It’s hard to believe but I wrapped up my inaugural Rock Hall Prospects Project nearly a year ago. In that Project, I ranked the 100 artists that were not only the most worthy of induction but also the ones most likely to receive a nomination. I spend much of 2020 writing and editing the blogs for that series and to call it an ambitious project is certainly an understatement. I wrote a series of 100 artist-specific entries, each one ranging from 400-500 words, that made a case for why those artists should be considered for a Rock Hall nomination (and eventually an induction). Including the Introduction blog, I wrote over 55,000 words which is the length of a novella. It was, in many ways, a labor of love and I’m incredibly proud of my work in that project.
With the 2022 nomination cycle quickly approaching, I wanted to revise the rankings in the aftermath of the 2021 induction ceremony. In short, I had no choice but to do so. I finished the project a few weeks before the 2021 nominees were announced and we had yet to see the new chairman' John Sykes’ impact on the nomination committee. Little did I know that half of my original top-ten were officially nominated that year (4 of which would receive induction). I didn’t think it would turn out that way but I was beyond ecstatic to see such drastic changes to the induction classes. Sykes’ call for diversity and inclusivity will be tested in his second (and perhaps most critical) year as chairman. Let’s see if change is indeed here to stay or if the committee goes back to their old ways. We’ll find out next month.
Although it was a daunting task to put together a ranked list of artists omitted from the Rock Hall, it was an even tougher task to do so this year. I feel confident with my revised rankings but there’s still a level of uncertainty with some of my decisions. Again, this is just one guy’s opinion on the Rock Hall and this list isn’t for everyone (it won’t and can’t be). There’s no perfect science of why some artists are ranked higher or lower, although I based a lot of my decisions based on existing patterns and trends over the last 5-10 years. A lot of my rankings are hunches based on my extensive knowledge of the Rock Hall and more importantly the direction I think they’ll be going.
For an artist to be included in my project, they must have released their first record/album in or before 1995. So artists such as D’Angelo, Garbage and The Chemical Brothers could’ve appeared on this list because they were snubbed by the nomination committee after their first year of eligibility. But newly-eligible artists for the class of 2022 were disqualified as they have yet to be considered by the committee (Eminem, Fiona Apple, Erykah Badu, etc.). Similarly, artists who were removed from the 2020/21 list can reappear on a future revised list. It’s never too late for an artist to be considered by the Rock Hall and these rankings are basically a temperature reading of the Hall will go as we approach the 2022 nomination season.
Instead of doing write-ups on the 16 artists added to the 2022 list (I just don’t have the time or energy to do so this year), I decided to create a special episode on this topic for my podcast Rock in Retrospect. I had the honor to be joined by Joe Kwaczala, Troy Smith, Mark Lempke and Tom Lane who participated in a roundtable discussion of my project. It’s a lively and thought-provoking conversation about the artists added/removed from the list and the direction each of us believes the Hall is going in the Skyes era. It goes into detail on a wide range of issues and topic related to the Rock Hall. I respect each of their opinions on the Hall and beyond happy they agreed to come on the show. Please give the episode a listen!!!
And one final note to readers: It’s impossible to predict the decisions the Rock Hall will make in any given year and I didn’t account for the possibility that some of these artists might be honored in a side category. For this Project, I’m focusing exclusively on those who could be inducted in the performers category. If they happen to get inducted in another category later on, that’s fine. They will then be removed from the list and we can move on to other worthy artists the next time I revise the list (which will be every January going forward; since that’s around the time the nomination committee now meets).
Without further ado, here are my revised rankings of the Top 100 Rock Hall Prospects Project* (2022 edition):
Mariah Carey (+3)
The Smiths (+0)
Cher (+17) (Inducted in 2024)
Outkast (+7)
Judas Priest (+1) (Inducted in 2022)
Kate Bush (+1) (Inducted in 2023)
Beck (+12)
Duran Duran (+13) (Inducted in 2022)
Pat Benatar (+14) (Inducted in 2022)
Rage Against the Machine (-2) (Inducted in 2023)
Rufus & Chaka Khan (+1) (Inducted in 2023; Chaka Khan Solo)
Soundgarden (+17)
Joy Division/New Order (-4)
Dionne Warwick (+22) (Inducted in 2024)
Smashing Pumpkins (-2)
The B-52’s (+6)
Kool & The Gang (+9) (Inducted in 2024)
New York Dolls (+37)
Iron Maiden (+8)
Eurythmics (-4) (Inducted in 2022)
Sonic Youth (-4)
Carly Simon (+10) (Inducted in 2022)
Jethro Tull (-8)
A Tribe Called Quest (+20) (Inducted in 2024)
Pixies (+3)
Devo (+17)
Salt N Pepa (+3)
The Spinners (-10) (Inducted in 2023)
Big Star (-5)
Diana Ross (+33)
Motorhead (+2)
Commodores (+5)
Willie Nelson (-8) (Inducted in 2023)
The Monkees (+1)
Mary J. Blige (+31) (Inducted in 2024)
MC5 -(5) (Inducted in 2024)
Sheryl Crow (+3) (Inducted in 2023)
The Replacements (+3)
Dolly Parton (-1) (Inducted in 2022)
Warren Zevon (+12)
TLC (+1)
George Michael (+25) (Inducted in 2023)
Oasis (+2)
Eric B. & Rakim (+13)
Cyndi Lauper (+43)
Jane’s Addiction (+7)
Wu-Tang Clan (+18)
Alanis Morissette (New)
Black Flag (-2)
Link Wray (-11) (Inducted in 2023)
Fela Kuti (New)
Bjork (New)
Joe Cocker (+3)
Sade (-3)
Thin Lizzy (New)
Phil Collins (+3)
PJ Harvey (-3)
Weezer (+6)
War (-11)
King Crimson (-10)
The Pointer Sisters (-1)
De La Soul (+14)
Gloria Estefan/Miami Sound Machine (-5)
Dead Kennedys (-3)
Barry White (New)
Tori Amos (+7)
Harry Nilsson (+3)
INXS (New)
Alice in Chains (+22)
The Shangri-Las (-24)
Daft Punk (+4)
Roberta Flack (New)
Dick Dale (-24)
Bad Company (New)
Siouxsie and the Banshees (+8)
Herbie Hancock (+8)
Foreigner (+8) (Inducted in 2024)
Selena (New)
Dave Matthews Band (+8) (Inducted in 2024)
Nas (New)
No Doubt (-3)
Rick James (New)
Hole (New)
Peter Tosh (-16)
The Marvelettes (-16)
X (-12)
Queen Latifah (+11)
Pet Shop Boys (-8)
Melissa Etheridge (New)
Toots and the Maytals (-11)
Carpenters (+1)
Pavement (-10)
Mary Wells (-12)
The Jam (-22)
Labelle (-5)
Slayer (New)
Aaliyah (New)
Tracy Chapman (-4)
Ice-T (New)
Tommy James and the Shondells (-7)
*Next to each artists’ names, I indicated how much they moved up/down from last year’s list.
Here are the 16 artists removed from the 2020/21 list (in order of ranking): Tina Turner (#1; Inducted), Kraftwerk (#3; Inducted), LL Cool J (#5; Inducted), Carole King (#10; Inducted), Chic (#14), The Go-Go’s (#34; Inducted), Johnny Burnette & The Rock ‘N Roll Trio (#62), Lesley Gore (#71), Neil Sedaka (#77), Grace Jones (#86), Tool (#89), Billy Idol (#95), The Bangles (#96), Squeeze (#97), Brook Bentron (#99), Liz Phair (#100)
Here are the 16 artists added to the 2022 update (in order of ranking): Alanis Morissette (#48), Fela Kuti (#51), Bjork (#52), Thin Lizzy (#55), Barry White (#65), INXS (#68), Roberta Flack (#72), Bad Company (#74), Selena (#78), Nas (#80), Rick James (#82), Hole (#83), Melissa Etheridge (#89), Slayer (#96), Aaliyah (#97), Ice-T (#99)
As noted earlier, please listen to Rock in Retrospect’s episode for a more in-depth analysis about the artists added to the new 2022 list and/or removed from the original 2020/21 list.
Thoughts? Comments? Let me know in the comments section below and/or send an email.
