Sid Bernstein in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

To:  Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation

We, the undersigned, believe that Sid Bernstein, one of the most visionary and influential individuals in American music deserves to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Over the course of his career, Sid changed the course of music history.

He arranged to bring the Beatles to America when they were virtually unknown this side of the Atlantic and before they released a record or had any radio airplay in the States. He put the Beatles in Carnegie Hall for their first concert ever in the United States and helped convince Ed Sullivan to have the Beatles on his show, introducing them to the whole country. Sid produced the groundbreaking Beatles concert at Shea Stadium, establishing the precedent of attracting huge crowds to large venues and setting the standard for all future concerts today.

Sid was instrumental in the British Invasion of rock music to America and was the first to present to America eleven of the top thirteen British rock acts. These included: The Animals, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Herman’s Hermits, The Kinks, Manfred Mann, the Moody Blues, and the Rolling Stones.

Sid produced the first concert at the new Madison Square Garden in New York City, establishing it as a concert venue, as well as the first rock concert at Radio City Music Hall, featuring Jethro Tull, establishing that institution as a pop music venue.

Sid also produced the Bethel ’94 Festival for the 25th Anniversary of Woodstock, which featured, among many others, Country Joe & the Fish, Melanie, Santana, Sarah McLaughlin, and Arlo Guthrie.

Over the course of his career Sid promoted, produced, managed or acted as agent for numerous rock groups and performers, many of them members of the Hall of Fame. These Hall of Fame members include: James Brown, Johnny Cash, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Fats Domino, Fleetwood Mac, the Four Seasons, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, Leslie Gore, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Elvis Presley, The (Young) Rascals, Sam & Dave, Paul Simon, Sly & the Family Stone, the Staple Singers, Tina Turner, and Jackie Wilson.

Sid has had working relationships with many of the most influential people in the music industry over the past four decades, several of them also members of the Hall of Fame. These Hall of Fame members include: Dick Clark, Clive Davis, Ahmet Ertegun, Nesuhi Ertegun, Alan Freed, Bill Graham, George Martin, Phil Spector, and Jerry Wexler.

Because of these accomplishments, and so much more, we request the Nominating Committee of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation to honor Sid in recognition of his lifetime of vision, determination and drive all in the pursuit of music.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

The Sid Bernstein in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Petition to Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation was created by Friends of Sid and written by Dennis Riley.  This petition is hosted here at www.PetitionOnline.com as a public service. There is no endorsement of this petition, express or implied, by Artifice, Inc. or our sponsors. For technical support please use our simple Petition Help form.

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