MISPLACING ROCK’S HALL OF FAME?

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame may be long overdue, but it’s now proceeding at a rapid pace--perhaps too rapid.

With the first 10 musicians chosen and a much-publicized induction ceremony behind it, the board of directors is so eager to see construction begin on the combination fan museum and research center that it appears to be rushing unnecessarily fast to judgment.

Instead of determining the site on the basis of the city’s contribution to rock and then aggressively trying to work out a game plan with that city, board members have let the cities take the initiative.

No matter that rock was built in cities like Memphis and Los Angeles (sorry, Starship); the leading contenders are places like Cleveland and Philadelphia, because those cities have recognized the economic value of a Hall of Fame and stepped forward with proposals.

The Hall of Fame is nonprofit, so the money won’t go into the pockets of board members. We’re talking about the city that can come up with the most attractive way to finance the estimated $40-million to $50-million complex. This way of choosing a city may reward civic enterprise, but it downplays history.

After all these years of waiting for the Hall of Fame to get rolling, it would be nice to see it done right.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Philadelphia?

The best-known rockers from there are Fabian, Bobby Rydell, Chubby Checker and Frankie Avalon--and the only way they deserve to get in a Rock Hall of Fame is with an admission ticket.

From a distance, it looks like the Rock Hall of Fame is being too careless, but the real culprit may be the cities themselves.

Seymour Stein, head of Sire Records and president of the Hall of Fame foundation, said the board of directors has been “very conscious” of rock ‘n’ roll roots in selecting a Hall of Fame location. He suggested that a major reason cities like Memphis, New Orleans and Los Angeles aren’t among the front-runners is that they didn’t show sufficient interest.

“We’re not going to make this a rock ‘n’ roll Disneyland,” insists Ahmet Ertegun, chairman of the Hall of Fame foundation. “We have an obligation to the world of rock ‘n’ roll, the artists and the fans, to make this a dignified place they can be proud of.”

And Ertegun--the chairman of Atlantic Records--has done a good job so far in maintaining the integrity of the project.

Through a vote of about 200 critics, executives and musicians, the foundation selected its first 10 inductees from a list of artists who began their recording careers in the ‘50s.

Aside from the absence of Bill Haley, it’s hard to fault the initial Hall of Fame class: Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Fats Domino, the Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Elvis Presley.

Similarly, the first Hall of Fame dinner--a $1,000-a-plate, black-tie affair Jan. 23 at New York’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel--was by all accounts a splendid occasion, which not only attracted such inductees as Chuck Berry and the Everly Brothers but such future Hall of Fame members as John Fogerty and Keith Richards.

But perhaps most impressive about the evening--and one of the most encouraging signs about the intentions of the foundation--was that it wasn’t turned into yet another TV special. Ertegun wisely rejected that, because it “would take away from the dignity of the event.”

Still, the foundation’s most important work should be just beginning. Instead, it appears about to be finalized: site selection.

“We wanted to have the decision (about a site) made a month ago, but we kept getting great offers,” a foundation representative announced a few days before the Waldorf-Astoria ceremony.

Though eight cities were reported in the running at the time, the “great offers” had only come from three of them: Chicago, Cleveland and Philadelphia. Cleveland was especially aggressive, submitting petitions signed by 660,000 residents.

Bob Altshuler, vice president of press and public affairs for the CBS Records Group and a spokesman for the foundation, acknowledged that initiative is what made the three cities the front-runners.

“What we have done is sent the word out that there will be a Rock Hall of Fame and almost every city that would be a likely candidate has contacted us in one way or another,” he said. “No one has been ruled out, but we don’t have the ability to raise a great deal of money, so we are obviously dependent upon the city and the state to help us financially.”

However, Suzan Evans, executive director of the Hall of Fame, feels the “highest bidder” concept is inaccurate.

“If a city that was totally out of place stepped forward with an absolutely fantastic offer, I can’t imagine us accepting it. We are conscious of the role certain cities played in rock and that role will be an important part of our final decision.” Other factors weighing in heavily are degree of community interest in the project and accessibility to the most people.

So where does history tell us the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame belongs?

The answer: Memphis. No place else is even close if the decision is based on which cities most nurtured this maverick music--the cities, in effect, where rock was born in the ‘50s and where it matured in the ‘60s.

1--Memphis. Even without going back to the city’s roots in the blues and the contributions of such seminal figures as Howlin’ Wolf, this city would finish on top if we merely began our evidence with Elvis Presley’s first recordings in 1954 at Sam Phillips’ Sun Records studio--the music captured in the RCA album, “Sun Sessions.”

In those historic, pre-”Heartbreak Hotel” recordings, Presley and Phillips brought together blues and country influences in a way that truely defined rock ‘n’ roll. In addition to his work with Presley, Phillips (who was one of five “pioneers” also inducted into the Hall of Fame in January) helped popularize the rockabilly genre, working with Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Charlie Rich and Carl Perkins. The Burnette Trio also contributed to the Memphis rockabilly movement.

Where this country side of Memphis rock dominated in the ‘50s, the city became a stronghold in the ‘60s for soul music, serving as the recording base for Otis Redding, Booker T. and the MGs, Wilson Pickett, Isaac Hayes, Sam and Dave, the Staple Singers, Johnny Taylor, Willie Mitchell, Rufus Thomas and Carla Thomas.

Locating the Hall of Fame in Memphis also makes sense for cultural and geographical reasons (indicative of the Southern influence on rock, all 10 of the initial inductees were born in the South). Where Los Angeles and, especially, New York served as symbols in the ‘50s of the record-biz Establishment that renegade rock musicians had to battle, Memphis had a reputation as an underdog and tough--like rock itself.

In visiting Memphis, tourists would also be able to visit Elvis’ home (Graceland) and birthplace (Tupelo, Miss.). Ironically, the latter facts are considered strikes against the city. “Memphis is connected in the minds of the public with Elvis Presley and Graceland,” said one foundation representative, “and we wanted a city where we could establish our own identity. We wanted a city that had no strong identity with any one person or type of music, i.e., New Orleans and jazz, Nashville and country music.”

2--L.A. and New York. The dividing line between Los Angeles and New York is thin, with the edge going to New York for its R&B; and doo-wop movements in the ‘50s, then the edge shifting to Los Angeles with its rock experimentation and expansion of the ‘60s. Among the L.A. artists from the ‘50s: Sam Cooke, Eddie Cochran, Ricky Nelson, the Platters, Ritchie Valens, Penguins, Johnny Otis. But the city’s main cultural and artistic advances came in the ‘60s with the recordings of the Beach Boys, Byrds, Doors, Mamas and Papas, Phil Spector, Buffalo Springfield--recordings that symbolized the sense of youthful adventure and change in the country.

The Big Apple’s ‘50s contingent included such diverse artists as Frankie Lymon, Dion and Bobby Darin, while its ‘60s brigade ranged from the folk crowd--Dylan and Simon & Garfunkel--to the Rascals, Lovin’ Spoonful and Velvet Underground.

3--Chicago. Along with Memphis’ Sun and New York’s Atlantic, Chicago’s Chess was one of the three most important labels of rock’s first decade. Among the artists who recorded for Chess and its sister label, Checker: Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters. Chicago was also the home of Curtis Mayfield and Gene Chandler. While its contributions fell off, the blues stronghold also was a force in the blues-rock uprising of the ‘60s, thanks to such musicians as Mike Bloomfield and Paul Butterfield.

4--Detroit, New Orleans and San Francisco. While each made enormous contributions to pop-rock in either the ‘50s or ‘60s, none figured prominently in both decades. Detroit enjoyed the exquisite Motown years in the ‘60s and was the launch pad for such punk godfathers as the Stooges and MC5.

New Orleans, so important in the evolution of jazz, contributed greatly to rock in the ‘50s. Though Fats Domino and Little Richard were signed to Los Angeles-based companies, they recorded most of their hits there. Among the other R&B; music makers: Huey Smith, Smiley Lewis, Lee Dorsey, Dr. John, Shirley & Lee, Allen Toussaint.

Though San Francisco entered rock late, it made an enormous statement in the ‘60s, serving as the radical wing of the California entry. The credits range from Jefferson Starship and Grateful Dead to Creedence Clearwater Revival and Janis Joplin. Plus it was (and is) the home of promoter Bill Graham, whose Fillmore Auditoriums in San Francisco and New York were long the citadels of the rock movement.

So, where does all this leave Philadelphia and Cleveland? The main arguments are that Philadelphia was the home of Dick Clark’s “American Bandstand,” the TV show that brought rock ‘n’ roll into American living rooms daily, and Cleveland was the base for Alan Freed, the disc jockey who did so much to give rock a presence on American radio. Both men deserve citations in the Hall of Fame (indeed, Freed has already been chosen as one of the five industry pioneers), but rock ‘n’ roll wasn’t born within hundreds of miles of either place. The main thing they have going for them is commitment, which, in this case, may be enough.

“Believe me,” foundation president Stein emphasized, “money is just one factor in our considerations (about a location). I’m sure if New York were pressured, they would come up with the most money. But I don’t think it would be right. Community support is essential. We want to look at it in the long run. We don’t want it to be somewhere people will be tired of in five years.”

With a decision expected as early as next month, it may be too late for any other city to mount a drive for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but Stein’s remarks sound an awfully lot like a last-minute challenge to Memphis, Los Angeles and. . . .