rock Hall’s Foster Theater on the 4th floor. The unforgettable life and music of pioneering legend Chuck Berry are celebrated in this landmark feature film, capturing a once-in-a-lifetime gathering of rock and roll’s finest. In 1986, Keith Richards invited a roster of great musicians to honor Chuck Berry for an evening of music to commemorate Berry’s 60th birthday, including performances by Etta James, Eric Clapton, Robert Cray, and Julian Lennon, along with archival footage of an unforgettable duet by Chuck Berry and John Lennon. Directed by Taylor Hackford. This event is free with a reservation. Seating is limited. Reservations can be made through the Rock Hall website at https://tickets.rockhall.com or at the Rock Hall Box Office. Rock Hall Members can RSVP starting at 10 a.m. on Thursday, October 11. General public can RSVP starting at 10 a.m. on Friday, October 12.
FREE – Thursday, October 25 at 7:30 p.m. – Keynote Lecture by Greg Tate: “Oh, how we rock that American Hunger: Charles Edward Anderson / Chuck Berry and the history of our future†at Case Western Reserve University’s Harkness Chapel, 11200 Bellflower Ave
Greg Tate, author and musician speaks on the significance of Chuck Berry in American history. Tate is the author of many books, including Midnight Lightning: Jimi Hendrix and the Black Experience and Everything But the Burdun: What White People Are Taking From Black Culture. This event is free and reservations are not required. Seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Friday, October 26 at 8:30 p.m. – Live Concert by the Rick Derringer Trio on the Rock Hall’s Main Stage.
Tickets are $15 and are available through the Rock Hall website at https://tickets.rockhall.com or at the Rock Hall Box Office.
Saturday, October 27 from 10:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. – American Music Masters Conference in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s Foster Theater.
A reflection on the career of Chuck Berry and his impact on rock and roll music. The conference will feature rare film footage presented by documentary filmmaker and archivist Joe Lauro of Historic Films, as well as interviews with Marshall Chess, Ray Sharpe, Duke Robillard and more. Tickets are $25 ($10 lunch voucher included) and are available through the Rock Hall website at https://tickets.rockhall.com or at the Rock Hall Box Office. Admission to the Museum is free with the purchase of a conference ticket. Portions of this event will be streamed live on rockhall.com.
Saturday, October 27 at 7:30 p.m. – American Music Masters Tribute Concert at PlayhouseSquare’s State Theatre
Tribute concert performers scheduled to appear include Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Ernie Isley and Darryl DMC McDaniels, Joe Bonamassa, Rick Derringer, Rosie Flores, John Fullbright, Ronnie Hawkins, Merle Haggard, David Johansen, Steve Jordan, Lemmy Kilmister, Malina Moye, JD McPherson, Chuck Prophet, Vernon Reid, Duke Robillard, Ray Sharpe, Earl Slick and M. Ward. Chuck Berry will appear to accept the American Music Masters honor and is scheduled to perform. Tickets to the October 27th tribute concert range from $30 – $80 and are available at the PlayhouseSquare box office, by calling (216) 241-6000, or by visiting www.playhousesquare.org. TICKETS ARE STILL AVAILABLE, BUT ARE GOING FAST.
Special programs for students:
Monday, October 22 at Noon – On the Road “Reelin’ and Rockinâ€: Chuck Berry and the Birth of Rock and Roll
Join us for a special class for students to be streamed LIVE on the Rock Hall’s website at www.rockhall.com/education. Rock Hall Educators will demonstrate how Chuck Berry drew from blues, country, and jazz to create the guitar style that came to define rock and roll. Students will also examine how Berry created a new lyric vocabulary in his songs that spoke directly to young people and to the integrated rock and roll audiences of the 1950s. Students will have the opportunity to email questions to Rock Hall educators during the live stream. There is no cost to connect. This class is appropriate for middle and high school classrooms.
Tuesday, October 23 and Thursday, October 25 at 9 a.m. – Toddler Rock
During the week of American Music Masters, Toddler Rock participants will focus on the letter “C†(for “Chuckâ€). Groups will listen to Chuck Berry songs and even learn some of his legendary dance moves – like the iconic duck walk.
For more information, visit rockhall.com.
About Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry is the poet laureate of rock and roll. In the mid-Fifties, he took a fledgling idiom, born out of rhythm & blues and country & western, and gave it form and identity. A true original, Berry crafted many of rock and roll’s greatest riffs and married them to lyrics that shaped the rock and roll vernacular for generations. He has written numerous rock and roll classics that have been covered by multitudes of artists and stood the test of time. In all essential ways, he understood the power of rock and roll – how it worked, what it was about and who it was for. While no individual can be said to have invented rock and roll, Berry arguably did more than anyone else to put the pieces together. For the complete Chuck Berry biography written by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, visit: http://rockhall.com/inductees/chuck-berry/bio/.
