2020 City Edition

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An Ode to Cleveland’s Rock & Roll Roots
It is well documented that Cleveland’s place in rock and roll history began in the 1950’s when a new genre of music was introduced to a mainstream audience by Cleveland disc jockey Alan Freed. When Leo Mintz, owner of Record Rendezvous in downtown Cleveland shared with Freed that white teenagers were buying music that was marketed to black America, unbeknown to him, Freed was about to move the needle on the sound for a new generation.

Larry Nance Jr.
Cavaliers F/C 2017-2021
On his WJW-AM radio show, Freed started to play the rhythmic and soulful songs that made the kids dance in the aisles at the record store, and with that, he popularized African American music called “rhythm and blues” to a new audience craving the urban vibe.

Freed coined it “rock and roll.”

Dubbing himself the “Moondog,” Freed organized the Moondog Coronation Ball featuring a lineup of R&B artists that drew an estimated 20,000 fans outside and inside the 11,000 seat Cleveland Arena on March 21,1952. It was considered the first-ever rock and roll concert. Ultimately, unable to accommodate the spirited large crowd the show was cut short, but it foreshadowed a city that was passionate about its music.

The original Record Rendezvous storefront.
In the 1970’s Cleveland’s music scene and impact grew with the emergence of progressive rock station WMMS 100.7 FM the Home of the Buzzard and the Agora concert venue, both credited for shining the spotlight on little-known artists like Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and many others, solidifying the city’s reputation as a breakout destination for music’s rising stars.

Through the decades the city’s music scene has continued to thrive and evolve to include pop, hip hop, rap, alternative, punk, country and all genres in between. Fans fill local music halls to hear the artists that move them, and Cleveland has remained a must-stop market for major tours hosted at concert venues such as Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, one of the most active arenas in the world for touring acts.

Today, Cleveland is home to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a shining glass pyramid that sits on the shores of Lake Erie where music lovers from around the globe come to celebrate the power of the music it represents— in the city where the story began.

The Cavaliers 2020-21 City Edition uniform: design and style that reflects the grit, attitude and spirit of Cleveland’s rock and roll history.

The 2020-21 Cavs City Edition uniform is anything but uniform. Its unconventional style embodies a decades-long desire for excitement and individuality as fans of rock and roll turn to the music that continues to define generations as a unifying force and form of true self-expression.

“We are thrilled to team up with the Cavaliers to amplify Cleveland’s rock and roll heart through the City Edition uniform. This allows us to tell our exciting story throughout the Cavs basketball season,” said Greg Harris, President & CEO, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Designed in collaboration with Nike, a black uniform shell and gritty design highlights the attitude and influence of rock and roll through fashion. The irregular type that spells out CLEVELAND takes center stage on the front of the jersey, accompanied by a bold, sharp player number. A thin wine and gold trim accents the uniform, adding a textured pop of color. The front of the jersey features the Nike Swoosh on the right shoulder and the Goodyear Wingfoot on the left.

Above the jersey jock tag reads LONG LIVE ROCK in bright red type, a nod to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s anthem and the iconic sign that guards the entrance of the museum in Cleveland.

The back of the uniform features the player name and number centered in white with the NBA logo above the lettering of the player’s last name. On the back center collar, a small gold square patch displays the number “1” positioned inside of the Larry O’Brien trophy to represent the Cavaliers NBA Championship in 2016, a standard feature on the uniforms of all teams who have won an NBA Championship.

The waistband of the black shorts features a silhouette of the Cleveland skyline within a white guitar pick. A large weathered “C” makes a statement on the left shorts panel and on the right, a collective of Cleveland badges inspired by tour pins and jacket patches amplify the bond between the Cavaliers, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and THE LAND they both call home.

 

| datetime February 2, 2021 5:35 pm