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KIDS’History

Michigan Is Rock Solid

Since the beginning of rock and roll more than

50 years ago, Michigan has produced

remarkable singers, musicians, songwriters

and record producers. Today, the Time

Traveler looks at Michigan’s impact on rock

music.

You can help support the Michigan Time Traveler page and othereducation programs that tell the story of Michigan’s exciting past throughcontributions to the Michigan Historical Center Foundation. TheFoundation is an independent, nonprofit, tax-exempt organization

established in 1989 to support the programs and projects of the Michigan Historical Center.Donations to the Michigan Historical Center Foundation, P.O. Box 17035, Lansing, MI 48901,phone: (517) 373-2565, not only support projects that promote Michigan history, but are also taxdeductible to the full extent permitted by federal and state law.

Lansing Newspapers In Education (NIE) provides Lansing State Journalnewspapers and supplemental teaching materials for area classrooms atlittle or no cost to the schools. The newspaper becomes a “livingtextbook,” providing students with timely and relevant topics fordiscussion in class and at home.

If you are interested in sponsoring classroom papers or using thenewspaper in your classroom, please contact Michelle Ringlein, NIEManager at (517) 377-1242.

MICH IGANHistorical CenterFOUNDATION

75 Rock StarsNow Appearing in Concert!Rock concerts are fun. Rock stars, dressed in wildcostumes or the coolest clothes, perform their songsfor eager fans. Sometimes the fans sing and dancealong. Sometimes, a lucky fan snaps a picture of afavorite group or artist (when cameras are allowed).

Now a professional photographer, Larry Hulststarted out as a rock fan who brought his camera toevery concert. Seventy-five of his concertphotographs are now at the Michigan HistoricalMuseum in a special exhibit called Thirty Years ofRock and Roll.

Larry’s photographs are in black and white, eventhough color film was widely available by the mid-1960s. The photographs show a wide range of rockstars from Chuck Berry to Bruce Springsteen.

The exhibit also features guitars and things that rockfans collect. Maybe you collect the same things foryour favorite stars: posters, t-shirts, autographs.Chances are you don’t collect record albums, butfans did before CDs became popular 20 years ago.

Michigan in Rock MusicIt’s fun to hear a Michigan town mentioned in apopular song. Have you heard Detroit in “Don’tStop Believin’” by Journey? Listen for Saginaw inSimon and Garfunkel’s “America.” WhenCreedence Clearwater Revival says Kalamazoo in“Down on the Corner,” the word refers to aninexpensive guitar made by the Gibson company.Listen for references to Michigan in songs youhear on the radio.

Guitars That Rock the WorldFor more than a century, some of the world’s mostdesired guitars have been made in Michigan.

It began in the late 19th century in Kalamazoo.There, a shoe-store clerk named Orville Gibsoncarved and whittled wood as a hobby. He turnedhis hobby into a profession. By 1896, the citydirectory listed him as a manufacturer of musicalinstruments.

Orville liked experimenting with the ways thatwood affects sound in stringed instruments. Hereceived a patent for the special way he mademandolins.

Orville’s instruments got lots of attention.Although Orville eventually left, the GibsonMandolin-Guitar Company grew. In the 1920s,when mandolin orchestras were popular, Gibsonmade everything from mandolins to mandobasses. Later, Gibson produced more ukuleles andbanjos as they gained popularity. Demand forguitars increased in the 1930s and 1940s whenmovies showed singing cowboy Gene Autryplaying a Gibson.

In the 1950s, legendary guitar player Les Paulteamed with Gibson to produce electric guitars.

Since then, Gibson guitars have been a favorite foramateur and professional musicians. Rockers likePeter Frampton and Kirk Hammett of Metallicaplay Gibsons.

The Gibson companymoved from Kalama-zoo to Nashville,Tennessee, in theearly 1980s. Someemployees didn’twant to leaveMichigan. Theyopened their ownbusinessin the factorythat Gibson builtin 1917. They namedthe new companyHeritage Guitar, Inc.Today, Heritageproduces instrumentsthat are used by rockguitarists includingAdrian Belew andGary Moore.

At the MuseumYou’re in the spotlight in the Sixties Gallery! Asrock and roll grew in the 1960s, Michigan becamefamous for producing a style called the Motownsound. At the Michigan Historical Museum, youcan lip sync and dance to groovy Motown hits.

The Michigan Historical Museum, 717 W. AlleganSt., Lansing is located two blocks west of theCapitol in downtown Lansing. Museumadmission is free. Hours: Monday through Friday,9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.;Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m. The museum telephone hot-line: (517) 373-3559. The museum is part of theMichigan Historical Center, Department ofHistory, Arts and Libraries. Visit us on the Web:www.michiganhistory.org.

Things To Do* Find the list of celebrity birthdays on page 2A.

Are any rock stars celebrating a birthday today?

* Look for articles or advertisements about rockconcerts in the newspaper.

* Find rock stars among the famous Michiganiansat www.michiganhistory.org/michinfo.

* Visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on-line atwww.rockhall.com. How many Michiganianscan you find there?

IHM/St. Casimir students Biyanka Centeno and Aaron Torokmove and groove to Motown songs in the Sixties Gallery atthe Michigan Historical Museum in Lansing.

Bob Dylan, Winterland Auditorium, San Francisco,1976. Photo by Larry Hulst. (Courtesy SmithKramer Fine Art Services.)

Musician, songwriter and producerLenny Kravitz signed this Epiphone“Flying V” guitar. Guitar courtesyEdge, Mid-Michigan Radio Group.

Slash, lead guitaristfor Guns N’ Roses,signed this red LesPaul Special guitar.(Guitar courtesyQ106, Mid-MichiganRadio Group.)

This is a Les Paul Standard

Model guitar by Gibson. (Guitar

courtesy Elderly Instruments.)

Paul McCartney. Cow Palace, San Francisco, 1976. Photo byLarry Hulst. (Courtesy Smith Kramer Fine Art Services.)

This harmonica from Stevie Wonder is in thecollection of the Michigan Historical Museum.

Heritage Guitar Inc. of Kalamazoomade this hollow-body guitar ofcurly maple. (Guitar courtesyElderly Instruments.)

Time LineHere are just a few dates that highlightMichigan’s rock role:1953 Bill Haley (of Highland Park) and His

Comets have the first rock song to landon Billboard magazine’s Top 20: “Crazy,Man, Crazy.”

1959 Berry Gordy moves his Motown recordcompany into a two-story house hecalls Hitsville.

1961 Del Shannon of Coopersville has thenation’s #1 song, “Runaway.”

1966 A “one-hit wonder” is a term for arecording artist or group that is knownfor only one song. For ? and theMysterians of Saginaw that song is “96Tears.”

1975 Bob Seger performs at two sold-outshows at Detroit’s Cobo Hall. The resultis Live Bullet, a double album thatmakes him known across the country.

1977 Suzi Quatro, a bass player fromDetroit, has hits in Michigan andBritain before she joins the cast of theTV show Happy Days.

1987 The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductsfive Michiganians: Aretha Franklin,Marvin Gaye, Bill Haley, SmokeyRobinson and Jackie Wilson.

Michigan Time TravelerAn educational supplement produced by Lansing Newspapers In Education, Inc. and the Michigan Historical Center Foundation.