Lulu is among those supporting the Hall of Fame (pic: DB Media Services)
A new hub to celebrate Scottish rock and pop could give Glasgow a much-needed lift, writes JULENA DRUMI
A plan to open a Hall of Fame to recognise Scotland’s contribution to rock and pop music has been backed by some of the biggest names in the industry and could provide the much-needed lift for Sauchiehall Street where the former Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA) building has been identified as an ideal hub.
Band Aid veteran Midge Ure finds himself once again taking a leading role. Ure, who was lead singer in eighties band Ultravox, has agreed to become the inaugural Patron of ScotsRock which is behind the initiative.
The project has attracted the support of Lulu, Jim Kerr of Simple Minds, Travis and Del Amitri, among countless others who would hope to be represented.
The CCA closed earlier this year after a series of financial setbacks and while the building’s owner, Creative Scotland, has yet to determine its fate, it is seen as appropriate for it to continue as a venue for the arts.
An insolvency process is ongoing and a formal sale or lease process is due to begin. Already there have been alternative expressions of interest including one for it to become a theatre and dance rehearsal studio.
Ronnie Gurr, former chief executive at the Scottish Music Industry Association, described the Hall of Fame idea as a “very ambitious project whose times has come”.
Gurr, who would act as a senior curator of the proposed hub, added: “The key thing is the Hall of Fame honours the past but it should also help shape the future.
“So the plans is that it’s not only a museum but also there would be a live venue. At a time when grassroots music venues are closing at a rate of knots, that’s a welcome addition. That would be shaping the future of the country’s music as well.”
The project would be seen as a shot in the arm for one of Scotland’s most famous but currently depressed thoroughfares following the fire that destroyed the nearby Glasgow School of Art, as well as the closure of nightclubs and Marks & Spencer. Sauchiehall Street was the location of the famous but also long-gone Empire Theatre.
Commenting on the Half Fame proposal, Ure said: “This has never been done, and it should have been done. In hindsight, it’s a major mistake.
“For a small country we punch way above our weight when it comes to global musicians. If you go to Cleveland, their Hall of Fame is very American, so I ask myself, why are we not doing the same in Scotland?
“We should be and I’m very proud to be part of it.”
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