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Describing the contributions of Black musicians to the birth of rock ’n’ roll as an American treasure that shouldn’t be buried, the founders of Indianapolis cultural firm GangGang are partnering with concert company Forty5 to launch an initiative titled I Made Rock ’N’ Roll.
The advocacy campaign will feature first-person storytelling events, listening sessions and a series of concerts leading up to the first I Made Rock ’N’ Roll festival in downtown Indianapolis in 2024. Organizers said the outdoor festival showcasing Black performers will be the first of its kind in the United States.
“This rock festival is historic and has the power to change a narrative forever,” GangGang co-founder Alan Bacon said in a written statement. “The advocacy campaign will offer insight, history and perspective on the true origins of one of America’s most prized possessions—rock music, birthed by the rhythm & blues of Black people. We’ve always wanted to do something like this because we believe that telling the truth about rock ’n’ roll will bring people together.”
Bacon, along with GangGang co-founder Malina Simone Bacon and Forty5 partner Eric Tobias, announced plans for I Made Rock ’N’ Roll as part of Friday night’s Parliament Funkadelic show featuring George Clinton at Holliday Park.
Forty5 produces the Rock the Ruins concert series in the park. GangGang has collaborated in the promotion of one Rock the Ruins event the past two years: a Masego performance in 2022 and Friday’s Parliament Funkadelic show.
Clinton, a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, sang in a doo-wop group in the 1950s and revolutionized funk music in the 1970s.
The roster of Black musicians who influenced the early days of rock ’n’ roll includes Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Bo Diddley, Fats Domino and Sister Rosetta Tharpe. “Rocket 88,” a 1951 tune frequently cited as the first rock ’n’ roll song, was written by Ike Turner and sung by Jackie Brenston.
“Think of Jimi Hendrix in the 1960s and how big that was and how much that era meant to rock music,” Alan Bacon told the IBJ. “It was ingenuity and it was social justice. It was transformational.”
The specific site and date for the one-day festival has not been announced.
Forty5 and GangGang will present three I Made Rock ’N’ Roll concerts this year at the Vogue, the Broad Ripple venue co-owned by Tobias. Victor Wooten and the Wooten Brothers will perform on Nov. 4, followed by Christone “Kingfish” Ingram on Nov. 17 and Macy Gray on Dec. 15.
“We’re not thinking of this partnership as having any ceiling,” Alan Bacon said of working with Forty5. “We’re going to make so much impact with this intersection of art and culture and social justice.”
GangGang is a co-presenter of the Aug. 26 Chreece hip-hop festival in Fountain Square, and GangGang founded the Butter fine art fair. The third annual edition of Butter is scheduled Aug. 31-Sept. 3 at the Stutz, 1060 N. Capitol Ave.
Malina Simone Bacon, who’s married to Alan Bacon, said I Made Rock ’N’ Roll will be advertised in New York City; Austin, Texas; and other cities.
“I’m excited about sharp, consistent new messaging in that GangGang type of way, which has context and feels warm and open and is something magnetic and attractive,” she said.
For more information, visit imaderocknroll.com.
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Incredible news. Looking forward to the shows!
Nothing like pure segregation and separation to bring society together. I’m pretty sure r&r was a mostly collaborative effort.
True, Kevin. But you will be labeled a systemic racist for thinking such blasphemy. Only groupthink keeps you safe!
The less you know, the less you know you don’t know. That is the problem today.
The organizers know so little about “Black” music and its history. My generation did not think of Black or white music – just good music. I listen to Solid Gold Oldies on Xfinity, a myriad of channels on Sirius, and my vinyl records. Black or white was never given a thought back then. So, they want to teach prior generations “the truth” about Black music and its import? That would be funny if it were not so sad.