For Those About to Rock

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductions are still a week away. But the festivities leading up to the sold-out event kick off on Thursday, March 26, at the Beachland Ballroom (15711 Waterloo Rd., 216.383.1124, beachlandballroom.com), as the club’s resident DJs pay tribute to inductee Bobby Womack by spinning some of his rarest grooves. That same night, Boston-based soul man Eli “Paperboy” Reed — a white kid with a booming, soulful voice — takes the stage with his high-energy band. And that’s just the beginning. The rest of the weekend and into next week, you can check out a full slate of concerts, lectures and exhibits. Some of the highlights include a free show by R&B icons the O’Jays and performances by two of this year’s inductees (Wanda Jackson and Little Anthony and the Imperials). Oh yeah, and on April 1, an extensive Bruce Springsteen exhibit opens at the Rock Hall. And for you early risers, Run DMC’s Daryl McDaniels is at the Hard Rock Café at 9 a.m. Saturday, April 4, to host a brunch that benefits the Felix Foundation. Here’s a guide to just a few of the concerts. Check out rockhall.org for a complete list of happenings.

B.B. King

Friday, March 27

One of the most enduring blues legends, 83-year-old B.B. King still
has a few things to say when he sits down and straps on his beloved
Lucille (a custom-made Gibson ES-335). His gait is slower, but his
voice is as firm as ever, as is his guitar playing. His latest album
One Kind Favor, which includes help from friends like Dr. John
and producer T-Bone Burnett, shows he still has it, in spite of his
long years. Don’t expect King to bring out many new songs, though.
Longtime fans who come back year after year expect standards like “The
Thrill Is Gone,” “How Blue Can You Get,” “Caldonia,” the Bono-penned
hit “When Love Comes to Town” and assorted other tunes. King doesn’t
disappoint, cheerfully delivering his songs alongside a handful of
stories and jokes from his five decades on the road. King has shared
the stage with Chicago blues guitarist (and a legend in his own right)
Buddy Guy on several stops of the current tour, but for his Cleveland
gig, he’ll go at it alone. Not that it matters; the show is sold out.
The show starts at 9 p.m. at House of Blues (308 Euclid Ave.,
216.523.7523, hob.com). — Ernest
Barteldes

Moondog Coronation Ball

Saturday, March 28

An annual ritual that pays homage to what is historically known as
the first rock ‘n’ roll concert, the Moondog Coronation Ball has become
a far tamer concert than that notorious 1952 show. At the first Moondog
Ball, organized and promoted by famed DJ Alan Freed, a crowd of 20,000
tried to fit their way into a venue designed to hold an audience half
that size. This year’s concert isn’t likely to encounter the same
problem. It features one inductee (Little Richard) plus a slew of
oldies acts who probably won’t ever get inducted, including Three Dog
Night, Tommy James & the Shondells and Herman’s Hermits. One of the
Rock Hall’s first inductees, 77-year-old Little Richard is the real
draw here. The eccentric showman is also an ordained minister, so don’t
be surprised if he mixes in a little preaching with his rock ‘n’ roll.
The show starts at 7 p.m. at Quicken Loans Arena (One Center Court,
216.241.5555, theqarena.com). Tickets:
$47. — Jeff Niesel

Shirley Caesar

Sunday, March 29

It’s a little odd that Pastor Shirley Caesar is part of the Rock
Hall’s Induction Week, because the 70-year-old gospel star has avoided
secular music and devoted herself to spreading the world of the Lord
throughout her 50-year career. With enough Grammys and Gospel Music
Association Dove Awards to fill a dozen mantles, Caesar has recorded
more than 40 albums and maintains a packed tour schedule — while
still finding time to lead a congregation in Raleigh, North Carolina.
The artists she’s worked with — from early collaborations with
the Rev. Dr. James Cleveland and Albertina Walker to 2004’s Sisters in
the Spirit tour with Yolanda Adams and Mary Mary — are firmly in
the gospel fold. Yet rockers should relate to the fervor and drama with
which she delivers her sacred message. Petite and raucous, she stalks
the stage, interrupting her tunes to preach, as she shapes her
testimony to lead into explosive musical climaxes. She heads up Rock My
Soul: A Gospel Music Celebration, with younger gospel artists J. Moss,
Richard Smallwood, Vision and Tyniece Wingfield, odd-man-out neo-soul
artist Musiq Soulchild, the Word Church Praise Team and Cleveland
gospel legend Helen Turner-Thompson with the Antioch Baptist Church
Flame Team Choir. News anchor Leon Bibb hosts a roof-raising evening at
7:30 at the Allen Theatre (1501 Euclid Ave., 216.241.6000, playhousesquare.com).The free tickets
are gone, but more may be released; go to rockhall.com/newsletter to get
updates. — Anastasia Pantsios

The O’Jays

Thursday, April 2

It’s appropriate the O’Jays are headlining Thursday’s free Concert
for Cleveland. Of all the artists inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall
of Fame, the veteran soul men (who celebrated their 50th anniversary
last year) are the only Clevelanders of the bunch. (Another R&B
local, Bobby Womack, will join them on April 4.) Ironically, the O’Jays
were leaders of the Philly Sound — a ’70s soul movement
spearheaded by Philadelphia-based songwriters and record-company owners
Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. But the O’Jays’ roots stretch back to
Cleveland in the late ’50s, when Eddie Levert founded the group with a
bunch of high-school pals. It wasn’t until 1972 that they got their big
break on Philadelphia International Records. “Back Stabbers” reached
No. 3; a year later, “Love Train” landed at No. 1. Both songs remain
cornerstones of ’70s soul music. The O’Jays still record from time to
time. Levert also helped his late sons Gerald and Sean get a record
deal for their own R&B vocal group, Levert, in the ’80s. The O’Jays
play Cleveland State University’s Wolstein Center (2000 Prospect Ave.,
csuohio.edu) at 7:30 p.m. Coolio,
Whodini, Rob Base and white guy Dave Mason are also on the bill. The
concert is free, but you need a ticket, available at the Rock Hall or
call 800.745.3000. — Michael Gallucci

Wanda Jackson

Thursday, April 2

There aren’t too many performers still around who were close to
Elvis. And we’re not talking about Costello. Wanda Jackson not only
toured with Elvis Presley during the mid-’50s, she even dated him.
However, her dating history isn’t the reason she’s a member of this
year’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction class. Jackson was one of
the first significant female rockabilly singers, scorching up the
airwaves with good-timin’ tunes like “Fujiyama Mama” and “Let’s Have a
Party.” The original “rockabilly filly” also found success on the
country charts with hits like “Right or Wrong” and “In the Middle of a
Heartache.” The ’80s rockabilly revival shined the spotlight back on
Jackson, whose work has influenced a number of country-rock ladies over
the years, and she’s stayed active ever since. Her recent albums,
Heart Trouble (which features a Costello cameo) and I
Remember Elvis (an all-Presley tribute), find her in fine voice
— still frisky and feisty. Tonight’s show offers the increasingly
rare opportunity to experience a singer who was there at the dawn of
rock ‘n’ roll, as well as to share in Jackson’s celebration on the eve
of her Rock Hall induction. Showtime is 8 p.m. at the Agora Theatre
(5001 Prospect Ave., Cleveland 216.881.6700. clevelandagora.com). Tickets are
$17.50. — Michael Berick

Little Anthony

and the Imperials

Friday, April 3

Often lumped in with the doo-wop acts of the era, Little Anthony and
the Imperials are a straight-up R&B band (something Anthony is
adamant about these days) that started in 1958, in the housing projects
of Brooklyn. With a high-pitched voice that recalled Clevelander Jimmy
Scott, Little Anthony Gourdine turned the group into a sensation, as
tunes like “Tears on My Pillow” and “Shimmy Shimmy Ko Ko Bop” became
chart-topping hits. Little Anthony would split from the group in 1961
to pursue a solo career, but he returned shortly after, and he and his
remaining bandmates — Clarence Collins, Ernest Wright and Harold
Jenkins — have been touring and recording ever since. They’ll
undoubtedly play their classics at this appearance. But they have a new
album out, so expect to hear some tracks from it too. And given that
Anthony has no trouble talking about his past exploits, expect to hear
a few stories about the old days, with references to guys like Ed
Sullivan and Alan Freed, both of whom were instrumental in putting the
band on the musical map. Sherena Wynn opens at 8:30 p.m. at the Agora
Theatre (5000 Euclid Ave., 216.881.2221, clevelandagora.com). Tickets:
$21.50-$29.50. — Niesel