Minkin's Music: 50 Years of Rolling Stone

By Jay Minkin

Before the digital computer age and MTV, there was one magazine that covered music and pop culture like no other. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum will celebrate 50 years of Rolling Stone Magazine with a major exhibit that opened on Friday, May 5, 2017.

Founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner, who is still the magazine’s publisher, the magazine became a key voice from the “Summer of Love” through many generations thereafter. The list of journalists who have hung their hat with this publication is endless and includes Ralph J. Gleason, Hunter S. Thompson, Cameron Crowe, Lester Bangs, P.J. O’Rourke, Ben Fong-Torres, David Fricke, Kurt Lorder, Greil Marcus and Dave Marsh.

The beautiful covers and iconic pictures photographed by Annie Leibovitz along with the Gonzo drawings by Ralph Steadman gave the magazines a long shelve life on coffee tables and in publication keepsakes.

Cleveland has a unique twist to this particular exhibit. James Henke, the former music editor of Rolling Stone before his position as former chief curator of the Rock Hall, still lives in the area.  

The exhibit will open in conjunction with the release of a book 50 Years of Rolling Stone, which explores a decade-by-decade collection of historical coverage. The exhibit will highlight original manuscripts, music reviews, audio interviews, letters written to the magazine, cover art, photographs and a special section dedicated to “The Rolling Stone Interview.”

There will also be new interview footage created especially for this exhibit by artists like Mick Jagger and Taylor Swift.

A museum membership or one-day admission will give you a backstage pass to see Rolling Stone/50 Years through November 2017. Check RockHall.com for unique special programs that coincide with the exhibit. 

Contact Jay at Blues4Bird@aol.com or post on his Minkin’s Music Facebook page.