Joliet's New IL Rock & Roll Museum Inducting 1st Hall of Fame

JOLIET, IL — The Rialto Square Theatre is expected to be near capacity for Tuesday night's first-ever induction ceremony of downtown Joliet's new Illinois Rock & Roll Museum. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the Hall of Fame induction show starts at 7 p.m.

The Class of 2020 inductees include:

• REO Speedwagon
• Chicago
• Cheap Trick
• Buddy Guy
• Muddy Waters
• Dick Biondi
• Larry Lujack
• WLS Radio - AM
• Ides of March
• The Buckinghams
• Chess Records

Tuesday night's event will include several live performances on the Rialto's stage.

Five years in the making, the Illinois Rock & Roll Museum is aiming to open before the end of the year at 9 West Cass St. The museum, founded by Ron Romero, celebrates the rich history of Illinois’ music.

"The Illinois Rock & Roll Museum on Route 66 exists to preserve the history of music with Illinois ties while educating visitors about our rich music history," Romero's Facebook page informs fans.

Over the past two weeks, Romero has appeared on most of Chicago's major television and radio stations, talking about his first-ever Hall of Fame inductions at the Illinois Rock & Roll Museum, is located in the heart of downtown Joliet next to Juliet's Tavern.

"It's been great press coverage," Romero told Joliet Patch on Friday.

Romero said it's his understanding there were at least 1,200 tickets already sold, but perhaps a lot more. He said the remaining tickets for Tuesday night's event were $43 and $33. "We were at 1,200 tickets before the press hit," Romero said.

In addition to the Hall of Fame inductees, Tuesday night's event will also include live performances from Buddy Guy's son and daughter, Muddy Waters Jr., Ides of March, New Colony Six, the original lead singer of The Buckinghams and members of The Shadows of Knight.

The Millennials, a Chicago based band that formed in 2015, will also perform at Tuesday night's Hall of Fame ceremony, Romero said.

On Sunday, Romero announced that Kevin Cronin, lead singer of REO Speedwagon, will be coming to the Rialto for Tuesday night's ceremony and perform as well.

"This is a very big, very big, event for us," Romero said Friday. "It's a good fund-raiser. We've been getting a lot of things donated at the museum. It's been awesome."

Because the Illinois Rock N Roll Museum is a non-profit organization, Romero said that donations are still critical as renovations continue inside the building.

The first floor includes a radio station and memorabilia collected from several famous Illinois musicians and bands including Cheap Trick, Buddy Guy, Styx, REO Speedwagon and Chicago. The Illinois Rock & Roll Museum gift shop will also be on the first floor as will a large exhibit area focused on guitars.

The basement of the three-story building has a stage and small auditorium to seat about 85 people for live music concerts. The other area of the basement will be used for music education classes for Joliet area children.

The future museum, which is expected to be a national tourist draw for downtown Joliet, already has 23,200 Facebook followers.

Romero said that several trade unions have donated electrical, plumbing, drywall and carpeting while Omega Plumbing and the IBEW have been fantastic, as has Home Depot.

"Home Depot has been a big help. They've donated so much materials it's been incredible," Romero said.

Romero said he's very pleased with the selections that people made for the first-ever group of Hall of Fame inductees. He said that more than 800 nominations were submitted.

"Eight hundred individuals," Romero said. "You don't think about that many individuals from Illinois until you do the research."