Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will be jammin' in February. In honor of Black History Month, it'll offer a month-long series of reggae programs.
Several events will likely fill up in advance, including the Feb. 20 talk by Chris Blackwell. As the founder of Island Records, he not only signed Steve Winwood, Traffic, Richard Thompson, Mott the Hoople, Cat Stevens, Roxy Music, and more but introduced Bob Marley to the world. You'll get to hear his memories of working with Marley -- he produced "Catch a Fire" -- and with other stars.
Black History Month will also include an evening of music and conversation with Toots Hibbert of Toots and the Maytals on Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. His 1968 single "Do the Reggay" is credited with giving the genre its name. The group was also featured in the classic "The Harder They Come."
Mikey Dread (Feb. 21) and The Mighty Diamonds (Feb. 23) will also perform at the rock hall. Other events include a reggae brunch, including music, with Carlos Jones and he Plus Band at Parkview Nite Club on Feb. 11; and a keynote address on "Rastafari and Reggae: A MArriage Madein Jamaica" by Kenyon professor Ennis Edmonds on Feb. 6 at 4:30 p.m. at Case Western Reserve.
Most events are free, except Mighty Diamonds ($10) and the reggae brunch ($5), but reservations are required. They will be accepted starting Jan. 23 at edu@rockhall.org or by phone at (216) 515-8426.
Billboard reports Neil Young has anotherlive recording set for release -- 'Live at Massey Hall' (as in Toronto). He recorded it before "Harvest" in 1971 and debuted several songs that would appear on that classic CD. The show also features solo Neil
renditions of "Ohio," "Down by the River," and "I Am a Child," among others. The CD will be released March 13.
Billboard also reports that Young's massive "Archives Vol. 1" set -- with eight CDs and two DVDS -- will be released in the fall by Reprise. It'll feature a treasure trove of previously unreleased songs.
Cleveland's Agora Theatre has added a March 4 show with Wolfmother. Tickets go on sale Friday at Ticketmaster.
Killswitch Engage, Chimaira, Dragonforce, and He Is Legend play the Agora on April 5. Those tickets also go on sale Friday.