Cleveland's Rock and Roll Venues

By Deanna R. Adams and Janet Macoska

Cleveland has always been a music town. And thanks to Cleveland deejay Alan Freed, who booked the first venue for rock enthusiasts, music fans have never lacked for places to go see their favorite acts perform in person. This book honors the astute owners and their venues--from yesterday to today--that present fans with the music they crave. The early clubs helped usher in Cleveland as the designated Rock and Roll Capital of the World. Today's venues continue the tradition, thus ensuring that music lovers of all ages, and attitudes, get to enjoy their rock and roll on the North Coast, with all its variety and talent. Because of them, musical memories continue to be made.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Release date: Feb 24, 2020
• ISBN: 9781439669105

Deanna R. Adams

Deanna R. Adams is an award-winning writer, speaker, essayist, and author of eight books, fiction and nonfiction. She is the longtime coordinator of the Western Reserve Writers' Conference and "Book Whisperer" for the Cuyahoga County Library's William N. Skirball Writers' Center. She also teaches online writing courses for the Pennwriters organization. She is a proud native Clevelander and shares her love of rock and roll with husband, Jeff. Her website is www.deannaadams.com.

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INTRODUCTION

As anyone familiar with rock and roll music knows by now, Cleveland has been an integral part of this scene literally from day one, beginning with Alan Freed, the famed disc jockey who began playing R&B records and calling it rock and roll. He also hosted what is now referred to as the first-ever rock and roll concert, which took place at the Cleveland Arena on March 21, 1952.

My books Rock ’n’ Roll and the Cleveland Connection, published by Kent State University Press, and Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Roots, published by Arcadia Publishing, have documented this history well, I believe.

So, why another book chronicling this topic, and why one that solely focuses on the music venues of the Greater Cleveland area? First, the former title was published twenty years ago, and a lot of clubs and venues have rocked the city since then. The latter title, now ten years old, could not cover it all, despite a full chapter on clubs and venues.

If you have spent any time in the Cleveland area, you know where I am coming from. There have always been great places to enjoy live music any night of the week in Cleveland—so many places, in fact, that I could not possibly include all of them in this book. This is one of the many reasons Cleveland is the designated home of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.

The lifeline of this music is as ever-winding as the Cuyahoga River and runs through the heart and soul of the North Coast. This book should interest all generations. Baby boomers will enjoy reminiscing about the clubs they used to frequent, basking in the images that spark so many fond memories. The younger generation will have fun seeing vintage photographs of the clubs they missed out on along with images of their current favorite musical stomping grounds, all while learning about how these nightspots came to be and the artists who have played at