The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is giving visitors a backstage pass into Rolling Stone magazines vast archive of award-winning music, political and cultural reporting in its newest exhibit, Rolling Stone / 50 Years, which opens May 5. Visitors will explore three floors highlighting the magazines unique ability to give voice to the times through the unique lenses of its brilliant writers, critics, visual artists and photographers.
The exhibit opens in conjunction with the release of 50 Years of Rolling Stone (Abrams; May 16, 2017), a special book to coincide with the magazines 50th anniversary. The book offers a decade-by-decade exploration of the magazine from the 1960s to the present day and includes an introduction by Rolling Stone co-founder and publisher Jann S. Wenner. The book will be available for purchase in the Rock Hall store.
1967, the year Rolling Stone magazine debuted, was a pivotal year in rock and roll. It saw major releases from The Beatles, The Doors, Jefferson Airplane, Pink Floyd, Cream, the Byrds, the Rolling Stones, the Who, the Velvet Underground, the Jimi Hendrix Experience and so many others. It was also famous for its Summer of Love in San Francisco, the same city where Rolling Stone began publication. Since then, Rolling Stone has been at the epicenter of popular culture and politics. Many of its writers became key voices (and critics) of their generation.
From the Summer of Love and Woodstock to Coachella, and Fear and Loathing to the financial crisis, the exhibit highlights rarely heard stories, original manuscripts, music reviews and audio interviews that spotlight the cast and talented crew now numbering in the hundreds of artists, writers, and more who shared a special partnership with the magazine. Visitors can also see new interview footage with artists including Lenny Kravitz, Mick Jagger, Taylor Swift, and others, specially shot for the exhibit.
Visitors can also check out letters written to the magazine by celebrities, including Mick Jagger, Hunter Thompson, Paul McCartney, and even Charles Manson. There is also a special section chronicling the magazines trademark Rolling Stone Interview -- the gold standard for in-depth profiles of significant artists and newsmakers highlights include historic interviews with David Bowie, John Lennon, Madonna, President Barack Obama, Lin-Manuel Miranda and others.
Highlights of iconic cover images, including John and Yoko, Miley Cyrus, Janis Joplin and Janet Jackson will be on display for visitors to debate their favorite. The magazines wide-ranging purview included covers reaching back to rock and roll pioneers such as Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry, along with jazz musicians like Miles Davis and Sun Ra. Original artwork and photographs featuring artists like Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, Amy Winehouse, Prince, Nirvana, B.B. King, Adele, Tupac Shakur and others will also be on display.
The exhibit will be close November 2017.
About the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame:
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