http://www.albumcoverhalloffame.com/

RockPoP Gallery, Wilmette, IL (2024)

10/07/2021

Hello all - after 17+ years on FB, I've decided to delete my profile from the platform (and from Instagram) as I don't believe that this company has my best interests in mind any longer.
It was fun when it started, but now it's out of control and they seem disinterested in keeping crap off of the platform, so I'm off to greener pastures.
If anyone wants to get hold of me, please send me an email or visit me on the AlbumCoverHallofFame.com site (where you can sign up for my regular posts) or on Linkedin, where I'll keep a profile.
I hope that you'll all re-consider whether using this service is worth what you're giving them to use it.
Best wishes - Mike G

10/01/2021

Just posted for your beginning of October, early Autumn reading pleasure – here’s a summary of all the news I’ve found this past month about album cover artists, their work and related activities. There are updated stories about new and ongoing museum and gallery exhibitions, works and books for sale, auctions, interviews (inc. some live events), podcasts, etc.

As always, there’s quite a bit to peak your interest on a wide range of entertaining topics, so please put aside your daily responsibilities for a moment, put down your phones (unless it’s how you choose to view web content) and click on over to the ACHOF to view the latest summary - https://albumcoverhalloffame.wordpress.com/2021/10/01/album-cover-hall-of-fame-news-update-and-link-summary-for-october-2021/

Enjoy the read, and please feel free to share this with your friends and other fans of the art of the album cover (and news about the people that make it). Stay well, stay safe and let’s stay in touch.
Mike G

Read on to see this month’s summary of these articles, posts and announcements I’ve gathered recently regarding all things regarding album cover artists and the art they produce. Their work – and o…

09/02/2021

Posted yesterday for your beginning of September, pre-Labor Day (here in the US) end-of-Summer reading pleasure – here’s a summary of all the news I’ve found this past month about album cover artists, their work and related activities. There are updated stories about new museum and gallery exhibitions, works for sale, auctions, interviews (inc. some live events), podcasts, etc. As always, there’s more than a handful of interesting and entertaining items that I’m sure you’ll enjoy, so take a moment from your getting the kids back to school (safely, I hope) responsibilities (If you’re still doing that sort of thing) and click on over to the ACHOF to view the latest summary -
https://albumcoverhalloffame.wordpress.com/2021/09/01/album-cover-hall-of-fame-news-update-and-link-summary-for-september-2021/
Enjoy the read, and please feel free to share this with your friends and other fans of the art of the album cover (and news about the people that make it). Stay well, stay safe and let’s stay in touch.
Mike G

this month’s edition of the ACHOF News Update and Summary is still rather chock-full includes the album cover artist/art news and updates you’ve come to expect in these monthly summaries. What fol…

08/18/2021

ACHOF Breaking News Items - hello all. Just published a Breaking News summary with the details of three items that just couldn't wait until next month's summary. One's about a new album cover art book project that's looking for some support (and deserving of that support, if you ask me!). The next item is about a new auction that I told you I'd tell you about (running today thru Sunday) and the last item give you a head's up about one of rock music's biggest institutions - the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame & Museum - launching a new online store where you'll find some really-compelling collectibles.
Click on over to https://albumcoverhalloffame.wordpress.com/2021/08/18/achof-breaking-news-update-for-august-18th-2021/ for all the news.
Back to you again early next month with my next ACHOF News Summary. Until then, enjoy your Summer.
Mike G

Album Cover Hall Of Fame’s Breaking News Update for August 18th, 2021 By Mike Goldstein, AlbumCoverHallofFame.com Here are a few rather-timely items that I want to share with you: a) Author R…

08/13/2021

ACHOF Breaking News - If you either live in the NYC area or will be visiting sometime between next Monday, the 16th of August and next Friday the 20th, have I got an exciting bit of news for you!
Our friends at the Universal Hip Hop Museum - as part of the NYC Homecoming Week celebrations - will be sponsoring a series of four FREE concerts - Monday in the Bronx, Tuesday on Staten Island, Thursday in Brooklyn and Friday in Queens - starring an amazing cast of hip-hop and funk legends, including Grandmaster Melle Mel, Grand Wizzard Theodore, Soul Sonic Force, Raekwon & Ghostface Killah, Big Daddy Kane, George Clinton and the P-Funk Allstars...the list goes on and on and on. It's your chance to see many of the originators of rap and hip-hop in action, so why not take a moment and click on over to the UHHM site at https://uhhm.org/homecoming2021/ to learn more and to reserve your tix for these historical events.
Congrats to Rocky and all of the talented and dedicated people working hard to bring this new museum venue to life!

The Universal Hip Hop Museum, “The Official Record of Hip Hop,” commemorates and celebrates the 48th anniversary of the birth of the culture with a

07/23/2021

For your weekend reading pleasure - want to know what goes into making those very-enticing box sets and special/limited-edition packages we're seeing more and more of these days? I spoke to two of the best in that business - Sony Music Entertainment's Dave Bett and Frank Harkins - to learn more about a topic that is truly a balance of smart business and creative choices, with the resulting products finding themselves adding more weight to my shelving units than I'd care to admit as of late... Enjoy the read (liberally illustrated, too) and please share with your friends.

https://albumcoverhalloffame.wordpress.com/2021/07/23/an-achof-conversation-with-frank-harkins-and-dave-bett-from-sony-music-entertainment/

Knowing several of the key players at the labels that have won accolades for their box sets and reaching deep into my Rolodex (kids, ask your parents), I contacted the two people at Sony Music who …

07/16/2021

ACHOF Breaking News/Reminders for July 16, 2021

As we enter into the final weekend of my youth (I turn 65 next week and become an official “senior citizen” – OMG!), I find it necessary to prove to you all that I can still function pretty well mentally and will do so by reminding you of one thing that I’ve previously written about – i.e., the premiere on Friday of the six-episode series ICON: Music Through The Lens which will showcase many of the people who’ve created our favorite and most-memorable music-industry images – and also make you aware of a unique opportunity to bid in “timed-auction” style on a collection of David Bowie-related art from the personal portfolio of Edward Bell, the artist who created the fascinating artwork and production elements used to package the Scary Monsters (& Super Creeps) record for Bowie in 1980 and for Tin Machine II – released in 1991 by the band he was a member of.

Click here to read the release - https://albumcoverhalloffame.wordpress.com/2021/07/15/achof-breaking-news-reminders-for-july-16-2021/

Enjoy the weekend.

Posted July 16, 2021 by Mike Goldstein, AlbumCoverHallofFame.com As we enter into the final weekend of my youth (I turn 65 next week and become an official “senior citizen” – OMG!), I find it neces…

07/01/2021

Just posted for your beginning of July/Canada Day/Independence Day weekend reading pleasure – here’s a summary of all the news I’ve found this past month about album cover artists, their work and related activities.

There are updated stories about album art/packaging award shows, new exhibitions, works for sale, auctions, interviews, podcast events, etc. As always, there are a number of other interesting items that I’m sure you’ll enjoy, so take a moment from your BBQ-related responsibilities and click on over to the ACHOF to view the latest summary -

https://albumcoverhalloffame.wordpress.com/2021/07/01/album-cover-hall-of-fame-news-update-and-link-summary-for-july-2021/

Enjoy the read, and please feel free to share this with your friends and other fans of the art of the album cover (and news about the people that make it). Stay well, stay safe and let’s stay in touch.

Mike G

Early Summer greetings to you all from Chicagoland – where it’s not 115 degrees in the shade, thank goodness – and welcome to this month’s edition of the ACHOF News Update and Summary.

06/14/2021

Just wanted to say "thanks" to all of you who visited Backstage Auctions' sale of some of my art collection. If you nabbed something for yourself, I hope that you enjoy your new artwork. It was sad to see things go, but I knew they'd find happy homes.

06/11/2021

Hello there - just wanted to remind you that the art auction being that's built around my rock art/photography collection is ending this Sunday, June 13th (check the Backstage Auctions site for times) - https://www.backstageauctions.com/catalog/auction.php

You'll find nearly 600 lots - many of them unique/hard-to-find - along with many very affordable items (for example, there are over 100 items with starting bids of $35 or less. Take a look at this list - https://www.backstageauctions.com/catphotos/editorfiles/Great%20Deals%20Under%20$35%20Bucks.pdf ).

Over the next few days, I do hope that you’ll take a look, share the info with your friends and family and, even better, take a piece of me home (there have been many people who’ve wanted a piece of me over the years, so now’s their chance)!

As always, thanks for your interest and support. Happy bidding!

Mike Goldstein, AlbumCoverHallofFame.com

Exclusive and authenticated rock and roll collectibles from Backstage Auctions, source of vintage collectibles and memorabilia.

06/01/2021

Just posted for your beginning of June reading pleasure – here’s a summary of all the news I’ve found this past month about album cover artists, their work and related activities. There are updated stories about album art/packaging award shows, new exhibitions, works for sale, auctions (including one of intense personal interest), interviews, podcast events, etc. As always, there are a number of other interesting items that I’m sure you’ll enjoy while we’re emerging slowly-but-surely from our COVID-free caves to bravely face the partially-vaccinated outside world:

Link to post on the ACHOF site - https://albumcoverhalloffame.wordpress.com/2021/06/01/album-cover-hall-of-fame-news-update-and-link-summary-for-june-2021/

Enjoy the read, and please feel free to share this with your friends and other fans of the art of the album cover (and news about the people that make it). I’m going back to work on my outstanding interviews and paper on box sets and watching the Backstage Auctions site, hoping that collectors are eager to take home a work or two from my personal collection – what better way to share in our love of album art and the people that make it?

Enjoy your day, stay well and let’s stay in touch.
Mike G

What you’ll find below is a reasonably-tight summary of the the articles/posts/announcements I found regarding all things album cover artist and art. Work on album packages continues unabated, givi…

05/28/2021

Posted today for your weekend reading pleasure - Another sign of Spring’s arrival is my yearly announcement that I’ve been able to speak with one of this year’s Grammy winners in the Packaging Category – designer Lawrence Azerrad, the winner (along with his collaborator, Chicago’s own Jeff Tweedy) of this year’s Grammy Award for Best Box/Special Limited-Edition package for the work done on Wilco’s Ode To Joy set – and have just shared this interview on the ACHOF site - https://albumcoverhalloffame.wordpress.com/2021/05/28/interview-with-lawrence-azerrad-about-his-grammy-award-winning-vinyl-package-for-wilcos-ode-to-joy/
I think you'll find the conversation both insightful and illustrative of just how good record packaging can get when two really talented and passionate people team up to deliver something new and exciting to fans.
I'll be back to you early next week with my monthly news update so, until then, enjoy your weekend(s).
Mike G

To do that well, there must be an effective collaboration between the design teams and their clients, with the best examples of those successful collaborations garnering positive critical/fan revie…

04/30/2021

Just posted for your early May reading pleasure – here’s a summary of all the news I’ve found this past month about album cover artists, their work and related activities. There are updated stories about new album art/packaging exhibitions, award shows, works for sale, auctions (inc. ones for some classic images), interviews, podcast events, etc. As always, there are a number of other interesting items that I’m sure you’ll enjoy while we’re slowly emerging from our self-imposed exiles (I GOT MY SHOTS – DID YOU GET YOURS?) some day soon.

Link to main page on ACHOF site - https://albumcoverhalloffame.wordpress.com/2021/04/30/album-cover-hall-of-fame-news-update-and-link-summary-for-may-2021/

Enjoy the read, and please feel free to share this with your friends and other fans of the art of the album cover (and news about the people that make it). I’m hoping to share my two latest interviews some time later this month (and, with any luck, more news about the auction of my record art collection), so I’ll be working hard to visit again with you soon and share the links to these items.

Enjoy your day, stay well and let’s stay in touch.
Mike G

Album Cover Hall of Fame News Update and Link Summary for May 2021 Posted April 30, 2021 by Mike Goldstein, AlbumCoverHallofFame.com Greetings to you all from our on-again/off-again Spring season i…

04/23/2021

ACHOF Breaking News Update for April 23, 2021 - Looking for a good way to invest your latest stimulus check besides NFTs, crypto-currencies or short-squeezing stocks? I'd invite you to consider the selection of items up for auction that I've included in today's post -https://albumcoverhalloffame.wordpress.com/2021/04/23/achof-breaking-news-update-for-april-23-2021/
Happy bidding and enjoy your weekend!
Mike G

Looking for a good way to invest your latest stimulus check besides NFTs, crypto-currencies or short-squeezing stocks? Consider these items: 1) The original painting by commercial artist/designer G…

03/31/2021

Just posted for your April Fool’s week reading pleasure – here’s a summary of all the news I’ve found this past month about album cover artists, their work and related activities. There are updated stories about album art/packaging award shows, new exhibitions, works for sale, auctions, interviews, podcast events, etc., and as an added bonus, I’m sharing some excerpts from a recent conversation I had with two-time ACHOF inductee Dean Torrence concerning a recent design project that involved some monkee business along the way (that’s not a misspelling).

As always, there are a number of other interesting items that I’m sure you’ll enjoy while we’re waiting to emerge from our caves some day soon.

Link to main page on ACHOF site - https://albumcoverhalloffame.wordpress.com/2021/03/31/album-cover-hall-of-fame-news-update-and-link-summary-for-april-2021/

Enjoy the read, and please feel free to share this with your friends and other fans of the art of the album cover (and news about the people that make it). I’m hoping to share some newer articles that I just didn’t have time to finish for this update, so I’ll get back to you soon with a few more things to take a look at.

Have a great day, stay safe and sane, and let’s stay in touch.
Mike G

Album Cover Hall of Fame News Update and Link Summary for April 2021 Posted right around April 1, 2021 by Mike Goldstein, AlbumCoverHallofFame.com Spring Greetings to you all from Chicagoland. The …

03/14/2021

The winners of the 2020 Grammy Awards in the three packaging categories have just been announced - read the exciting details on my Breaking News page -

https://albumcoverhalloffame.wordpress.com/2021/03/14/achof-breaking-news-here-are-the-winners-of-the-2020-grammy-awards-for-packaging/

Congratulations to the winners for jobs well done!

ACHOF Breaking News – Here Are The Winners of the 2020 Grammy Awards for Packaging Posted 3/14/21 by Mike Goldstein, AlbumCoverHallofFame.com 2020 Gr…

03/09/2021

In advance of this weekend’s Grammy Awards activities, I want to share some info on just three of the many bits of specially-produced programming that should be of interest to fans of music and art and all of the trappings that surround it. If you click on over to my most-recent posting on the ACHOF site, you’ll learn more about: a) a special virtual concert event (Music On A Mission) that will be streamed live this Friday, March 12, with ticket proceeds donated in support of the Recording Academy’s very fine MusiCares charities; b) an auction (currently running) in which you can bid on many unique/autographed items donated by Grammy noms/winners past and present (including some original album cover art), with proceeds benefiting the Grammy Museum Foundation and c) this weekend’s live stream of the Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony during which the awards will be handed out in the three packaging-related categories (“Best Recording Package”, “Best Boxed Or Special Limited Edition Package” and “Best Album Notes”).

https://albumcoverhalloffame.wordpress.com/2021/03/09/achof-breaking-grammy-week-news-update-for-march-9-2021/

Please feel free to share this information with anyone you think who might be interested in taking in all of the glamour, pageantry and artistry that will be on display as part of this year’s 63rd Grammy Awards presentations. See you there.

ACHOF Breaking Grammy Week News Update for March 9, 2021 by Mike Goldstein, AlbumCoverHallofFame.com SPECIAL UPDATE 3/9/21 – MUSICARES EVENT) Just prior to the ai…

03/02/2021

Just posted for your anytime-is-a-good-time reading pleasure – here’s a summary of all the news I’ve found this past month about album cover artists, their work and related activities. There are updated stories about album art/packaging award shows, new exhibitions, works for sale, auctions, interviews, podcast events, etc., and as always, there are a number of other interesting items that I’m sure will help you spend whatever time we have left locked indoors learning something useful (and enjoying yourselves while you wait for the food deliveries):

Link to main page on ACHOF site - https://albumcoverhalloffame.wordpress.com/2021/03/01/album-cover-hall-of-fame-news-update-and-link-summary-for-march-2021/

Shortlink – https://wp.me/p15kTT-Tp

Enjoy the read, and please feel free to share this with your friends and other fans of the art of the album cover (and news about the people that make it). There were a few stories that I didn’t have time to prep for this update, so I’ll get back to you soon with a few more things to take a look at.

Enjoy your day, and let’s stay in touch.
Mike G

Album Cover Hall of Fame News Update and Link Summary for March 2021 Posted March 1, 2021 by Mike Goldstein, AlbumCoverHallofFame.com Hello again from Chicagoland, where…

02/26/2021

For your weekend reading pleasure - I've just updated my article on the recent Making Vinyl Packaging Awards ceremonies to now include info on all of the winners and runner-ups and, just to give you a headache, I've added a selection of hastily-shot photos of some of the winning entries as I saw them zip by on my computer screen (it was a rapidly-paced presentation, for sure).
https://albumcoverhalloffame.wordpress.com/2021/02/24/achof-breaking-news-update-for-february-24-2021/

There's also a link on the page where you can watch a recording of the entire presentation as well.
Also - just a quick reminder - Lynyrd Skynyrd drummer and visual artist extraordinaire Michael Cartellone is auctioning off a portrait he did of the late Lynyrd Skynyrd lead singer Ronnie Van Zant to raise money/awareness for the Concert Support Community charity (“the largest professionally led nonprofit network of cancer support worldwide”) - https://www.goldminemag.com/collector-resources/ronnie-van-zant-portrait-by-lynyrd-skynyrd-drummer-michael-cartellone-set-for-auction

Bid are now being accepted (with an opening bid $200) on this work through March 8th at https://www.biddingowl.com/Auction/item-detail.cfm?auctionID=25571&ItemID=956345&viewType=1&style=1&font=0&catName=Antiques%20and%20Art

This one-of-a-kind print is perfect for any art collector or rock music enthusiast. This portrait of one of the founding members of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Ronnie Van Zant, was created by current Lynyrd Skynyrd drummer, Michael Cartellone. This giclée portrait (a digitally reproduced fine art print) is unf...

02/24/2021

ACHOF Breaking News Update for February 24, 2021

At a ceremony hosted on Zoom by renowned album cover art director Craig Braun, the producers and judges for the 4th annual Making Vinyl Packaging Awards announced the winners in each of the 16 categories included in the competition, with the top prize – the “Best In Show” award (formerly known as the “Alex Steinweiss Award”, named after the legendary “father of the modern album cover”) – going to Matt D’Amico (VP of Global Marketing and Product Development for Universal Music Enterprises – UME) and his team for their work on the humongous Flaming Pie Archive Collection Collector’s Edition box set for Paul McCartney.

I hope to have more info and insights for you soon, including the details on the winners and runners up in all 16 categories but, in the meantime, three cheers for Matt/UME for this crowning achievement.

https://albumcoverhalloffame.wordpress.com/2021/02/24/achof-breaking-news-update-for-february-24-2021/

ACHOF Breaking News Update for February 24, 2021 by Mike Goldstein, AlbumCoverHallofFame.com At a ceremony hosted on Zoo…

02/12/2021

JUST POSTED for your weekend reading pleasure – A special mid-month Valentine’s Day weekend update – some things just can’t wait! Here are some timely examples that represent my efforts to show my readers just how much their happiness means to me:

Shortlink - https://wp.me/p15kTT-SA

https://albumcoverhalloffame.wordpress.com/2021/02/12/achof-breaking-news-update-february-12-2021/

That’s all for now – see you again in a few weeks with more in my monthly news summary.

Album Cover Hall of Fame’s Breaking News Update for Valentine’s Day weekend, 2021 Posted 2/12/2021 by Mike Goldstein, Album Cover Hall o…