Left on the Outside: Snubbed by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

I really have a love/hate relationship with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. I love it because, as a rock & roll fan, the place is a beautiful enshrinement of all that makes music of the post-World War II era such a diverse and powerful entity. Yet, it’s constant neglect of all the deserving artists who are still awaiting their rightful induction into rock immortality is simply depressing to long-time lovers of all genres of this thing called rock & roll. The whole nomination/election for induction process needs to be overhauled, allowing more of the deserving artists that have been waiting seemingly forever for their enshrinement. Everything about the process just frosts my balls!

Let’s take this year’s list of nominees. Granted, not one name truly jumps off the list as a “can’t-miss” inductee. Yet, after reading the list, you are left scratching your head as to why none of these artists are in the Hall at this time. Take Foreigner, Ozzy Osbourne and Peter Frampton, for example. All three have dominated the charts during the Seventies and Eighties. Foreigner was synonymous with arena rock/classic rock, while Ozzy is the poster child for heavy metal. And Peter Frampton? Jeez, the man only changed the music industry by having the most successful live album, after which the world was hit with an over-abundance of in-concert albums. You would think these three would have been slam dunk inductees years and years ago.

Then, the list has Mariah Carey, one of the most successful artists ever; Cher, who has had a hit song in EVERY decade since the Sixties; Sinéad O’Connor, the bravest artist to ever hit the Studio 8H stage in Saturday Night Live history; and Kool & the Gang, the band that evolved from funkateer hitmakers to quiet storm R&B pillow talk chart toppers.  Then, there’s alt-rockers Jane’s Addiction, rap gods Eric B. & Rakim AND A Tribe Called Quest, fabled jam maestros Dave Matthews Band, R&B/hip hop diva Mary J. Blige, smooth soul jazz crooner Sade, Britpop gods Oasis and rock/soul love hippie Lenny Kravitz. It’s a nomination list in which all listed should be in the Hall of Fame, though my case for Lenny Kravitz might be the weakest of all nominees, except for the fact that my wife thinks he’s hot so she wants him there for the next time we visit the museum.

Physical attraction aside, there are really no set attributes of artists that qualify these rockers according the Hall’s criteria of qualifications. Record sales seem to play a part in the algorithm, as well as critical acclaim, tour grosses, longevity and influence on the future direction of musical trends all play a part. Most of the time, it appears to be something of cronyism that becomes the overriding factor in an act’s election. But then even that, seems to be weak since many of the so-called classic rock artists have been quoted as to only voting for other classic rock artists (so be it, Gene Simmons!), we still are getting well diversified induction classes, which only drives home the diversity of this thing called rock and roll.

Honestly, I believe the list of inductees is selected to draw big numbers on television, lately now on Disney+ with a truncated version of the induction ceremony being broadcast around New Year’s Day on ABC. I understand that need for a great show. However, simply trumpeting the cultural significance of every artist inducted would make for a great show, especially when you have artists of relatively “minor” genres performing next to the so-called legendary acts, both pushing each other to greater musical heights.

Right now, my solution is to start inducting ten acts from the list of nominees each year. In a decade, we could finally induct a good portion of the “snubbed” artists who are listed on Not In The Hall Of Fame’s website (Side note: this people do yeoman’s work by ranking nearly every eligible artist who deserve nomination. The people who vote on this website have nearly 500 artists ranked in order. Is it MY ranking? No, but it is an excellent place to start.). Also, the work of my friends at the website Future Rock Legends are also pushing informed knowledge behind all artists in the Hall as well as those deserving of induction. If you are interested in this topic, those are the first two sites to visit.

Let me begin this little series of bitching about the Rock Hall with a list of rock pioneers, musicians who were passed over during their original eligibility time, producers, engineers, business people, DJs/VJs, rock journalists and the like, who all should be inducted. If the Rock Hall were conducted like the sports halls, these people would all be given to a “veterans committee” to determine if and when they are inducted. The Hall currently uses awards entitled Musical Excellence and Contributor in order to justify their induction. My list is in NO way a complete list, but it is a pretty thorough list of names who need to be honored. I have listed them in alphabetical order with a parenthetical statement that describes their area of influence.

1. Afrika Bambaataa (rapper, hip hop artist and DJ)
2. Alan Hunter (one of the five original MTV VJs)
3. Amos Milburn (Blues singer and pianist)
4. Ben E. King (R&B singer)
5. Big Mama Thornton (R&B/Blues singer)
6. Bing Crosby (pop crooner)
7. Blind Lemon Jefferson (Blues/Gospel singer/songwriter and musician)
8. Buchanan & Goodman (pioneers of the “break-in” novelty record)
9. Cab Calloway (jazz singer and bandleader)
10. Cameron Crowe (rock journalist and author)
11. Casey Kasem (DJ, creator of American Top 40 radio program)
12. Celia Cruz (Cuban singer)
13. Charlie Parker (jazz saxophonist)
14. Chuck Willis (Blues/R&B/rock & roll singer)
15. Cliff Richard & the Shadows (biggest pre-Beatles UK rock & roll artist)
16. Count Basie (jazz pianist and organist)
17. Dave Marsh (rock critic and author)
18. Dick Dale (surf rock guitarist)
19. Dizzy Gillespie (jazz trumpeter and bandleader)
20. Django Reinhart (jazz guitarist and composer)
21. Duke Ellington (jazz trumpeter and bandleader)
22. Eddie Lang (“Father of Jazz Guitar”)
23. Ella Fitzgerald (jazz singer)
24. Emmylou Harris (country/Americana singer/songwriter)
25. Esther Phillips (R&B singer)
26. Fela Kuti (Nigerian musician who is the “Father of Afrobeat”)
27. Frank Sinatra (American singer)
28. George Jones (country artist)
29. Glen Campbell (country artist and guitarist in Wrecking Crew)
30. Glenn Miller Orchestra (American big band and jazz band)
31. Gram Parsons (singer/songwriter/guitar who was instrumental in the development of Americana music)
32. Greil Marcus (rock critic and author)
33. Herbie Hancock (jazz keyboardist)
34. Ivory Joe Hunter (R&B singer/songwriter/pianist)
35. Jaan Uhelszki (rock critic)
36. Jacques Brel (Belgian singer)
37. JJ Jackson (DJ and original MTV VJ)
38. John Cage (composer and musical theorist)
39. John Coltrane (jazz saxophonist)
40. Johnny Ace (R&B singer)
41. Karlheinz Stockhausen (German electronic composer)
42. Kris Kristofferson (country singer/songwriter)
43. Kurt Loder (rock critic and MTV News anchor)
44. Kurtis Blow (rap/hip hop pioneer)
45. Lester Bangs (rock critic and author)
46. Lightin’ Hopkins (country blues singer/songwriter/guitarist)
47. Lisa Robinson (rock critic and author)
48. Lonny Donegan (British singer/songwriter/musician known in UK as the “King of Skiffle”)
49. Loretta Lynn (country singer/songwriter)
50. Mark Goodman (DJ and original MTV VJ)
51. Martha Quinn (DJ and original MTV VJ)
52. Memphis Minnie (also known as Kansas Joe McCoy; Delta blues guitarist)
53. Merle Haggard (country singer/songwriter)
54. Mississippi John Hurt (country blues singer/songwriter/guitarist)
55. Nina Blackwood (original MTV VJ)
56. Odetta (folk singer/songwriter known as the “Voice of the Civil Rights Movement”)
57. Patsy Cline (country singer)
58. Ravi Shankar (Indian sitarist/composer)
59. Robert Christgau (rock critic)
60. Roy Acuff (country singer/fiddler)
61. Roy Brown (blues singer)
62. Sarah Vaughan (jazz singer/pianist)
63. Scott Joplin (jazz composer/pianist known as the “King of Ragtime”)
64. Screamin’ Jay Hawkins (blues/R&B singer/songwriter, often referred to as the originator of “shock rock”)
65. Serge Gainsbourg (French singer/songwriter)
66. Son House (Delta blue singer/guitarist)
67. Sonny Boy Williamson II (blues harmonica player/singer)
68. The Carter Family (family musical group who influenced bluegrass, country and folk musics)
69. The Clovers (R&B/doo wop vocal group)
70. The Crew Cuts (Canadian vocal/doo wop group)
71. The Dominos (R&B vocal quartet)
72. The Four Freshmen (vocal quartet)
73. The Funk Brothers (Motown’s session musicians)
74. The Immediate Family (LA session musicians in Seventies and Eighties)
75. The Kingston Trio (folk/pop group)
76. The Mills Brothers (vocal group who were first African American artists to have a national radio program)
77. The Ravens (R&B vocal group)
78. The Weavers (folk music quartet)
79. The Wrecking Crew (LA session musicians of Fifties and Sixties)
80. Thelonious Monk (jazz pianist)
81. Tom Lehrer (singer/songwriter/satirist/mathematician)
82. Townes Van Zandt (singer/songwriter)
83. W.C. Handy (composer/musician who combined aspects of the blues with ragtime jazz; self-proclaimed “Father of the Blues”)
84. Wanda Jackson (country/gospel/rock singer/songwriter/guitarist known as the “Queen of Rockabilly”)
85. Waylon Jennings (country singer/songwriter)
86. Wendy Carlos (electronic musician/composer)
87. Wynonie Harris (blues singer)

Yet another area of rock and roll that has been neglected over the years by the Hall has been backing groups of artists who have inducted. Back in 2012, the Hall started to correct this oversight by inducting the following backup bands: The Blue Caps (Gene Vincent), The Comets (Bill Haley), The Crickets (Buddy Holly), The Famous Flames (James Brown), The Midnighters (Hank Ballard) and The Miracles (Smokey Robinson). Then, in 2014, one of the most famous backing bands of all-time, Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band were finally inducted. The problem is that the Hall has forgotten once again to take care of this neglect in recent years. Once again, I have come to the rescue with a list of backup bands were deserve recognition sooner more than later.

1. Big Brother and the Holding Company (Janis Joplin)
2. Crazy Horse (Neil Young)
3. Patti Smith Group (Patti Smith)
4. The Attractions (Elvis Costello)
5. The Belmonts (Dion)
6. The Imposters (Elvis Costello)
7. The JB’s (James Brown)
8. The Mothers of Invention (Frank Zappa)
9. The New Power Generation (Prince)
10. The Revolution (Prince)
11. The Silver Bullet Band (Bob Seger)
12. The Spiders from Mars (David Bowie)
13. The Tennessee Three (Johnny Cash)
14. The Wailers (Bob Marley)
15. Wings (Paul McCartney)

And a case could be made from John Mellencamp’s backing band members from throughout his career, even though they never really had an official name. And while I’m at this, Mellencamp’s backing band is not the only group of musicians who backed up various artists, such as The Immediate Family (also known as The Section when they backed up James Taylor’s Seventies tours) who backed up everyone from Jackson Browne and Carole King to Stevie Nicks and Warren Zevon, among many others. In those cases, which includes The Funk Brothers from Motown and The Wrecking Crew (who played with The Monkees, Frank Sinatra, The Grass Roots, The Beach Boys, The Association, in addition to tens of other famous artists), I included them on the previous list for Musical Excellence and Contributors.

Later, I plan to rank 100 artists according to their sales, influence, critical praise and their effect on me. That list might trigger many of you, so make sure you add your voice to this topic. If the groundswell is large enough, maybe we can pressure the Hall to get off their collective pompous ass to move to complete the story of rock and roll’s history and timeline.