There is symmetry to the upcoming induction of Bon Jovi into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame April 14 in Cleveland.

In July, 1986, Bon Jovi, one of the original hair bands of the 1980s, released “You Give Love a Bad Name” as the lead single off the group’s Slippery When Wet album, jump-starting a career that was in danger of being short-circuited by two mediocre albums that had only produced one notable hit.

Two months earlier, Cleveland had prevailed over Memphis, New York City, and other cities to become the home of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.

Rock ’n’ roll and a city were changed within those two months in 1986. Bon Jovi has gone on to sell more than 120 million albums during a 35-year career. The Rock Hall has thrived in Cleveland, pumping nearly $200 million into the city’s economy in 2017 alone.

At 7:30 p.m. Saturday, the successes of Bon Jovi and the Rock Hall will be celebrated inside Cleveland’s Public Auditorium. Bon Jovi headlines this year’s hall of fame class, which also includes the Cars, Dire Straits, the Moody Blues, and Nina Simone. Sister Rosetta Tharpe will also be honored for her contributions to rock ’n’ roll. This will be the fifth time that Cleveland has hosted the induction ceremony, but the city is promising to make it the biggest party yet.

Cleveland: The rock ‘n’ roll city

When the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation began searching for a permanent home in 1986, Cleveland was included on a short list because it was the home to Alan Freed, a former Cleveland DJ credited with coining the term “rock ’n’ roll.” His Moondog Coronation Ball in 1952 is believed to be the first rock concert.

It helped that city and civic leaders lobbied hard for the hall to be built in Cleveland, pledging to raise $65 million toward constructing the $92 million building. But the community fervently rallied behind the effort, inking 600,000 signatures during a petition drive and winning a USA Today poll in 1986 about where the museum should be located.

On March 20, Rock Hall executives released a study by Tourism Economics that showed that the hall drew 568,000 visitors in 2017, with those visitors spending an average of $349,000 per day on hotels, restaurants, and other amenities.

“It really is a unique one-of-a-kind worldwide destination” Destination Cleveland CEO and President David Gilbert told The Blade. “The Rock Hall has really proven now a quarter-century of sustainability and growth.”

Bon Jovi: The New Jersey kids

Jon Bon Jovi was writing and singing jingles for a New York radio station in 1983 when a DJ got a hold of a song he wrote, “Runaway,” that eventually began to get wide airplay on the station. After that early success, Bon Jovi pieced together the band that would become Bon Jovi: Richie Sambora, Alec John Such, Tico Torres, David Bryan, and, of course, Bon Jovi.

The band’s 1984 self-titled debut included “Runaway,” but no other significant hits. “Only Lonely” was the highest charting single (No. 54) off of 7800 Degrees Fahrenheit, and Bon Jovi has said in multiple interviews that he feared the loss of the band’s recording contract.

But the turnaround was dramatic with 1986’s Slippery When Wet, which produced megahits “You Give Love a Bad Name,” “Livin’ on a Prayer,” “Wanted Dead of Alive,” and “Never Say Goodbye.” The album has sold more than 12 million albums in the U.S. and 28 million worldwide.

“They’re just a commercial juggernaut, and their songs just don’t go away,” Rolling Stone magazine senior writer Andy Greene told The Blade. “You go to any karaoke bar in the world, you will hear ‘Livin’ on a Prayer’ within about 10 minutes of stepping in the door. ... They’ve proven the haters wrong and the cynics by just putting out these songs that just do not go away.”

The Cars: An Ohio connection

Though few people realize it, Cars vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and songwriter Ric Ocasek grew up in the Cleveland area and briefly attended Bowling Green State University. He met eventual Cars bassist Benjamin Orr at one of Orr’s Cleveland gigs. The men played in bands in Columbus and Ann Arbor. After leaving the area, the pair eventually teamed up with Elliot Easton, Greg Hawkes, and David Robinson to form The Cars.

Success was immediate, with the group’s self-titled debut selling more than 6 million albums after it was released in 1978.

“That album was kind of groundbreaking. It was a different sound,” said Matt Donahue, a lecturer in the pop culture department at Bowling Green State University. “They were really at the forefront of doing crossover rock, pop, new wave, and more synthesizer-based music.”

It is tough to appreciate their contribution until reviewing a list of major hits they have had throughout their career, including “Tonight She Comes,” “You Might Think,” “Magic,” and “Shake It Up.”

“They were never the coolest group. They were never the best live band, but they just pumped out these hits that have proven to be enduring,” Greene said.

Dire Straits: British invasion

Mark Knopfler was teaching English literature in England in the late 1970s when he put together a pub band with younger brother David, David’s roommate John Illsley, and Pick Withers. A London DJ heard a demo for “Sultans of Swing,” written by Mark Knopfler, and put it in rotation, leading to a record deal.

Dire Straits received airplay in the U.S. for “Sultans of Swing,” but the group exploded in the States with the release of “Money for Nothing,” which was propelled to the top of the charts by a computer-animated video put in heavy rotation by MTV.

“The thing that strikes me about Bon Jovi, The Cars, and Dire Straits is that all three of those artists certainly had their careers pushed to the forefront by MTV,” BGSU’s Donahue said. “The video for ‘Money for Nothing’ was groundbreaking for them. What most people don’t realize about that video is that it was really critical of MTV. It’s basically two average Joes looking at a TV and saying these guys are on MTV and just making money for nothing.”

The single and video opened the floodgates to commercial success. The album it was on, Brothers in Arms, sold more than 30 million copies worldwide and included the megahit “Walk of Life.”

The transformative, enduring Moody Blues

Few acts in the music business can match the longevity of the Moody Blues, which began recording in 1964. In 1966, Ray Thomas, Mike Pinder, Graeme Edge, John Lodge, and Justin Hayward revolutionized rock by mixing in orchestrations throughout tracks on Days of Future Passed, including one of the most successful singles of all time, “Nights in White Satin.”

“Before King Crimson, before Yes, before Genesis, there was the Moody Blues. They were a super ambitious group for their time — the way they incorporated symphonies and their concept record,” Greene said. “Fifty years later, they are still touring and playing to huge crowds. I think if they hadn’t existed, rock would’ve evolved in very different ways in the ’70s and beyond. They really laid the groundwork for the prog that followed.”

In 1986, the Moody Blues reinvented themselves yet again with The Other Side of Life, which leaned on the synthesizer-based rock music of the day and produced the hit “Your Wildest Dreams.”

‘High Priestess of Soul’ & ‘Godmother of Rock’

Nina Simone and Sister Rosetta Tharpe are the only acts who will be honored posthumously. Simone died in 2003, Tharpe in 1973.

Simone was considered the best jazz singer of her day but embraced the ethos of rock and roll: rebellion. She was a leading voice during the Civil Rights era.

“Nina Simone is the most rebellious figure of all the inductees. She took a stance on social and civil rights causes,” Donahue said.

“But she’s also one of the greatest singers of all time,” Greene added. “People will say, ‘Oh, it’s not rock, it’s not rock’ ... ‘Rock’ is a loose term, and she was a rock star and there is just no way around that. It’s all part of the rock family tree.”

There was no doubting Tharpe’s impact on rock ’n’ roll. She is credited with influencing Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Little Richard, and Jerry Lee Lewis. Her driving, howling, bluesy guitar licks were revolutionary.

“She was really cool because she was out front and also out front playing the electric guitar,” Donahue said. “Sister Rosetta Tharpe was at the forefront of breaking this gospel, blues, and rhythm and blues sound. She is an amazing choice.”

Rock ’n’ roll’s night to shine

The Rock Hall has sponsored numerous events around Cleveland over the past week, including concerts, a fireworks show, and special hours at the museum. On Thursday of this week, members of the Moody Blues will speak on stage at the Rock Hall. Friday will include the unveiling of a new exhibit for the 2018 inductees. A complete list of events can be found at rockhall.com.

But Saturday night will be a special night in Rock Hall history. For the first time in more than five years, the original Bon Jovi lineup will be together again as Sambora and Such return to play with their bandmates.

The Cars and Moody Blues will also perform, though the anticipation of the performance by the Moody Blues was dampened by the death of founder Thomas, who died unexpectedly in January at his England home. The Cars’ Orr died in 2000 of pancreatic cancer. Some, including Greene, wonder if The Cars’ performance on Saturday may be the last for the group.

Over the years, some have questioned the importance of being inducted into a hall of fame, but the induction ceremony has produced magical moments, including Paul McCartney backed by Bruce Springsteen on “Let It Be” in 1999. In 2004, Prince, Tom Petty, Steve Winwood, and others jammed on stage to “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.”

“Cynical people about the ceremony still show up, and they get misty-eyed. You can watch Eric Clapton’s speech about Cream in 1993. He said he didn’t really care until they started rehearsing, and then he realized how important [the induction] was,” Greene said. “I think the artists themselves have established it as something that does matter.”

Contact Brian Dugger at bdugger@theblade.com or on Twitter @DuggerBlade.

First Published April 7, 2018, 12:30 p.m.