2 minute read
Living Legends
BY GENEVIEVE TRAINOR
Nestled just a bit inland of West Okoboji Lake, toward the west of Iowa’s northern border, near the historic Arnolds Park amusement park, sits the Iowa Rock ’n Roll Hall of Fame. Ohio, of course, hosts the big name Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and many other states have halls of fame dedicated to music generally, a few to country music, some to jazz.
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But Iowa’s is the only museum in the country dedicated to celebrating the rock music its state generates. And when it opened its doors in 2003, the museum (which is open from Labor Day to Memorial Day each year) made the Iowa Rock ‘n Roll Music Association the first state music association to have its own free-standing museum.
The IRRMA, which runs the museum and manages Hall of Fame recognition, was founded in 1997. It’s a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to preserving Iowa’s rock history and nurturing the next generation of Iowa rockers. The Hall of Fame inaugurates a new class each year, made up of not just musicians, but DJs, media representatives, support people, recording studios, venues and more. The 1997 class recognized five bands, two ballrooms and a radio station. The class of 2023 will add 33 more names to the roster, and nominations for each following year are accepted through midnight, Sept. 15.
As of 2022, the organization’s 25th anniversary year, there were 567 inductees into the Iowa Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame. How many can you find of the 25 honorees below from across the last 25 years?
1. Bands of Gold (Dubuque band, inducted 2002)
2. Bo Ramsey (Burlington-born guitarist, 2005; also in 2007 with Patrick Hazell & The Mother Blues Band)
3. Bob Dorr (DJ, 2000; also in 2007 with Bob Dorr & the Blue Band)
4. Carolyn Matousek (Inaugural Women Who Rock designee, 2000; also in 1997 with the Velaires)
5. Craig Erickson (Cedar Rapids guitarist, 2017)
6. Dennis McMurrin (Cedar Rapids guitarist, 2018)
7. Dogs on Skis (Eastern Iowa cover band, 2013)
8. Doug Roberson (Iowa City guitarist, 2021)
9. Flying Marsupials (Central Iowa cover band, 2016)
10. Hoyt Sherman Place (Des Moines venue, 2015)
11. Headstone (Cedar Falls band, 2006)
12. Jim Musser (Iowa City Press-Citizen columnist, Media Representative, 2018)
13. KIOA (Des Moines radio station, 1997)
14. KWWL (Waterloo radio station, 2009)
15. Kip Shannon (Ticket-taker at Lake Robbins Ballroom, Support People, 2008)
16. Lakewood (Western Iowa ballroom, 2009)
17. Laurie Haag (Iowa City percussionist and bassist, 2022)
18. Maddie Poppe (Clarksville American Idol winner, Spirit Award, 2022)
19. McElroy (Waterloo auditorium, 2013)
20. Molly Nova (Cedar Falls musician, Women Who Rock, 2012; also in 2007 with Bob Dorr & the Blue Band)
21. The Nadas (Des Moines band, 2018)
22. Rieman Music (Des Moines—and beyond!—music store, 2017)
23. Surf Zombies (Cedar Rapids band, 2017)
24. Val Air (West Des Moines ballroom, 1998)
25. The Velaires (Sioux City band, 1997)
