Welcome to Michigan's Internet Hall of Fame!
Welcome to the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Website. The site is a totally independent and proudly non-commerical tribute to the artists and songs of Michigan's first vinyl records era.
The voting for both the 2019 MRRL Hall of Fame inductees and Legendary Michigan Songs HOF inductees opened on January 1, 2019 and will close at midnight on June 1, 2019.
Take a video tour of the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame's display at the Bay City Motor Company. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7AN-z2Z45Q&t=4s
Induction certificates are now available for all past and present MRRL Hall of Fame inductees. Contact Dr. J via email for information. 
Check out the list of 2019 Hall of Fame nominees before voting by clicking below: http://www.michiganrockandrolllegends.com/mi-rock-a-roll-hall-of-fame/116-2014-michigan-artists-and-songs-ballot
Check out the nominated recordings for 2019's Legendary Michigan Songs HOF nominees before voting by clicking here: http://www.michiganrockandrolllegends.com/mi-rock-a-roll-hall-of-fame/132-2014-legendary-michigan-songs-nominees
Michigan's Internet Hall of Fame. A total of 103 artists and individuals have been inducted into the MRRL Hall of Fame during the past fourteen years. Read their biographies along with recommended recordings, books, the best Internet sites, and watch youtube videos for each inductee. Click on "MRRL Hall of Fame" to view the Inductees. The 2018 inductees are Bettye LaVette, Dennis Coffey, The Iguanas, Moose & Da Sharks, Ollie McLaughlin, and the Royal Coachmen.
Alina Simone's latest book, 2016's Madonnaland, details MRRL's efforts on behalf of Madonna and ? and The Mysterians. Read the author's thoughts on the Madonna-Bay City controversy: https://lithub.com/why-does-madonnas-hometown-hate-her/
Madonnaland was selected as one of Rolling Stone magazine's Ten Best Music Books of 2016. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/10-best-music-books-of-2016-w456438
Dr. J's Blog. Click here for in-depth articles about Michigan's Rock and Roll history and more! http://www.michiganrockandrolllegends.com/dr-js-blog
"Spin Guys" Video: Gary (Dr. J) Johnson discusses his love of vinyl albums in this short video produced by the Bay City Times. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDQfvx6HVyw&feature=youtu.be
Visit Michigan Rock and Roll Legends on Facebook featuring Michigan Rock and Roll events, Voting Upda
tes, Videos, and up-to-the minute Rock and Roll News!
Motown Black & White: The MRRL Internet Hall of Fame is proud to announce that it is now a permanent interactive component of the Al Abrams' collection and exhibit on the Motown music empire. The MRRL kiosk was unveiled at the red carpet event at the Detroit Historical Museum on April 21, 2016.
Watch videos of the 130 outstanding recordings voted into the Legendary Michigan Songs Hall of Fame. "Kick Out The Jams", "Night Moves", "Runaway", "My Girl", "School's Out", "96 Tears", "Respect", "Hanky Panky" and many more! The 2018 Legendary Michigan Songs HOF inductees are: "Get Funky", "Boogie Chillen'", "Give Me Just A Little More Time", "God, Love And Rock & Roll", "Could It Be I'm Falling In Love", "Where Did Our Love Go", "Leroy", "The Twist", "The Happy Organ", and "Fingertips Pt. 2". http://www.michiganrockandrolllegends.com/legendary-michigan-songs-inductees
NOLAN STRONG AND THE DIABLOS
Nolan Strong and The Diablos
Recording for Detroit's independent Fortune label, Nolan Strong and The Diablos only charted one song on the Billboard R&B chart, despite being one of the Motor City's most popular and influential vocal groups. The unique sound of the Diablos, centering primarily on the high tenor voice of Nolan Strong, produced over two dozen singles for the family-owned record company; but Fortune's lack of distribution hurt the group's chances of achieving national chart success.
HARRY BALK
HARRY BALK
Harry Balk was one of the early movers and shakers of the Detroit music scene as a manager, record producer, and label owner. His first important contribution was the discovery of Little Willie John, and, as his manager, guided the young singer through his early R&B recordings, including the # 1 hit "Fever". Balk went on to establish the Twirl, Impact, and Inferno record labels, and he discovered a number of other important artists including Johnny and The Hurricanes, the Shades of Blue, and Sixto Rodriguez. After forming Embee Productions, Balk enjoyed his greatest success as the co-producer of "Runaway" and the other early recordings of Del Shannon. In the late 1960s, he became the head of A&R at Motown Records and was influential in establishing its Rare Earth subsidiary label.
Michigan Connections: JFK and The Beatles
The commonly held belief regarding the connection between John F. Kennedy and The Beatles is that America was in mourning following JFK's assassination in November of 1963, and The Beatles came on the scene in early 1964 and helped lift the veil of sadness that had enveloped the country. There is a great deal of truth in that but I believe that there is a lot more to the story, including some interesting Michigan connections.