Summer of Love

In honor of the 40th anniversary of the “Summer of Love,” in which the hippies frolicked, wore beads and fought to end THE WAR, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum has six relevant exhibits and displays.

1967 was a musical high water mark with many of the most legendary rock and roll musical artists of all time doing their best work. The Rock Hall’s exhibits, displays and lectures perfectly cover all aspects of that incredible watershed summer in American Pop Culture.

Forty years later, the collection of exhibits and displays at the Rock Hall offer incredible perspective on music, politics and culture.

Other notable museums like The Whitney are also launching exhibits on the Summer of Love but it’s the Rock Hall which connects the visitor to the time through the music itself. It’s the perfect rock and roll travel story – people will be coming from all over the country to share their experiences of the Summer of Love with their kids and grandkids; other music fans will come to discover this important era themselves for the first time.

The beautiful I.M. Pei-designed museum on Lake Erie is truly stunning and Cleveland offers its visitors great hotels at bargain rates. The Rock Hall has special packages which bundle hotel & tickets to the museum (http://www.rockhall.com/visit/plan).

Rock Hall Summer of Love exhibits include:

The Doors – “Break On Through; The Lasting Legacy of The Doors” opens May 25th (NEXT FRIDAY!) and was produced with the full cooperation of the three surviving band members as well as the estate of Jim Morrison. 2007 is also the 40th anniversary of The Doors’ first album and the band’s founding.  Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger, and John Densmore are all planning to attend the exhibit’s early opening days.
 
The Beach Boys – “Catch A Wave: The Beach Boys” opens June 22nd and explores the early years of the band that many consider to be “America’s Beatles.” Special emphasis is placed on the band’s near-perfect 1966 album “Pet Sounds” as well as documenting the band’s relationship to the emergence of Southern California’s surf culture.
 
Monterey Pop – This legendary musical festival was held in the summer of 1967 & launched Janis Joplin’s career as well as making Jimi Hendrix, the Mamas and the Papas and dozens of other artists into the icons they became. The Rock Hall’s exhibit opens July 25th with a special lecture by Monterey Pop founder and famed producer Lou Adler.
 
San Francisco City Scene – This smaller but incredible display documents the music scene in San Francisco from 1965 to 1969 and includes artifacts from The Seeds to The Charlatans to the Grateful Dead and Quicksilver Messenger Service, as well as Moby Grape, Janis Joplin, Santana, and more. 
 
Otis Redding – The Rock Hall’s Otis Redding collection spans from 1965 to his death in 1967 and includes many artifacts of perhaps the greatest male singer in popular music history. The intimate collection includes everything from his cuff links to the plane he died in; from his performance contracts to his never recorded original lyrics.
 
Jimi Hendrix – No trip back to the Summer of Love could ignore its virtuoso and greatest sex symbol. The Rock Hall’s permanent Jimi Hendrix collection includes family snapshots, his original drawings, school and Army yearbooks, original lyric manuscripts, guitars and stage wear.

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