Cleveland (and the rest of Ohio) Rocks

     I have been a working historian for over 20 years now, working mainly on self-publishing projects. Recently, I've decided to combine two of my loves - history and music. To say that this is a fun project is a gross understatement - I am having a blast!
     My new project idea is to present a musical rock and roll history lesson of sorts. The more research I do, the more I realize how integral the State of Ohio was, and still is, to the history of rock and roll music.
     Presently, I am compiling a list of songs to include in a presentation, which will be performed for schools, historical societies, and other gatherings of folks interested in the history of a musical genre that has spanned several generations already, and will continue to do so.

On this blog, I will share some youtube files of the original artists, with Ohio connections, performing their contributions to thehistory of rock and roll music.

Pure Prairie League was formed in Waverly, Ohio by Craig Fuller, John David Call, and George Ed Powell. Fuller was a concientious objector to the Viet Nam War, and subsequently left the band. Due to the controversy, their record label, RCA, dropped Pure Prairie League. The band continued to tour on their own, mostly to college campuses. In 1975, the song "Amie" became a ruaway hit, three years after its release. The smell of money promted RCA to re-sign the band. Enjoy their hit love song, Amie.

 

Cleveland native Eric Carmen wrote and recorded one of my personal favorite songs of all time. Carmen's first band was The Raspberries formed in 1972

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Here's The Raspberries performing thier hit "Go All the Way" on the MIke Douglas Show in 1974.