L.A. Music Hall of Fame Considered

The Los Angeles City Council has OKd a task force to explore the possibility of setting up an L.A. Music Hall of Fame. Councilman Tom LaBonge introduced a motion at a council meeting last week and received approval for the task force, headed by Cultural Affairs Department general manager Margie Johnson Reese, to look into the feasibility of a facility dedicated to the study, preservation and promotion of the city’s musical heritage.

LaBonge was approached with the idea by Art Fein, a rock historian, promoter and author of “The L.A. Musical History Tour,” who argues that “Los Angeles is overlooked as a music center because it’s in the shadow of the movie business.”

An L.A. facility, Fein says, would “not be in opposition to the Cleveland Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but as an adjunct -- a western outpost.” The goal would be to focus not just on the city’s contributions to rock history through L.A.-area based acts from Ritchie Valens and Ricky Nelson to the Beach Boys and the Doors through X, Los Lobos and Beck, but also from jazz, country, R&B;, Latin, rap, classical and other fields. No specifics on a budget or timetable have been established.