Joliet museum getting ready to rock and roll

It’s been a long and winding road, as the Beatles once sang, since Illinois Rock & Roll Museum founder and president Ron Romero publicly announced plans in 2017 to open an Illinois rock ‘n’ roll museum in Joliet .

While Romero and other museum organizers get ready for their inaugural hall of fame event next week, opening day is near and planned to occur before the end of this year.

On Tuesday, the museum’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place at the Rialto Square Theatre. The event was postponed a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As of Thursday afternoon, when Romero gave a tour of the museum, still a work in progress on Route 66 at 9 W. Cass St. in downtown Joliet, Romero said at least 1,200 tickets have been sold for the induction ceremony.

“We have great support,” Romero said.

Appearances for the event, which starts at 7 p.m., include: the band The Ides of March; Dennis Tufano, original lead singer for The Buckinghams; Mud Morganfield, blues singer and son of Muddy Waters; and Greg Guy, blues singer and son of Buddy Guy.

Buddy Guy, Muddy Waters and The Buckinghams all will be inducted. So will the bands REO Speedwagon and Cheap Trick. Disc jockeys Dick Biondi and Larry Lujack also will be inducted.

A common theme for all of them is an Illinois connection to rock ‘n’ roll, which is what the museum is all about.

The first gallery exhibit planned for the museum has been dubbed “Rechorded History of Illinois Guitars,” a history of guitars made in Illinois and having other connections to the state.

Romero said the museum will open before the end of this year, but only the first floor while work continues on two upper floors. A basement studio to be used for music education could open in September.

“It’s a phased opening,” he said. “The second floor and third floor will open up later – hopefully it will be in a year.”

The opening of the museum, as with the induction ceremony, has been stalled by the pandemic, he said.

“We should have been open by now, but how do you open when COVID hits, and you can’t get materials?” Romero asked.

The museum is just around the corner from the historic Route 66 pathway through downtown Joliet. It’s in a building that was built in 1930 originally for the White Store and later used by Goldblatt’s and most recently was the location of Buy-Rite Furniture.

The interior remodeling received a boost from local building trade unions donating labor, time and materials to the museum effort.

“They’re doing something in the community to help the community, and they know the importance of what we do here,” Romero said.

They’re not the only ones noticing the museum.

Last month, Chicago native and actor Joe Mantegna called to offer his help and signed up as one of the museum’s ambassadors to promote the project.

REO Speedwagon donated the platinum award it received for the album “High Infidelity,” transferring it to Joliet from the Hard Rock Cafe where it previously was displayed.

Romero said the museum has more than 500 charter members from 25 states.

A radio host from the Czech Republic, who was on a Route 66 tour, even visited to host a show from the museum’s digital studio.

“We actually had people calling in from the Czech Republic,” Romero said.

The show was done from a digital radio studio in one of two front window of the museum. Next to it in another window is a display of historic radio equipment, much of it from the now gone Joliet station WAJP. The two together will be an exhibit called “Airwaves to Internet.”

The museum has its own digital radio station that can be found at roadtorockradio.net.