This reference work includes an examination of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's selection process, a review of the annual induction ceremony, and provides career biographies of 149 Hall of Fame inductees from the artists and producers to the record company founders and deejays. It details the turbulent history of the museum's choice of locale and the internal politics involved in the induction process. The only work of its kind on the topic, this reference provides valuable information for the scholar, researcher, and rock enthusiast, and includes a comprehensive listing of each year's inductees. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, much like the music it honors and promotes, had controversial beginnings. Politics and contention continue to affect the inductee selection process. Talevski provides an in-depth, chronological study of the museum's history including a detailed summary of the conception and rise of "rock and roll." This unique collection of historical data and anecdotes surrounding the ceremonies provides information unavailable elsewhere.

Rock and roll's various musical ingredients are examined, including jazz, blues, country, folk and gospel. Also explored are rock's early musical trends such as rockabilly, doo-wop, girl groups, surf music, teen idols, R&B and soul. Additionally, rock and roll was impacted by technological advances such as the transistor radio and the 45rpm record, cultural and social movements, fast-talking deejays, the emergence of the teenager, revolutionary dances such as the Twist, payola, and the rise of independent record companies. The book concludes with the arrival of the British Invasion.

A comprehensive overview of rock & roll in Ohio from the 1950s to the present, the book is divided into 14 chapters. Inside you'll find: the complete story behind "Hang On Sloopy" and the Ohio State University tradition; How Cleveland won the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame; Alan Freed and the rise of rock & roll; New Wave and the Akron sound - Devo & The Pretenders; Cincinnati powerhouses WLW radio and King-Federal Records; Alternative rock in Ohio; Heartland rock - Joe Walsh, Michael Stanley and the Raspberries; Buckeye rock on TV - WKRP In Cincinnati; Soul, Funk and R&B in Ohio; and much, much more This well-documented book also chronicles the musical scenes around the Buckeye State.