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Bring down that wall -- the power of rock'n roll. Quotable:

When not practicing diplomacy, Andras Simonyi practices blues-rock on his guitar, just as he did as a teenager.

Hungary's ambassador to the United States is coming to the Rock and Roll of Fame to explain his belief that when rock 'n' roll found its way into his country, it helped spark a yearning for freedom and an eventual end to a communist government.

Simonyi contacted Rock Hall Chief Executive Officer Terry Stewart last May and asked whether there might be interest in what he had to say. Stewart was thrilled. He arranged Simonyi's appearance to an invitation-only audience of about 250, planned for Saturday night at the hall's main stage.

"I think it's a firsthand account from the point of view of someone whose life was changed by this art form," Stewart said. "It's quite exciting for us. It speaks to the influence of this art form called rock 'n' roll and what it has meant to the world since its inception. It's unusual to have someone of this high a rank to say what it has meant personally."

In 1989, the Hungarian Socialist Workers Party - the communist and Soviet-backed controller of Hungary since shortly after World War II - started abdicating power in a peaceful transition. Other Soviet bloc communist regimes in Central and Eastern Europe similarly collapsed.

Simonyi, 51, an economist, is convinced rock music was as key as any political or economic factor involved in the Hungary's change.

Born in Hungary, Simonyi had lived with his family for a few years in Denmark, where he became acquainted with Western-style music. When the family returned to Hungary, he still wanted the music. He found out he was not alone.

"Not only for me but also for other Hungarians of my generation, this became the stuff that really linked us to the free world," he said. "As I listened to this kind of music, I felt I was part of the free world myself."

In a nation where the governing party frowned upon rock music, Simonyi said he and his friends always found a way to gather collections. They would trade or borrow tapes and records smuggled into the country. They also would try to listen to Voice of America, Radio Free Europe and other foreign stations.

"I started out with the Beatles, but then I pretty much moved on," Simonyi said. "I embraced the really exciting and progressive part. I became a great Cream fan and Jimi Hendrix fan. There was one hero that I had, and this was Stevie Winwood, who established the group called Traffic."

In 1969, during a brief easing of government cultural control, Traffic performed in Hungary.

"They came to Hungary 35 years ago and I met Stevie. We had a little chat and I hung out with the rest of the band. Two weeks ago he was playing in Washington, and I met him again and we had a long talk," Simonyi said.

It wasn't the lyrics that were important, but the sound and feel of the music, Simonyi said.

"It was the power of music that was really exciting," Simonyi said. "It was the rock generation of the 1960s that said, 'Listen, we don't like to be separated from Europe, and we don't like this dictatorial system.' That is how I feel about it. Of course, that might not be true for everyone, but for a big part of Hungary, the Czech Republic and Poland, this is definitely the case."