First published 2020
In August 1983, a single phone call from singer Lesley Gore to radio personality Norm N. Nite changes everything. Gore tells Nite that music industry leaders are forming a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation and searching for a host city. Nite had pitched a similar museum idea a year earlier, and now he sees his chance. He joins the foundation's committee and launches an aggressive campaign to bring the museum to Cleveland. Memphis, Detroit, and New York all compete for the prize. Nite argues that Cleveland deserves it because of Alan Freed and the Moondog Coronation Ball. He lobbies politicians, raises money from music moguls, and rallies the public. Fans flood a USA Today phone poll with votes for Cleveland. Through exclusive interviews and insider access, this account reveals the political maneuvering, fundraising battles, and grassroots organizing that nearly failed to happen. The story captures the passion of people who refused to let their city lose its shot at rock history.
Genres: biography, history, 20th-century, american-history
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: grassroots-organizing, underdog
Setting: Cleveland, Memphis, Detroit, New York
Period: 1983
176 pages · Paperback · The Kent State University Press