"Endless juke joints and Valentino drag
Where dancers scraped the tears
Up off the street dressed down in rags
Running into the darkness
Some hurt bad, some really dying
At night sometimes it seemed
You could hear the whole damn city crying"
Information for this page has been gathered from a variety
of on-line sources, especially the following pages:
I recommend that you check these pages in depth, as the information cited here, and the links provided, represent only
a tiny portion of what is available from the above sources.
I was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio -a
North Coastcity which is located
on the banks of Lake Erie, about 480 miles from Freehold and
Asbury Park, New Jersey. Cleveland has a long history where Rock n Roll is concerned,
and the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame is located
here. In actuality, the words "Rock n Roll" were coined here, by Disc Jockey Alan Freed, on his Moondog radio show on WJW in Cleveland in 1952.
His audience was nationwide, as he played the music of black rhythm and blues artists. Teenagers throughout the country tuned in, and the rest is history.
Cleveland also hosted what is viewed as the first rock concert in the nation, when Freed held his "Moondog Coronation Ball" on March 21st, 1952.
The show was held at the Cleveland Arena, a venue which held 10,000. For some reason, 20,000 tickets were sold and thousands had to be turned away.
Though they could not enter the arena, the teens didn't leave, and eventually doors and windows were broken in. Police and Fire Department authorities closed
the concert down after the first song. Freed apologized to the City of Cleveland on the following day's radio show. All was not lost. The Great Lakes Brewing Company
named a beer for Freed, and best of all, Rock and Roll was here to stay!!
They know the heart of Rock N Roll is in Cleveland. That's why we were
chosen to be the birthing ground of the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame.
Growing up in a city with chartreuse colored police cars and the Boy Mayor
could be kinda tough. Music helped, rock n roll music, the louder, the
better.
Rock could be your best friend, calling you to something higher than
yourself, and alternately, rock was the wrong-side of the tracks
boyfriend, leading you down the path that all good moms and dads hoped you
would stay far away from.
But we all have to find our own way in this
world, and rock n roll music was with me every step of the way, for better,
but much of the time, for worse.
Rock n roll was the common denominator. We all knew it, we understood it,
it was a secret language that gave our imaginations flight beyond the
boundaries of the mundane black and white vistas of the the industrial
landscape that surrounded us. Our parents hated it, and that gave us
another reason to love it. It drew us close. It gave us an identity.
The
concert was anticipated with as much
enthusiasm as England awaiting the
coronation.
I vividly recall hearing "Leader of the Pack" blaring out of my sister's
transistor radio, tuned to WIXY 1260. My brother's Doors albums with the
brooding Jim Morrison and my mother's admonitions that the priest had warned
us to stay away from "that music". The warnings only proved to draw me
closer to the fire that Morrison begged his baby to set alight.
Springsteen is the "Crowned King" of Cleveland rock n roll. Kid Leo and
Murrray Saul, (the Get-Down Man) of WMMS stood by their man with the famous
"Round for round, pound for pound, there ain't no finer band around" intro
and the rest is history. Bruce expanded his horizons beyond the NJ bar
scene. The Agora was the proving ground, and Bruce showed himself a worthy
contender, and as of yet, no worthy
challengers have presented themselves. Bruce still recognizes his earliest
supporters, the Cleveland Boys, and dedicated a song to them as recently as
the Reunion tour. We're a town of working class people, and no one touches
the hearts of the working man and his woman the way the Boss can. Hay, What
else can we do now?
"Except roll down the window
And let the wind blow back your hair
Well the night's bustin' open
These two lanes will take us anywhere
We got one last chance to make it real
To trade in these wings on some wheels
Climb in back
Heaven's witin' on down the tracks"
As we view another sunset on this "City by the Lake", I look back fondly on my experiences with Bruce, and my attendance at
his various shows. Older now, and more mature, I would be hesitant to "meander" around the nation, zipping from city to city, to hear "yet another"
rendition of "Two Hearts" or "Prove It All Night". Busy now with employment and family responsibilities, I doubt that I would quiver like a teenage
girl upon hearing my favorite version of "Backstreets". My life now is occupied with planning the family meals and determining the color scheme
for the new wallpaper in the Great Room. Ooops! Hold on! That's my sister on the phone! Hmmmmm.......what? YEAH? HE IS!!!!! He's coming back
to Cleveland???? OH LORD!! Call the Bank!! Make a Loan!! Start the Car!! Honey, Can you watch the kids? Pleaseeeeee!! I'll be home by Summer!
I promise!! What was the name of that sticky bun place on the Pa Turnpike?? Prove it all nightttttttt.....Prove it all nighttttttt......
Information for this page has been gathered from a variety of on-line sources, especially the following pages:
I recommend that you check these pages in depth, as the information cited here, and the links provided, represent only
a tiny portion of what is available from the above sources.
The webmaster would like to dedicate this page to the only women
from Ohio he knows: The page owner, Colleen, her sister, Coletta
and her friend Sue. If all "Ohio Women" are like them
...well.....that's a scary thought!"
city which is located on the banks of Lake Erie, about 480 miles from Freehold and Asbury Park, New Jersey. Cleveland has a long history where Rock n Roll is concerned, and the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame is located here. In actuality, the words "Rock n Roll" were coined here, by Disc Jockey Alan Freed, on his Moondog radio show on WJW in Cleveland in 1952. His audience was nationwide, as he played the music of black rhythm and blues artists.
Teenagers throughout the country tuned in, and the rest is history. Cleveland also hosted what is viewed as the first rock concert in the nation, when Freed held his "Moondog Coronation Ball" on March 21st, 1952. The show was held at the Cleveland Arena, a venue which held 10,000. For some reason, 20,000 tickets were sold and thousands had to be turned away. Though they could not enter the arena, the teens didn't leave, and eventually doors and windows were broken in. Police and Fire Department authorities closed the concert down after the first song. Freed apologized to the City of Cleveland on the following day's radio show. All was not lost. The Great Lakes Brewing Company named a beer for Freed, and best of all, Rock and Roll was here to stay!!
Hall of Fame. Growing up in a city with chartreuse colored police cars and the Boy Mayor could be kinda tough. Music helped, rock n roll music, the louder, the better. Rock could be your best friend, calling you to something higher than yourself, and alternately, rock was the wrong-side of the tracks boyfriend, leading you down the path that all good moms and dads hoped you would stay far away from.
and rock n roll music was with me every step of the way, for better, but much of the time, for worse. Rock n roll was the common denominator. We all knew it, we understood it, it was a secret language that gave our imaginations flight beyond the boundaries of the mundane black and white vistas of the the industrial landscape that surrounded us. Our parents hated it, and that gave us another reason to love it. It drew us close. It gave us an identity.
enthusiasm as England awaiting the coronation. I vividly recall hearing "Leader of the Pack" blaring out of my sister's transistor radio, tuned to WIXY 1260. My brother's Doors albums with the brooding Jim Morrison and my mother's admonitions that the priest had warned us to stay away from "that music". The warnings only proved to draw me closer to the fire that Morrison begged his baby to set alight.
to J Geils Band (Ain't Nothing But a Houseparty). Led Zepplin accompanied us to Mordor and back, and for most of the trip, we were Dazed and Confused. A Zepplin show at the Coliseum could be a religious experience, like a devout Muslim making the trip to Mecca. Tight blue jeans and leather jackets were our priestly raiment. Our holy books were authored by Tolkien and Casteneda and Asimov. We bought albums as if collecting plenary indulgences, Genesis, Van Morrison, Hendrix, Bad Company, Lynard Skynard, Golden Earring, Peter Frampton, Rolling Stones, Beatles, Steppenwolf, Rod Stewart, Todd Rundgren, Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Yes, Mott the Hoople, Deep Purple, Santana, Heart, ELO, The Who, Queen, Black Sabbath, and Jethro Tull. Some have endured the test of time, others are relegated to the dustbin of history. But they each have their place in my rock n roll world.
round, pound for pound, there ain't no finer band around" intro and the rest is history. Bruce expanded his horizons beyond the NJ bar scene. The Agora was the proving ground, and Bruce showed himself a worthy contender, and as of yet, no worthy challengers have presented themselves. Bruce still recognizes his earliest supporters, the Cleveland Boys, and dedicated a song to them as recently as the Reunion tour. We're a town of working class people, and no one touches the hearts of the working man and his woman the way the Boss can. Hay, What else can we do now?
January 19, 1974 CD-You Mean So Much to Me
February 1, 1974
August 7, 1985
January 16, 1996
