Rock hall to open Gotham branch

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is going on the road to New York -- the city that spawned hip-hop and gave Bob Dylan and the Ramones their start.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced Wednesday that the Cleveland-based museum was opening an annex in downtown Manhattan. It is the first of several planned outposts that will take its collection of artifacts to a wider audience.

Billy Joel and Clive Davis joined the mayor at the location in SoHo where the branch will open in November. Joel, who said he was donating some memorabilia to the museum, recalled how he has played every New York venue from Carnegie Hall to Shea Stadium.

“New York gave me my words and my music, and rock and roll gave me a place for that music to live,” Joel said.

The 25,000-square-foot annex will house Bruce Springsteen’s 1957 Chevy and will feature a number of different exhibits, including one with sites around the city that have musical significance.