Cleveland Rock and Roll Memories
True and Tall Tales of the Glory Days, Told by Musicians, DJs, Promoters, and Fans Who Made the Scene in the '60s, '70s, and '80s
by Carlo Wolff
- Format: Softcover, 136 pages, 8.5 x 10 inches
- Illustrations: 203 black-and-white photographs
- ISBN: 978-1-886228-99-3
- Price: $19.95
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Description
Music fans who grew up with Rock and Roll in Cleveland remember a golden age. We were young, so was the music, and the sense of freedom and excitement the Rock and Roll scene delivered was electric. There were so many great clubs, like the Agora, where every big band seemed to break in the 1970s. The trendsetting radio stations, from A.M.'s WIXY 1260 to F.M.'s groundbreaking "Home of the Buzzard", WMMS. And all those memorable shows. The free Coffee Break Concerts—remember Springsteen just when he hit it big? The gigantic World Series of Rock. Nights on the lawn at Blossom (including local favorites the Michael Stanley Band and their record-setting sellout streak).
This book collects the favorite memories of Clevelanders who made the scene: fans, musicians, DJs, reporters, club owners, and more.
Includes rare photographs and other memorabilia such as concert posters, bumper stickers, pins, and ticket stubs.
Reviews
- “Wolff, who writes about music, pop culture and literature for an impressive list of outlets including Village Voice, Goldmine, Billboard.com and Boston Globe, covers a great deal of territory in one small volume . . . Wolff's best move is letting the participants speak for themselves. It is great fun to absorb so many voices and unique perspectives and it absolves the author of others' occasionally fuzzy memories.” — coolcleveland.com
- “A high-spirited, very conversational compilation of 'true and tall tales of the glory days' of the Cleveland music scene, as told through the eyes of musicians, DJs, promoters and fans.” — Goldmine
- “Largely presented as an oral history, making the book essentially a collection of anecdotes. As a result, you get a real 'you are there' feeling, especially as author Wolff covers everything rock-related that happened in town. . . A bittersweet look back at a time before the mainstream music industry became totally pre-packaged, a time when radio DJs could actually choose the songs they were going to play.” — Harp
- “A fun, incisive look at three decades of Cleveland's music history. The result is a well-researched work that is an absolute blast to read . . . Feels less like following a detailed history text than flipping through a scrapbook, or watching a documentry . . . A sharply written piece of folk history. It's a quick read, and certainly an enjoyable one for Cleveland rock fans who were there the first time around.” — West Life
- “Wolff's book looks at a far happier and far more energized era in Cleveland's rock music scene--one recalled in colorful detail in loads of very readable anecdotes told to Wolff by fans, radio and rock club personalities.” — The Chronicle-Telegram
- “Wolff has established himself as a pithy chronicler of Cleveland's formidable influence on rock music.” — Cleveland Jewish News
- “Chock full of pictures (stars, tickets, concert posters, stickers and pins). Reading it is like overhearing folks swap tales.” — Morning Journal
- “Like stopping by the record store and browsing the bins, listening to the first few seconds of a cut here and there, and getting lost in a memory.” — Star Beacon
- “An easy read, full of great photos, memorabilia, and first-hand accounts from Cleveland DJs, musicians, and local people -- maybe even your next-door neighbor -- who retell their personal experiences at historic music events in the area. ” — Sundayoldiesjukebox.com
- “The book's charm comes from the recollections supplied by promoters, musicians, disc jockeys and, maybe most powerfully, the fans, which unearth seldom-told storiies and bits of Cleveland rock trivia that provide a fresh perspective on a time about which many of us thought we'd heard everything.” — Cleveland Magazine
- “For readers who want to rehash their own memories of the early Cleveland rock scene, from Elvis, the Who, the Monkees and the people who made them famous--the fans--this book deserves a look.” — Cuyahoga Falls News Press
About Carlo Wolff
Carlo Wolff writes for numerous publications including Goldmine, Billboard.com, the Boston Globe, the Chicago Sun Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, Sun Newspapers and Scene. He specializes in music criticism, book reviews, and feature articles about popular culture, travel, and business. He is also Features Editor of LH-Lodging Hospitality magazine. He lives in South Euclid, Ohio. More About Carlo Wolff
Contains References to:
Agora, Alan Freed, Belkin Brothers, Coffee Break Concerts, Daffy Dan, Dead Boys, Devo, Eric Carmen, James Gang, Jane Scott, Kid Leo, Michael Stanley Band, Moondog Coronation Ball, Music Grotto, Pere Ubu, Record Rendezvous, Rocket from the Tombs, The Numbers Band, The Raspberries, WIXY 1260, WMMS, World Series of Rock
If you like Cleveland Rock and Roll Memories, then you should try:
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- Cleveland Amusement Park Memories by David & Diane Francis
- Cleveland Food Memories by Gail Ghetia Bellamy