CLEVELAND — A new class of inductees means a new exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Director of Curatorial Affairs Amanda Pecsenye says the most unique thing about this year’s class is its size.
The 2024 class includes Cher, Mary J. Blige, Ozzy Osbourne, Jimmy Buffett, MC5, Dave Matthews Band, Foreigner, Peter Frampton, Dionne Warwick, A Tribe Called Quest, Big Mama Thornton, Kool & The Gang, Alexis Korner, Norman Whitfield and Suzanne De Passe.
“We must treat them all equally, celebrate them all equally, and fit their artifacts into the exhibit. It's also an amazing class because of diversity. It shows how diverse rock and roll is, it's not just four white guys with guitars. It's blues, it's country and it's R&B,” Pecsenye said.
Pecsenye and senior director of library and archives Andy Leach have been working on the exhibit since this year's class was announced in May.
“There's a little something in this exhibit and in this inductee class for everybody,” said Leach.
Together, the pair collected artifacts from the inductees and their families.
"We have Peter Frampton’s talk box, and his outfit from the cover of Frampton comes alive. Ozzy Osbourne's stage outfits, Cher’s stage outfits, which are so amazing and just a such a wide variety,” Leach said.
Giving museum visitors a chance to connect with the artist through their personal and most beloved items.
“I really want folks to have an emotional connection with the exhibit, because these songs are really the soundtrack of our lives. These moments these songs evoke for us. Our weddings dances, births, all those sorts of things throughout your life. So, I want people to think of their favorite moments, that maybe a song was playing by one of these artists,” said Pecsenye.
The pair also wanted to educate them on artists people may be unfamiliar with.
"Most visitors who come here maybe haven't heard of Big Mama Thornton or know who Alexis Korner is. So, there's a little bit more of an educational approach to what the text we're writing and the items we're putting up for some of our inductees,” Leach said.
And honor those who aren’t around to see their name engraved into the museum's long list of Hall of Famers.
“Collecting from the MC five families was one of my favorite experiences because all the members have sadly passed away, so just getting all those artifacts together in one place for the first time in 50 years. Also collecting Jimmy Buffett's guitar that he used to write Margaritaville in that case, is pretty wild,” Leach said.
The induction ceremony is next Saturday, Oct. 19, at 7 p.m. at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.
