In 1972 Billy Bass, WMMS program director, coined the phrase “Cleveland – The Rock ‘n’ Roll Capital of the World.” It would be the mid 80s before that moniker was solidified with the plans to build the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. In September of 1995, that dream was realized. The truth is rock was born right here in Cleveland. DJ Alan Freed used the term “rock and roll” to describe music he was playing and that term came from the song by Trixie Smith – “My Baby Rocks Me With One Steady Roll”. From there “rock ‘n’ roll” was forever burned into American vocabulary, or so the story goes.
Since that time, rock has grown to be a juggernaut in the music industry. Every year a new sub-genre is born as well as new musicians to create music. What many do know is that a lot of those influential rock musicians got their start right here in Ohio and even better, in Cleveland. Whether they were born and raised here or moved here to create, Ohio gave them their start.
Did you know that these bands were from Ohio?
Cleveland’s Rock Scandal
As I mentioned above, radio DJ Alan Freed, who was deemed the King of Rock and Roll, created the idea that Cleveland was the capital of Rock and roll. That wasnt all that Alan Freed was famous for. Freed was one of many DJs across America that started playing and supporting the culture that became Rock and Roll. Other DJs like Dick Clark, went on to host television shows and grew their brand to monumental heights, along with rock.
Whatever happened to Alan Freed?
Alan Freed was given a songwriting co credit on a Chuck Berry staple called “Maybelline.” That would seem to indicate that Freed had some song writing talent and, at that time, was helping musicians write songs. The truth is, that was not the case. The reason he got the co-writing credit was much darker.
In the 1950s, there was a practice that the music industry used too garner more plays for their songs. That practice was called “playola.” Essentially, payola would give money to the station for playing those songs they wanted to push and give a co-writer credit to those DJs. Seems a small thing right? What that credit did was allow those DJs to draw royalties off of those songs. This also gave the station the ability to not disclose any payment for those songs.
Freed was part of this scheme and in 1959 when this scandal hit the news, Freed was ruined. He lost all of his money, was fired, became unemployable, and died at the age of 43 (not because of the scandal, hopefully.)
Cleveland Rocks
Alan Freed isn’t the reason why Cleveland Rocks, in fact that moniker comes from a multitude of artists and history. Cleveland has a long history of doing things “our own way” and this was the perfect birthing ground for the sound that would become Rock and Roll.
Up to the 1950s, music was pretty much split in half by listeners, across this country of ours. White audiences were more prone to listening to the likes of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, who was from Steubenville,Ohio, while the African-American audiences were more in the R&B (rhythm and blues). Sadly, R&B was labeled as “race music,” since it catered to that segment of people. In Cleveland, Record Rendezvous was the sole store where white listeners could listen and purchase R&B. The owner of Record Rendezvous started to convince Freed to play this type of music on his show but they both agreed that it would need a new term. So, using an old blues term, rock and roll, took hold.
Side note, have you ever researched the term rock and roll? It’s first usage,supposedly, comes from sailors referring to the motion of the ocean. See where this is going? From there, it was an easy jump to become a term for sex. Maybe this is why, for so long, parents have always associated rock with promiscuity.
Freed decided to host the first every rock concert on March 21, 1952. The Moondog Coronation Ball was to be held right here in Cleveland, but to their surprise, the event oversold seats by 10,000 people. As people overflowed the area, they broke down doors and stormed the arena, true to rock fans behavior, that resulted in a riot and the first ever canceled rock concert. Way to rock, Cleveland.
Roots run deep
History shows that the first bands to come out of Cleveland was in the 1960s, these early bands were mainly what were called dance bands. The bands were rock and saxophone instrumental focused. Some of those beginning bands were Dave C and the Sharptones, Tom King and the Starfires. Later the Starfires would change their name to the Outsiders and would gain national success.
As the British Invasion swept across America, Cleveland artists did not slack behind. They followed trends coming from England and were more than happy to incorporate them into their style. Once a local group was played exclusively here and sadly did not gain national attraction, Pretty Things’ “Come See Me” was a mainstay in Cleveland all through the 1960s. Cleveland wasn’t the only Ohio city to have rock bands to make an influence, Euclid was known for The Lost Souls and was one of Ohio’s top bands inspired by the British Invasion.
Mentor-on-the-Lake was home to The Mods who started as a British inspired band. Dan Klawon, drummer for The Mods, remembers when his neighbor brought home a Beatles record and he instantly knew what he wanted to do.
The 1960s was a big decade for Cleveland area bands. It also gave rise to teen clubs, then called “hullabaloos.” These night clubs catered specifically to teens, were non-alcoholic, and gave exposure to rising artists like Alice Cooper, Iggy Pop, Rd Stewart, and a host of local bands. This was the era that really set Cleveland up as the capital of Rock and Roll. If you want to learn more about Ohio Musicians from the 1960s, check out Denny Carleton’s article.
15 Rocks Acts From Cleveland
With Ohio, especially Cleveland’s, tie to the rock industry, it should be no surprise that a large amount of influential bands were born here and many of the members were born here, as well. But did you know all of these started in Ohio? Let’s take a look.
15. Screamin’ Jay Hawkins
If ever there was a godfather of all things goth and shock rock, that would be Screamin’ Jay. He was one of the earliest opined of shock rock and would later go on to influence the likes of Alice Cooper and Black Sabbath. Screamin’ Jay was born and raised in Cleveland. At 18 months, he was put up for adoption and was adopted and raised by the Blackfoot Confederacy. At an early age he showed promise with music and studied classical piano and guitar. He was quoted as telling his, then, tutor…
“To leave before I make your life miserable…because with the type of music i want to play. The thing I want to do with music and don’t want to do it the old conventional way that everybody knows. I want to come up with my own ideas…”
The true spirit of Cleveland!!!
14. Twenty-One Pilots
This duo originally hailed from Columbus, Ohio. Tyler Joseph first met Nick Thomas while both were young and playing basketball. Soon after, Thomas would transfer to the same school as Joseph and they would remain friends. Joseph would attend Ohio State where he met future band mate Chris Salih. Salih had built quite the recording studio in his home and Joseph was impressed by his song writing ability. From there, they made their way around the various scenes of Columbus. From there they stared playing around with costumes and acrobatics to set themselves apart. And their story began.
13. The Pagans
Cleveland is no stranger to punk bands, as this is one of two in this list and of many from this town. Along with The Dead Boys, they were part of the first wave of American Punk music and part of the second wave of proto-punk and post-punk bands. Cleveland has strong punk roots. The Pagans, were an offshoot of a band that the brothers Mike Hudson and Brian Hudson started, called the Mad Staggers. The Pagans were formed in 1977 with the addition of Tim Allen and Robert Conn. With this line up, they would release their first single “Six and Change.”
The Pagans have been off and on since their beginning in 1977 to their official break up in 2017.Sadly, Brian Hudson died in 1991 and his brother died in 2017. True founders of American Punk and Cleveland natives till the end.
12. Marilyn Manson
There are few people who can illicit such polarizing opinions as does Brian Hugh Warner, known to the masses as Marilyn Manson. Born in Canton, Ohio to Barbara Wyler and Hugh Warner. He grew up in a combination of Episcopal and Roman Catholic beliefs. He attended Heritage Christian School until the tenth grade. During his time here, his teachers tried to impress on the students the types of music they shouldn’t listen to, this of course made youn Brian Warner want to listen to it that much more. Later his parents would move to Florida and Warner would study journalism in college. During this time, he met Groove Mann from My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult and Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails. These would be his blueprints for his future career. Reznor would later become his mentor and produce his first album.
Brian Warner would go on to create the persona that became Marilyn Manson. The name gets its meaning from the combination of Marilyn Monroe and Charles Manson. Manson is staunch in saying that Marilyn Manson is not his stage name, that it is a trademarked brand that is owned by Brian Warner.
11. Chrissie Hynde
The connections to music that some people have is gargantuan and Chrissie Hynde is one of those people. Born in Akron, Ohio, Hynde never felt she fit in with normal teenage life. She was quoted as saying she was never interested in high school, dating, or dances. Instead, she much preferred spending her time driving to Cleveland to see any kind of live music she could. She knew then she wanted to become a famous musician.
She went on to attend Kent State University where she met Mark Mothersbaugh (DEVO fame). While in school she became interested in counterculture, eastern mysticism, and vegetarianism. She was part of the Kent State Massacre, as her boyfriend and friends were victims. After that she moved to London. Once in Europe, Hynde was involved with the Sex Pistols, the Clash and the Damned, as well as many other short lived music groups. From there, she would go on the be the founder, vocalist, guitarist, and song write for the Pretenders.
10. DEVO
The Kent State Massacre would have a profound impact on the world, as well as those that were witness to it. This is true in the founding of one of the most notable new wave punk groups of American History, DEVO. DEVO was founded in Akron, Ohio by two sets of brothers, Mark and Bob Mothersbaugh and Gerald and Bob Cassales. After witnessing many of their friends being killed in the massacre, Gerald developed the concept that mankind was actually deevolving, instead of evolving. He felt mankind was regressing and it was evident in the dysfunction and her mentality of American society. This gave rise to their name DEVO, short for deevolution.
Building on this principe, the band decided to break down rock cliches and add synthesizers and rhythms that were at odds to what most people were accustomed to. They borrowed fashion ideas from groups like Suicide and Metal Urbain and created a stage act where they moved around as robot. They proved that amazing punk could be produced with technology and keyboards. This proved, once again, that Cleveland’s “do it my way” attitude could play well in the music industry.
9. Eric Singer
Some people are born into music and the arts and Eric Singer was one of them. Born in Cleveland in 1958, Eric’s father was a big band leader known for playing in and around Euclid as well as tour ships to and from Europe. His brother was the principal dancer for the Mark Morris Dance Group from New York. At a young age, Eric developed an interest in the drums based on his love of bands like the Who, Led Zeppelin, and Black Sabbath. Eric grew up in Euclid and graduated high school there. From there he became the drummer for local band Beau Coup. This would be the beginning of his rise to stardom.
In1984, singer became the touring drummer for Lita Ford. From there, in 1985 he joined Black Sabbath. He would then become friends with and join Paul Stanley in his band in 1989. This would be the intro that got him to become the official drummer for the worldwide famous KISS, replacing Eric Carr as the Catman. He would rejoin KISS in 2001 and would become the official drummer for them in 2004.
As someone who lives in Euclid, this is a point of honor for me.
8. Filter
There are few American bands that have inspired the beginning of other bands and none other than Nine Inch Nails can be said to be the reason for the Cleveland based band, Filter. Richard Patrick got his start as touring guitarist for Nine Inch Nails on their Pretty Hate Machine tour. Patrick happened to meet Trent Reznor in a music store, in Cleveland, Ohio. This meeting would lead to him becoming his touring guitarist.
There are a multitude of stories as to why Patrick left Nine Inch Nails, what can be said with surety is that during Patrick’s tenure with Nine Inch Nails, he met Brian Liesegang. Together, they decided their ambitions were different from the trajectory Reznor had for Nine Inch Nails. They would depart the band and Filter was created, right here in good old Cleveland, Ohio..
Side note, if you didn’t guess Richard Patrick is brother to the Terminator II star, Robert Patrick.
7. Dave Grohl
On January 14, 1969, a teacher, Virginia Jean and newswriter, James Grohl, in the small town of Warren, Ohio gave birth to who would go on to become the drummer on an influential grunge band and later start his own rock band. Grohl moved from Ohio in his early childhood to what would become his new home for a portion of his life, Alexandria, Virginia.
As an Ohio native, Dave Grohl is one of the few musicians that have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice. First induction was as the drummer for Nirvana and his second one was as the front man for Foo Fighters. Cool bonus info, in 2009 Joseph O’Grady, Warren police officer, welcomed Grohl back to Warren as a special guest to a street named in his honor. Grohl was quoted as saying, “This is one of my most favorite places in the world…I am very, very proud to have this and to be from here because I know I can always come back here and be home.”
6. The Cramps
When you take growing up in Ohio and add in the cultures from the 50s-70s, throw in a b-horror movie show, Shock Theater hosted by Ghoulardi, Ernie Anderson on WJW-TV, and a rowdy rock ‘n’ roll radio show hosted by DJ Pete “The Mad Daddy” Myers on WJW-AM and you have a recipe that heavily influences Akron Born Erick Lee Purkhiser to become the iconic front man, Lux Interior, of the Cramps. That’s not all, original drummer Miriam Linna was born in Sandusky, Ohio and her replacement Nick Knox was from Cleveland. Together they are the founding members of the pyscho-billy punk band known as the Cramps. After graduating high school in Stow, Ohio, Erick would move to California where he met his life partner Poison Ivy (Kristy Wallace) before moving back to Akron in 1973.
True to every other punk band from Ohio, the Cramps were deliciously twisted and approached the punk mindset in ways that few others have ever tried. You have to admit thatCleveland definitely has had influences on the music industry over the years.
5. Maynard James Keenan
Ohio is chock full of small towns, and those small towns have given rise to some truly notable musicians, over time. One of those musicians is none other than Tool founder, Maynard James Keenan. One could say that he is the jack of all trades. He is known as a singer, songwriter, record producer, and a winemaker. What many know him for is being the main point for Tool, A Perfect Circle, and Puscifier. Born in1964 in Ravenna, Ohio to an emotional life. His parents divorced in 1968 and his mother would then marry a man would stifle his intelligence and creative expressions. HIs mother would suffer a debilitating condition due to an aneurysm and told Keenan that he needed to go live with his father in Scottville MIchigan. Keenan would later recount that this was the best decision he ever made. His mother’s health would serve for inspiration for songs like Tool’s Jimmy and A Perfect Circle’s Judith.
Keenen joined the military as a way to fund his dream of going to art school. While in college, he would take rigorous courses in Math and English, be a part of the wrestling team, run cross country, and be an integral part of the school’s glee club. During his military career he was distinguished in basic and advanced training but would turn down a posting a West Point to pursue his love of music. After his military career, he moved to Michigan for art school. From here is career and life would start his path to his music career.
4. Mushroomhead
Clevealnd has been the inspiration for so many influential bands and artists.When those two come together, you get a creation like Mushroomhead. Born in the famous Cleveland Warehouse District in 1993, Mushroomhead is best known as a horror inspired, theatrical show alternative metal bands. Their members are known for wearing masks and costumes and putting on unique live shows and smaller venues. They were formed as a side project fros its various members as a means to separate it from their other bands. They played their very first show in Cleveland on October 22, 1993 and a short three days later got a call to open for none other than Gwar at the Agora.
The band is made up of members of other Cleveland bands. In honor of their first show ever, Mushroonhead continues to do a Halloween tribute show in Cleveland every year. The band is most notably described as industrial metal, experimental metal, or electro-industrial. If you pay careful attention, you will see a few of their members popping up at local rock concerts. My boyfriend and I have seen Stitch at several shows. He is also known for owning/running several haunted houses in the area.
3. Nine Inch Nails
Before we get all too excited, Trent Reznor was born in New Castle, PA and not Ohio. But his family notes that he was always into music. He grew up in Small Town, USA but knew he didn’t fit in, he wanted more. It was an Eagles concert in 1976 that solidified his desire to become a musician. While in PA, he would join his first band, Option 30, and played three shows a week. A short time after, he moved to Cleveland, OH to pursue a career in music. Here he joined a cover band called the Urge before joining the Innocent as their keyboardist. From there he joined the Cleveland synthpop band the Exotic Birds. This would lay the groundwork for Nine Inch Nails.
While living in Cleveland, Reznor got a job working at Right Track Studio as the assistant engineer and janitor. While working there, Reznor asked owner Bart Koster if he could record demos of his personal stuff during the unused studio time. Kostner agreed as it cost him nothing more than the wear and tear on the tape heads. Reznor couldn’t find a band that could create the sounds he was looking for so, taking inspiration from Prince, he decided to play all the instruments, except drums, himself. This would be the groundwork for the amazing powerhouse American industrial band, Nine Inch Nails.
2. Filament 38
In 2001, three Cleveland musicians would give birth to the band known as Filament 38. In one short year, their live performances would gain them the attention of the Chicago based Negative Gain Productions and give them their break into stardom. Filament 38 is known for shows that exude raw energy and keep you enthralled throughout the show. They have shared the stage with legends like Front242, Covenant, Hocico, Haujobb, and Razed in Black. Filament 38 uses electronics as a means to create works that express emotions and dark imagery form the creative mind of Ash, Rob Armstrong.
Filament 38 is made up of Rob Armstrong (Ash), Jason Knotek, and Shawn McNoldy. While the impact on the industrial scene was short, it is nevertheless influential. If you have never listened to them, I urge you to stop what you are doing, head over to spotify, and check them out. Or… if you prefer, jump to the bottom of this post where I have compiled a playlist of those mentioned in the article for your eargasm needs.
1. Tomorrows Ghost
Cleveland has definitely turned out some amazing industrial and dark metal groups, Tomorrows Ghost is no exception to this. Around 2018, Jason Knotek decided to make his own band and Tomorrows Ghosts was born. Add in vocals from Jeremy Aker, additional guitars provided by William Pawul, and Drums by Scott Laing and you get an amazing and unique sound that just pulls you in for more.
Tomorrows Ghost describes themselves as a hard hitting post-modern industrial music project that was spawned from the human remains of several industrial, metal, hard rock, and experimental electronic acts that have called Cleveland home during the late 90s to early 2000’s.
This is a group that I hope calls Cleveland home for much longer. Get out there, check them out, and give them some love.
Bonus mention – Tracy Chapman
Chapman was born in Cleveland in March 1964. At the young age of three, her mother would buy her a ukulele and at four her parents divorced. By eight, she had picked up guitar and started writing her own songs. Some interviews state she first fell in love with guitars while watching Hee-Haw. While she lived in Cleveland, Chapman stated that she frequently was bullied and was assaulted due to her skin color.
Chapman would leave Cleveland before she became popular. Her stage debut was as an opening act for Linda Tillery, women’s music pioneer.Chapman would find a deeper and more fulfilling experience when she started becoming politically and socially active.
Cleveland does truly rock
There you have it, 15 + 1 musicians and bands that have been born in Cleveland or made Cleveland their home. It is a testament to the nickname Rock and Roll Capital of the World. While the sounds of the West Coast, New York, and various others may have notoriety, none of them compare to how Cleveland musicians made it their own way and own music. There are so many local bands that any flavor of music is probably covered. What is most important is that we get out there and support those bands, their livelihood depends on it. And it is amazing watching those bands take off to become the stars they dreamed of being.
What about you, did you know all of these musicians were affiliated with Cleveland in some way? Are there ones you think I should have included but didnt? Are any of the ones I mentioned favorites of yours? What local bands do you think others should support and know about? Let me know in the comments below. Afterall talking about them increases awareness of them and allows for more people to support them. It’s the circle of…. Yeah, I cant finish that statement. Just get out there and show some local love for them… Check out the playlist on Spotify, Cleveland Rocks!
Gay in the CLE 