Rock and Roll History: The 90's!!!

[ABlairican Pie]

So we've just about covered everything in 1995, but as always, there's most likely more we can find about that year later and post later. Before we continue on into the next year in our rock and roll history installment, I leave you with a curious quote:

A certain business entourage member of a very famous band said that he would kill himself if the group with whom he was associated "cut their hair."

Who was that band in question?

We will find out--and the answer may surprise you--when we return, in the year 1996!!! ;)

[Steve M.]

And before we get to that, here are three other musical events of 1995. . . .

[Steve M.]

On Labor Day Weekend, 1995, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, nearly a decade in the making, finally opened its doors in its edgy new building in Cleveland, Ohio. Why Cleveland? Well, for two reasons. One is that Alan Freed, the DJ who bravely integrated pop radio and pop concerts in the fifties and invented the term "rock and roll," was from Cleveland.

The second reason was. . . CLEVELAND ROCKS!! :rock: :lol:

http://www.nitsl.org/Pictures/rockandroll1.jpg

Edgily designed by I.M. Pei to reflect rock's chaotic spirit, the hall of fame/museum became an instant hit with the public, though some sourpuss critics complained it was nothing more than a collection of old guitars and and old clothes. But the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame had already produced a worthy roster of artists to be honored, so it still had something resembling credibility.

Then, once the Hall was done, the RRHOF's directors - led by Rolling Stone publisher Jann Wenner - proceeded to squander its credibility. :eek: We'll get to some examples later.

[Steve M.]

Before there was "Blue Collar TV," there was "Hee Haw."

http://www.talentondisplay.com/HeeHawpix.jpg

A cross between "American Bandstand," "Laugh-In," and a NASCAR tailgate party, "Hee Haw" was the place to watch country music's greatest stars perform their hits and act silly along with a cast of folks that could only be described as characters, who were apparently fond of denim overalls. "Hee Haw" was praised for bringing redneck culture to the fore. It was also condemned. . . for bringing redneck culture to the fore!

Okay, it did have Roy Clark (pictured with banjo), who's one of the most accomplished guitarists who ever played country and western. But a lot of its good-ol'-boy humor would have embarassed Billy Carter, and probably did.

Anyway, "Hee Haw" ended its long, long, long run in 1995, the victim to changing tastes and changing times. Rock fans were smug about it. Surely something like that would never happen to rock radio! :eek:

A few weeks after "Hee Haw" went off the air, Newt Gingrich gave a speech in Florida in which he unironically declared that America had the most superior culture in the world. Well, sure, now that "Hee Haw" had been canceled. :rolleyes:

[Steve M.]

A far greater loss to country music was the death of Charlie Rich at the end of 1995.

http://www.charlierichjr.com/images/splash_charlie.jpg

Rich, pictured above, got his start at Sun Records as a composer, seesion pinaist, and recording artist. His greatest hit came in 1973, with the boudoir ballad "Behind Closed Doors," whose line "Then she lets her hair hand down / And she makes me glad that I am a man" summed up everything good about intimacy from the male point of view. :grineyes:

Rich was called the "Silver Fox" for his shimmering gray hair, but he was best known for his strong yet tender voice. He was the heart of country music in many ways, and country almost didn't recover from his passing. :(

[Steve M.]

And now, to 1996. . . .