A few weeks ago, there was a wonderful memorial for Drake Levin, guitarist with Paul Revere & the Raiders. Family and friends came together to celebrate the man with beautiful stories, some funny jokes, and wonderful memories. I was asked to videotape the ceremony, and some of these stories were too good to not share, so here’s some snippets for your enjoyment:
Here’s a photo of some of us that were there, courtesy of Larry Rogers.
So could someone please tell me why Paul Revere & the Raiders aren’t in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame?
Seriously… why?
QWhy aren’t Paul Revere and the Raiders in the Hall of Fame? Well, they are in at least one – Paul Allen’s Experience Music Project in Seattle. The people in Cleveland and New York are probably guilty of what many others are – they think the Raiders were a bubblegum band put together for tv like the Monkees, because of their association with Dick Clark’s television show Where the Action Is. Of course, anybody who knows anything about the Raiders knows they were a working, rocking, touring,recording band long before they made it on national tv. They were THE band in the NW after the Fabulous Wailers in the early 60’s, known for their showmanship and insanity. The Rolling Stone mentality probably also considers them irrelevant because they had a string of hit singles at a time when albums were becoming the format of choice, particularly for those seeking to make a statement. And the Raiders did make a few statements along the way, like the anti-war Xmas album in 1967, or songs like “Too Much Talk” and “Kicks” – an anti-drug song at a time when being against drug abuse was not cool.