Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Annex Opens in New York With Debbie Harry Bash

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Annex in New York's Soho opened its doors last night with a bang: Visitors took an audio tour of the museum with a little help from wireless headphones before retreating upstairs to a huge loft party. Rolling Stone's Jann S. Wenner gave the opening remarks, and Dave Mason performed the Traffic hit "Feelin Alright." Debbie Harry, in a black beret, belted out "Call Me" and a border-line acoustic version of "Heart of Glass." After making their way down the red carpet, guests such as Jimmy Destri, Les Paul and Run DMC's Darryl McDaniels took turns signing a huge make-shift plywood wall. Click above for our report live from the party's red carpet and below for a virtual tour of some of the museum's coolest artifacts and the story behind the Hall's new branch:

• Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Preps Satellite Museum in New York
• Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Annex: A Guided Tour of New York's New Home of Music History

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Song Stories

“All Along the Watchtower”

The Jimi Hendrix Experience | 1968

Jimi Hendrix got hold of Bob Dylan's early John Wesley Harding tapes and in late 1967 recorded a version of "All Along the Watchtower" with the Experience in London. Dissatisfied with that first development, Hendrix brought those tapes with him to New York in early 1968 when he began work on Electric Ladyland. Eddie Kramer, Hendrix's engineer at the time, told Rolling Stone that Hendrix "was still looked upon by his basically white audience as the mammoth black guitar hero. There was a constant fight within him to expand himself." Hendrix's successful take on Dylan's work has long been recognized by the songwriter. "I liked Jimi Hendrix's record of this and ever since he died I've been doing it that way," Dylan wrote in the liner notes to his Biograph box set. "Strange how when I sing it, I always feel it's a tribute to him in some kind of way."

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