Top 100 Rock Hall Prospects Project: 2023 Update
Life has been a little busy as of late. I recently accepted a new position at a major university and it’s a promotion of sorts. More responsibilities and obligations on the horizon but I’m up for the challenge. My podcast Rock in Retrospect recently celebrated a milestone – the series has been downloaded over 10,000 times. For readers, this might not seem impressive, but this is great considering it’s an indie podcast who is not on a major platform/provider (yet). I’m thankful listenership has steadily grown over time and we’re getting great numbers. A huge shout-out to anyone who has listened or downloaded an episode of my show. There’s a lot of great content planned this year. Make sure to follow us on whatever social media platform you use.
As promised, I said I would annually update the rankings for my Top 100 Rock Hall Prospects Project and it’s that time of the year (here is the 2020/21 and 2022 lists). The Rock Hall’s nomination committee will be meeting shortly, and it’s rumored the official ballot will be unveiled in a few weeks. Before I think about who I believe will be nominated on the 2023 ballot, I wanted to revise my rankings and see which artists are the most deserving of a nomination (and eventual induction) going into the 2023 season. I’ve written extensively how this project works (and my logic to justify it). Remember that this list only focuses on those I think will be honored in the Performers category. You may agree or disagree with my rankings but that’s entirely subjective. Rather, let’s celebrate the fact that these 100 artists have made an incalculable impact on the art form known as rock and roll. This list encompasses a variety of genres, eras and styles to reflect the direction I think the Rock Hall will be heading as we approach the 2023 season.
For an artist to be considered on the 2023 list, they must have released their first record/album in or before 1996. Artists such as Lil’ Kim, Belle & Sebastian, Matchbox Twenty, Robbie Williams and NSYNC could’ve appeared on this year’s list because they were snubbed by the nomination committee. But newly eligible artists for the class of 2023 are disqualified as they haven’t been considered by the committee yet (e.g., Missy Elliott, Destiny’s Child, Muse, Queens of the Stone Age). Similarly, artists who appeared on past lists can reappear on this updated list. In fact, there are two artists who returned to the list!
It doesn’t matter if an artist has been previously nominated or if they wind up in a side category, these artists deserve to be in the conservation! I don’t have any control or knowledge of the Rock Hall’s motives and the decisions they ultimately make. If some of these artists are honored in a side category, that’s okay with me. When I update the list around this time next year, I’ll simply remove them and move on to other artists who deserve consideration. And please, don’t get too hung up on the rankings. If you disagree, that’s fine. It’s having a presence on the list that matters. At the end of the day, this is just one guy’s opinion, but I think the rankings, for the most part, are fair and level-headed. But I’ll let readers decide for themselves.
And a final note to readers: it’s impossible to predict the decisions or motives of the Rock Hall, so there will likely be a few curveballs next month that many of us didn’t see coming. Rick Krim is taking over Jon Landau’s position as head of the committee so things might be shaken up a bit. Personally, I don’t think it will stray away from direction of the ballots that we’ve seen in recent years, but we’ll have to wait and see.
There’s no analysis provided on the updated rankings and perhaps I’ll record an episode sometime soon (like I did last year). Nothing’s set in stone but it might be fun to do again. If you have questions or comments about the rankings or the artists who are on the list, leave a comment below. Just remember to be respectful. If not, I will ignore it.
Here’s my revised rankings for the Top 100 Rock Hall Prospects Project (2023 Edition):
Mariah Carey
The Smiths
Cher (Inducted in 2024)
Outkast
Kate Bush (Inducted in 2023)
Soundgarden
The B-52’s
Iron Maiden
Cyndi Lauper
Rage Against the Machine (Inducted in 2023)
Chaka Khan/Rufus (Inducted in 2023; Chaka Khan Solo)
Beck
Dionne Warwick (Inducted in 2024)
Willie Nelson (Inducted in 2023)
Kool & The Gang (Inducted in 2024)
George Michael (Inducted in 2023)
Joy Division/New Order
Smashing Pumpkins
Salt N Pepa
Sheryl Crow (Inducted in 2023)
A Tribe Called Quest (Inducted in 2024)
Diana Ross
New York Dolls
Mary J. Blige (Inducted in 2024)
Warren Zevon
Devo
Alanis Morissette
INXS
Motörhead
Jethro Tull
Pixies
MC5 (Inducted in 2024)
The Monkees
TLC
Sonic Youth
Roberta Flack
Wu-Tang Clan
Sade
Phil Collins
Tori Amos
The Spinners (Inducted in 2023)
Jane’s Addiction
Oasis
Fela Kuti
Weezer
Queen Latifah
Thin Lizzy
Dr. Dre
The Replacements
Gloria Estefan/Miami Sound Machine
Big Star
Dave Matthews Band (Inducted in 2024)
Sinéad O'Connor
Snoop Dogg
Bad Company
De La Soul
The Pointer Sisters
Billy Idol
No Doubt
Mötley Crüe
Eric B. & Rakim
Barry White
Alice in Chains
Joe Cocker
Tears for Fears
War
Daft Punk
Sting
Patti LaBelle
Rick James
Foreigner (Inducted in 2024)
Ice-T
PJ Harvey
King Crimson
Lenny Kravitz
Bjork
Harry Nilsson
Siouxsie and the Banshees
Black Flag
Bryan Adams
Melissa Etheridge
Pet Shop Boys
Fiona Apple
Peter Tosh
X
Carpenters
Luther Vandross
Selena
Herbie Hancock
Tracy Chapman
Jimmy Buffett (Inducted in 2024)
Nas
Dead Kennedys
Toots and the Maytals
Shania Twain
Pavement
Aaliyah
The Bangles
Slayer
Erykah Badu
**If an artist’s name appears in bold, this is either their first appearance on the list or they have returned after appearing on a prior list. Check below for more information on the additions/removals for the 2023 list.
Here are the 16 artists removed from the 2022 list (in order of ranking): Judas Priest (#5; Inducted), Duran Duran (#8; Inducted), Pat Benatar (#9; Inducted), Eurythmics (#20; Inducted), Carly Simon (#22; Inducted), Commodores (#32), Dolly Parton (#39; Inducted), Link Wray (#50), The Shangri-Las (#70), Dick Dale (#73), Hole (#83), The Marvelettes (#85), Mary Wells (#93), The Jam (#94), Labelle (#95), Tommy James and the Shondells (#100)
Here are the 16 artists added to the 2023 update (in order of ranking): Dr. Dre (#48), Sinéad O'Connor (#53), Snoop Dogg (#54), Billy Idol (#58; Re-Entry), Motley Crue (#60), Tears for Fears (#65), Sting (#68), Pattie LaBelle (#69), Lenny Kravitz (#75), Bryan Adams (#80), Fiona Apple (#83), Luther Vandross (#87), Jimmy Buffett (#91), Shania Twain (#95), The Bangles (#98; Re-Entry), Erykah Badu (#100)
Thoughts? Comments? Send me an email.
