Did not think we would ever get here. The Moody Blues had been eligible for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for a quarter century before they got the call. Better late than never, I suppose. I wasn’t going to visit this place until The Moodies found their way into the place. Miracles never cease.
My dear wife, Carrie, and I spent about four hours in the the rock hall this afternoon. It went by so quickly.
I will offer a few of the highlights and know there were many more.
Of course I had to wear a Moodies shirt…one I got nearly a year ago when I saw them in play Days of Future Passed live.
For Tim Mullins, I had Carrie pose in front of The Rolling Stones.
When I saw the guitar John Lennon was playing on the roof with the rest of The Beatles in their last public performance, I was really amazed. I knew what it was before I had to look twice.
Handwritten lyrics of John Lennon’s 1980 hit Starting Over…how ironic are those words? He was killed that same year.
The Moody Blues display case. A section of all of this year’s inductees were there to take in and enjoy.
Had a great time reliving old television/music memories. I always enjoyed American Bandstand. I remember watching for my favorite artists perform. I was glued to AB when The Bay City Rollers were on.
The Midnight Special was our MTV before MTV. We tuned in to see what the artists looked like as well as what they sounded like. Bonnie Tyler’s It’s a Heartache, The Little River Band’s Reminiscing, and Steve Miller Band’s Fly Like an Eagle still stir me up. Thank you, Wolfman Jack.
Don Kirschner’s Rock Concert came on after The Midnight Special and it was a little edgier and straightforward with its music and presentation. It was a concert feel in the living room. Problem was, it was so late I had to keep the volume down so it would not wake my parents up. Such a sacrifice for a ten year-old.
A-ha’s Take on Me was a ground breaking video in the mid-80s. To see some of the original drawings for this masterpiece was pretty cool.
At Dick Clark’s podium, I give The Moody Blues a 100!
Carrie caught me admiring The Moodies’ display.
The guitar that Justin Hayward used to record the early Moody Blues songs with. Justin is such a gracious guy. It belonged originally to Lonnie Donegan, Lonnie signed Justin to an awful publishing deal that made Donegan’s family very comfortable I am sure thanks to Justin’s brilliance and eagerness and thoughtless youth. In 2005 Donegan’s widow contacted Justin and offered to SELL him the guitar for 3000 pounds! Justin had already filled the Donegan coffers many times over. What does Justin Hayward do? Well, he bought the guitar back and now it sits in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a post script to the class he and the other Moodies have presented over the years.
Finally, it was good to see an old friend, Larry Lujack given mention. One of my WLS DJ heroes, Lujack deserves his mention in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
What I have presented here only constitutes a thimble of what is to be seen, heard, realized, remembered, and learned. I was totally impressed with the place.
Like The Moody Blues, Carrie and I finally made it to The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I am very glad we did.
Speaking the rights…
Danny Johnson