Now that the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has finally inducted its class of 2020 honorees, now is the time to focus on artists who are still missing from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Many people, including yours truly, have posted their predictions for next year’s nominees and several more will be posted in the coming months. Given this is typically the offseason for those who follow the Rock Hall, this seems like the perfect opportunity to introduce something I’ve been working on for the better part of a year: The Top 100 Rock Hall Prospects Project. I was motivated to start this project when others (e.g., Alex Voltaire, Troy Smith, Jason Voigt) made similar lists over the years. This is a continuation of the work they’ve built and thank you for inspiring me to create a project of my own.
I want to look at the “bigger picture,” so to speak, of the Rock Hall world and figure out which artists I consider the worthiest for induction. I compiled a ranked list of 100 prospective candidates based on several factors to justify my reasoning (listed below in the parameters section). When compiling my project, I thrive to be as objective as possible. There are some artists I love that I ranked lower (or completely left off) than others I’m less passionate about. But for this to be taken seriously, I have to leave my personal preferences aside. I confronted the realities of (a) who the biggest priorities the Rock Hall hasn’t inducted and (b) who are the artists most likely to receive a nomination. Those are probably the two biggest considerations for artists to be selected for my project. In each of the write-ups, I included a mixture of biographical information and analysis to make concrete arguments about their Rock Hall candidacy. Some are written formally and others….not so much. Just depends on how I believe each individual prospect should be evaluated to make the best cases possible. I also curated YouTube playlists featuring half-dozen “essential songs” that are representative of each artist’s career, just in case some readers are unfamiliar with their work.
I want to elevate the conversation on the Rock Hall to a higher level. There are too many people who spout negative opinions about the institution and a lot of it is unjustified. A prime example is “how is ‘artist x’ not in the Rock Hall when ‘inductee y’ is in?” and “the Rock Hall is [insert whatever negative word here like travesty, sham or worthless].” Look at any of the comments sections on the Rock Hall’s social media posts and you’ll know what I mean. Again, the Rock Hall is plagued with so many problems and issues at almost every level, but it remains one of the biggest honors an artist can receive. I look at it as a lifetime achievement award for their contributions to the popularization and continuation of rock and roll music. When an artist passes away, most epigraphs of their obituaries mentions their Rock Hall induction in the first line or two. No matter what you think about the Rock Hall, it’s still an important honor that means something to both the artists and their fans.
A word of warning: I know this project will not be to everyone’s liking and that is fine. Just remember this is one man’s opinion and I highly doubt everyone will agree with all my decisions. Difference of opinion is a good thing: that’s how we learn from other each and become better people. I’ve learned so much from fellow Rock Hall watchers over the years and they’ve helped me discover (or rediscover) artists and genres. I consider many of you not only colleagues but also friends and I am forever grateful for your guidance and support. But now is the time to start by outlining a few guidelines and parameters:
1. What is Considered “Rock and Roll”?
I must outline my philosophy on rock and roll to justify the artists selected for this project. I look at rock and roll as more of a concept than an actual style of music. If you think about, most popular music made after 1959 would not be considered “pure” rock and roll. The genre instead split off into different styles and subgenres. But these offshoots all took the spirit, attitude, aesthetics and musical elements that harbor back to rock and roll’s first boom from the mid-1950s. But early rock and roll was influenced by earlier genres such as country, blues, jazz and folk. Rock and roll is essentially a diaspora, akin to a melting pot, of musical styles and genres that has encompassed and shaped popular music over the last seven decades. More importantly, rock and roll is about youthfulness and moving the needle forward (in some regard) to making the world a more hopeful place.
I took inspiration from two recent Rock Hall inductees who not only provide excellent insight on their definitions of “rock and roll,” but helped broaden my perspectives on which artists and genres should be considered for the Rock Hall. Ice Cube, in his acceptance speech during N.W.A’s induction in 2016, mentioned the naysayers who believe his group shouldn’t be inducted in the first place (cough Gene Simmons cough). Looking at rock and roll as an umbrella concept, Ice Cube believes “rock and roll is not an instrument, rock and roll is not even a style of music. Rock is a spirit.” We have been programmed to think of rock and roll as white guys with long hair playing guitars. That simply isn’t true. Rock and Roll’s history is far more complex that be pigeonholed to a single view of the artform. Rock and roll is about rebellion, self-liberation and non-conformity. It’s “creating your own path in music and in life,” that’s the true “spirit” of rock and roll.
Similarly, Trent Reznor was interviewed by Rolling Stone shortly after he was announced as a 2020 inductee. Reznor also mentioned the “spirit” of rock and roll but further expanded on how artists use their instruments as a means of self-expression: “That doesn’t mean it has to be guitar-bass-drums. It can be a turntable, a computer, a synthesizer, sequencer. They are all tools. It’s the spirit of expression and, to me, freedom, and no limits to expression. That’s my version of what rock means.” An artist’s musical style is almost completely irrelevant but it’s more of what they do with their music that counts. Ice Cube and Trent Reznor’s statements capture how I view rock and roll as a concept. Rock and roll knows no boundaries and that is the true potential and power of the art form. Not only should the Rock Hall advertise these two quotes on their website, but they should copy-and-paste these statements anytime someone on their social media comments section writes something completely off the rails. Who’s gonna successfully counter these two inductees’ viewpoints? Probably no one.
2. Main Tenets for Consideration
Eligibility: Artists are eligible for consideration 26 years after the release of their first recording. For this Project, artists must have released music starting in or before 1994. They also must have been passed over at least once for induction into the Rock Hall. Newly-eligible artists for the Class of 2021 such as Jay-Z, Foo Fighters and D’Angelo were not considered.
Musical Excellence: This is the only listed qualification for induction and its super subjective because musical excellence means something different to everyone. It’s one thing to be popular and commercially-successful, but it’s another to be considered good in their field. But there’s a few ways to determine musical excellence: Are they considered amongst the best of their respected genres? Are they considered amongst the best at their instruments? Are they skilled musicians? Is their body of work or musical talent respected by critics and/or fellow musicians?
Innovation: You can be popular and famous, but most Rock Hall inductees are innovative in some regard: Did these artists take rock and roll in new directions? Did they accomplish any new stylistic innovations? Are they considered trendsetters and/or visionaries who made advancements in their genre? Are they considered the most essential artists of their genre?
Impact: Commercial success is one thing, but leaving behind a meaningful legacy is something else. This is all about an artist’s legacy and how they shaped rock and roll: Did they leave a positive impact on the development and continuation of rock and roll? What artists did they influence? What was the artists’ longevity? If their run was short, how impactful was their peak period? Does the general public know these artists’ names and/or songs? Are they still played on the radio? Are these songs featured in movies, television programs, advertisements and other forms of mass popular culture? Can you tell the story or history of rock and roll without them?
3. Representation Matters
Diversity and inclusion absolutely matters, especially in today’s political and social climate, and the Rock Hall frankly needs to do a better job. In terms of genre and style, the populist push of the last decade has allowed several classic rock favorites to enter the Rock Hall and left several others on the outside looking in. While there are still a few classic rock-era artists worthy of induction, my project is a shift away from classic rock. The well is drying up and the Rock Hall needs to focus on other genres that deserve better representation.
Evelyn McDonnell’s outstanding work on gender imbalance amongst the Rock Hall inductees shed some much-needed spotlight on this issue. Women only comprise 7.7% of the total Rock Hall inductees and, believe it or not, that number got worse with this year’s class. The Rock Hall, in short, has failed women and that must be addressed for the institution to remain relevant for future generations. I placed special attention to include more women in my project and hopefully make Evelyn proud. I also emphasized artists of color who definitely made important contributions to rock and roll.
4. Terminology Matters
Notice that I titled my project as “prospects” as opposed to “snubs” and this was purposely done. I never cared for the word “snub” for several reasons. Not only is it a loaded word, but it also implies someone has ill intent or bias against an artist. Frankly I think too much of the discourse on the Rock Hall is negative and I think it starts with how we label the artists who have been excluded. I prefer “prospect” as it is a more positive outlook on the Rock Hall. A prospect implies the likelihood of something to happen; in other words, it’s more hopeful.
Similarly, I prefer the word “overlooked” over “neglected” when discussing genres/styles and time periods not well-represented in the Rock Hall. “Neglected” implies someone is blocking these artists from appearing on a ballot while “overlooked” signifies a failure to notice something that (hopefully) leads to correcting an oversight. Look, nobody’s perfect and people make mistakes. I’m always of the opinion that it’s never too late to induct anyone into the Rock Hall. Nobody’s time has officially passed, even if the priorities of the Committee changes. Many readers will, for example, appreciate that I make a conscious effort to include artists from “overlooked” genres such as Alternative, R&B, Pop and Hip-Hop.
As the years pass, I’ve come to conclude that any prospective Rock Hall candidate needs an “advocate” in the room to champion their favorite artists to be on the ballot. As someone who studies and writes about the Rock Hall, I like to think of ourselves as advocates. That’s precisely what I try to do in my “Rock Hall Contenders” series as those are heavily researched pieces. But they are also educate readers unfamiliar with those artists. Most prospective Rock Hall candidates probably lack an advocate in the room when the annual nominating committee decides the next batch of nominees. No matter how important an artist is, if they lack an advocate in the room to make an argument in their favor then they stand little-to-no chance to appear on the ballot.
Final Remarks
Because I limited myself to 100 artists, there are obviously dozens of potential candidates I had to cut. That does not mean they are not worthy for Rock Hall induction but I had to stop somewhere. With that said, I did have to cut artists that I feel the Rock Hall would honor outside the Performers category. Prospective candidates in the Non-Performers (e.g., Brian Eno, Todd Rundgren, Dr. Dre), Musical Excellence (e.g., The Meters, The Shadows) and Early Influence (e.g., The Clovers, Chuck Willis) categories resulted in quite a number of painful cuts. They all have good cases to be included in my project and there will be justifiable criticisms with this stance. But I feel this is the right decision, especially now under the leadership of new chairman John Sykes.
With that said, I try and remain neutral in my discussions of every artist. There are some artists I absolutely love that I ranked lower than ones I’m less enthused ranked much higher. But there must be a certain level of objectivity at stake. I wrote every artist with the same attention to detail and focus because any of these prospective candidates can be nominated at any given moment. To put it another way, I wrote #97 the same way I would for #4.
Everyone has their favorite artists they want nominated. It’s important to respect not only the artists but more importantly their fans. A Rock Hall induction probably means more to an artist’s fans because it validates their legacy among the most important artists in rock and roll history. The fans are the ones who buy the CDs, concert tickets and memorabilia and they often have more of an emotional investment in a Rock Hall induction than the artists themselves. At the end of the day, we’re all fans who are passionate about the music we love. But it’s good to learn from each other and broaden our horizons because we can’t know every artist that’s out there. I hope this project sparks interest for others to discover these artists’ careers and what makes them important in the first place.
I hope everyone enjoys this project in the coming weeks. The plan will be to release a batch of ten prospects once a week, usually on Sundays, over the next two months. This works out perfectly as the nominating committee will be meeting sometime in mid-to-late January with the official nominees announced the following month. Let’s start our journey!
Thoughts? Comments? Let me know in the comments section below and/or on Twitter.
