I don’t profess to be a rock-and-roll historian, but like many fans I have strong opinions about who deserves to be enshrined in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The selection process for the Rock Hall has been roundly criticized for its biases, hidden motives and lack of transparency. Critics have roasted the hall for overlooking many major performing acts over the years, especially women. Those flaws must be fixed.
I like the fact that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is tough to get into. It’s a highly selective club like the Baseball Hall of Fame. It’s not a youth soccer league where everybody gets a trophy for participating.
However, to stay relevant and answer its critics, the Rock Hall needs to change. I’d like to see something akin to the Baseball Hall of Fame’s “veterans committee” at the Rock Hall. It would induct older acts with historical significance and influence.
Meanwhile, the main voting block of industry professionals and inductees should concentrate on more recent acts, especially those that are still performing.
The hall needs “fan favorites” to put on a good show every year at the induction ceremony and to keep the hall topical. This in turn helps the physical hall and museum in Cleveland.
The veterans committee would be able to induct acts that were highly influential, but less known by the general public. Those acts likely would include Bad Brains, Kraftwerk, Link Wray, MC5, Procol Harum and Warren Zevon.
What follows is my list of overlooked acts that should be inducted ASAP. My list is weighted toward female acts because they’ve been long ignored. It also is biased toward my personal music preferences, which are mainstream. So, I’ll leave it to the experts to add the heavy metal, hard rock and punk acts, along with hip hop.
My list is in order of preference for induction. The first year of eligibility is in parentheses, based on data from
Future Rock Legends.
- Pat Benatar (2004)
- Whitney Houston (2009)
- LL Cool J (2009)
- INXS (2005)
- The Go-Go’s (2005)
- Carole King (1984)
- Sheryl Crow (2018)
- Boston (2001)
- Foreigner (2002)
- No Doubt (2017)
- The Guess Who (1990)
- Steppenwolf (1993)
- The Doobie Brothers (1996)
- Thin Lizzy (1996)
- Bad Company (1999)
- Eddie Money (2002)
- Joy Division (2003)
- New Order (2006)
- Siouxsie & the Banshees (2003)
- Duran Duran (2006)
- Depeche Mode (2006)
- The Smiths (2008)
- The B-52’s (2004)
- The Psychedelic Furs (2004)
- Eurythmics (2006)
- The J. Geils Band (1995)
- Smashing Pumpkins (2015)
- The Cranberries (2016)
Some thoughts about my top picks:
Acclaimed vocalist Pat Benatar was a major pop rock figure during the MTV music video era. She racked up a slew of hits and is still touring. I think her husband, guitarist Neil Giraldo, should be inducted with her for his contributions to her music.
Whitney Houston is an iconic figure in popular music history. She needs to be inducted pronto. The release of a new Whitney song this summer should put her back in the conversation. The recording is a cover of Steve Winwood’s 1986 hit “Higher Love” remixed by Kygo. (See article by
Rolling Stone.)
This might be the last year for LL Cool J to get inducted into the hall because other big hip-hop artists are coming up for nomination. Jay-Z is likely to be a first-ballot inductee next year, along with the Foo Fighters.
INXS is back in the public consciousness with a new documentary on the tragic death of lead singer Michael Hutchence. That movie, “
Mystify: Michael Hutchence,” has earned rave reviews. (See articles by
Australian Broadcasting Company News and the
Daily Mail.)
The Go-Go’s were a ground-breaking all-woman pop-rock group. Getting those ladies inducted should clear a path for other female bands such as the Runaways, Bananarama, the Bangles and the Spice Girls. Also, a
documentary about the Go-Go’s is airing later this year on Showtime.
The backlog of acts that are deserving of induction to the Rock Hall is making it harder for recently eligible acts to get in. For instance, acts eligible this year include Daft Punk, Marilyn Manson, Notorious B.I.G., Oasis, Sleater-Kinney and Weezer.
The Rock Hall may need to do a catchup year and induct double the usual five to seven artists. Nominations for the 2020 ceremony will be released in October, with inductees announced in December.
Here are some Rock Hall suggestions from hall watchers I follow:
First draft of Rock Hall 2020 ballot predictions. (Alex Voltaire;
June 21, 2019)
Rock Hall: My Predictions For The 2020 Ballot (Zoot Marimba;
April 5, 2019)
All-female acts or female-led groups that deserve to make the Rock Hall ballot (Rock Hall Monitors;
May 27, 2019)
Past nominees ranking: 2019 edition (Rock Hall Monitors;
June 30, 2019)
A Rock and Roll Hall of Fame snub list (Goldmine;
June 15, 2019)
