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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

The era that earned Cleveland the moniker “the city that rocks” is put on display with this book. From Alan Freed ruling the radio waves to concerts by The Beatles and Rolling Stones among others, to the World Series of Rock to countless big-name acts that cut their teeth playing at the Agora, stories from the '50s through '80s are told by the Clevelanders who made the scene . . . beautifully illustrated with rare photographs and other memorabiia such as concert tickets, bumper stickers, pins, and ticket stubs. — Great Lakes Life

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:

• America's Polka King by Bob Dolgan
• Cleveland Amusement Park Memories by David & Diane Francis
• Cleveland Food Memories by Gail Ghetia Bellamy