D
DAFT PUNK
PERFORMER
THOUGHTS:
I think there there a plenty of electronic acts that deserve to beat Daft Punk in from a pure chronology perspective, but they should still be a priority.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING:
“DA FUNK”
DICK DALE
MUSICAL EXCELLENCE
THOUGHTS:
Maybe Performer-worthy but a Musical Excellence honor seems more likely (a la Link Wray.) Dick Dale pioneered surf rock, so he belongs to be here.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING:
“MISIRLOU”
DE LA SOUL
PERFORMER
THOUGHTS:
De La Soul are immensely influential, and have continued to be re-discovered as the generations have turned over.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING:
“ME MYSELF AND I”
THE DELFONICS
PERFORMER
THOUGHTS:
Philly Soul is painfully under-represented in the RRHOF, and the Delfonics are right towards the top of the list.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING:
“LA-LA MEANS I LOVE YOU”
DESTINY’S CHILD
PERFORMER
THOUGHTS:
Number one: get Beyoncé inducted ASAP. Number two: get the greatest selling girl group of all time inducted ASAP. A 5-piece DC reunion would bring the universe to a halt.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING:
“SAY MY NAME”
DEVO
PERFORMER
THOUGHTS:
To this day, some still think of these guys as a one-hit wonder, but the charts are for farts. DEVO have one of the most devout cult followings ever, and they were incredibly pivotal in the development of alternative music.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING:
“(I CAN’T GET NO) SATISFACTION”
DR. DRE
MUSICAL EXCELLENCE
THOUGHTS:
Why are we still waiting on this? Dre’s induction with N.W.A. in no way satisfies his Hall of Fame-worthiness. Music would not be the same without him.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING:
“IN DA CLUB” (PERFORMED BY 50 CENT)
(co-writer/producer)
NICK DRAKE
PERFORMER
THOUGHTS:
A lost soul with a concise, but impactful catalog. Nick Drake has written some of the most beautiful songs in history, and generations of singer-songwriters have looked back on his work for inspiration.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING:
“NORTHERN SKY”
E
SHEILA E.
MUSICAL EXCELLENCE
THOUGHTS:
Considering what the Musical Excellence category once was (“Sidemen,”) Sheila E. seems like a pretty ideal candidate. She’s one of the greatest drummers ever, and her sound gave flavor to a whole era of music.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING:
“THE GLAMOROUS LIFE”
DUKE ELLINGTON
INFLUENCE
THOUGHTS:
Another jazz great whose legend has cast a shadow over rock & roll. It’s almost impossible not to turn to a little song called “Sir Duke” to prove the point.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING:
“IT DON’T MEAN A THING (IF IT AIN’T GOT THAT SWING)”
(he wrote this, too)
EMERSON LAKE & PALMER
PERFORMER
THOUGHTS:
The Hall of Fame’s hot-and-cold relationship with prog rock has left ELP on the bench, but this absolutely needs to happen.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING:
“FROM THE BEGINNING”
EN VOGUE
PERFORMER
THOUGHTS:
En Vogue are genuinely one of the greats. Their hits are iconic, and as far as vocal groups go, they are absolutely top-tier.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING:
“HOLD ON”
BRIAN ENO
MUSICAL EXCELLENCE
THOUGHTS:
This is another questionable exclusion by this point in the game. I can’t come up with many Musical Excellence candidates more obvious than Brian Eno. Bowie, Talking Heads, U2, Coldplay?
RECOMMENDED LISTENING:
“HONEST JOE” (PERFORMED BY JAMES)
(producer)
GLORIA ESTEFAN &
THE MIAMI SOUND MACHINE
PERFORMER
THOUGHTS:
Gloria Estefan is an icon in her own right, but the Maimi Sound Machine were a cultural revolution. I am just dreaming of this induction performance and the way it would bring the house down.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING:
“RHYTHM IS GONNA GET YOU”
F
FAB 5 FREDDY
NON-PERFORMER
THOUGHTS:
Here is a perfect example of a non-performer that should be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Hip hop culture owes a debt of gratitude to him, from his art to his gig as the original host of Yo! MTV Raps. Let’s get real…he told us, “everybody’s fly.”
RECOMMENDED LISTENING:
YO! MTV RAPS INTERVIEW WITH Q-TIP
MARIANNE FAITHFULL
PERFORMER
THOUGHTS:
She was kind of the Queen of the British Invasion, so from a cultural standpoint Marianne Faithfull seems more than worthy of being included in the Hall of Fame conversation.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING:
“AS TEARS GO BY”
ELLA FITZGERALD
INFLUENCE
THOUGHTS:
Maybe they’re keeping a huge [Early] Influence inductee in their back pocket for when they need a big moment? Can’t really think of another reason why this all-time great has been overlooked.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING:
“SMOOTH SAILING”
ROBERTA FLACK
PERFORMER
THOUGHTS:
The voice! The hits! Roberta Flack would be a celebrated induction, and it’s been time to start considering her for a ballot.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING:
“FEEL LIKE MAKIN’ LOVE”
PETER FRAMPTON
PERFORMER
THOUGHTS:
His performance with Sheryl Crow at the ’23 ceremony does feel like a little nudge towards an invitation to the HOF fam. He’s one of the few huge names who owned a moment in rock history still not inducted.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING:
“DO YOU FEEL LIKE WE DO”
CONNIE FRANCIS
PERFORMER
THOUGHTS:
This is the only artist I will use the word SNUB for, and I want you to feel my wrath when I do. Connie Francis should have been inducted within the first 5 years, but she’s never been on a ballot. She is an indisputable OG rock icon and pop superstar.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING:
“LIPSTICK ON YOUR COLLAR”
THE FUNK BROTHERS
MUSICAL EXCELLENCE
THOUGHTS:
Maybe it’s just the sheer volume of musicians to consider (and yes, some have been inducted individually), but the entire landscape of popular music, rhythm & blues, and rock & roll was crafted by their playing.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING:
“I HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE” (PERFORMED BY GLADYS KNIGHT & THE PIPS)
(instrumental performance)
G
GANG OF FOUR
PERFORMER
THOUGHTS:
In the post-punk era, Gang of Four really trailblazed rock you could dance to. Their mark has been felt in countless bands and artists over the following decades, even if their name doesn’t scream “headliner.”
RECOMMENDED LISTENING:
“DAMAGED GOODS”
THE J. GEILS BAND
PERFORMER
THOUGHTS:
Not enough of the public knows the full J. Geils Band story, which could be why they haven’t gotten off the ballot yet – but their past nominations (albeit from long ago) are encouraging.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING:
“I DON’T NEED YOU NO MORE”
ASTRUD GILBERTO
INFLUENCE
THOUGHTS:
This legendary boss nova vocalist really highlights all the little pockets of influential music the Hall of Fame still has yet to acknowledge.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING:
“ÁGUA DE BEBER”
DIZZY GILLESPIE
INFLUENCE
THOUGHTS:
I think that bebop is a form of jazz that has rhythmically inspired elements of rock & roll over the years, and Dizzy would just highlight that perfectly. It is a stretch, but that’s what the Influence category is for.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING:
“A NIGHT IN TUNISIA”
H
MERLE HAGGARD
PERFORMER
THOUGHTS:
Outlaw country is the ultimate bridge from country into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and I would expect to see a lot of big names – like Merle – popping up now that Willie is in.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING:
“MAMA TRIED”
HERBIE HANCOCK
INFLUENCE
THOUGHTS:
Oh man, this one is crazy. Herbie Hancock is a pioneer, and one of the true connecting points between jazz and rock…and electronic music…and hip hop. He also seems to be a puzzle piece to make the new parameters of the Influence category make sense.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING:
“ROCKIT”
W.C. HANDY
INFLUENCE
THOUGHTS:
W.C. Handy put Delta blues on the map, and rock & roll would not have been conceived without it. He is an unbelievably obvious [Early] Influence inductee.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING:
“ST. LOUIS BLUES”
FRANÇOISE HARDY
PERFORMER
THOUGHTS:
The RRHOF needs to focus on 2 things: inducting women, and expanding globally. Françoise Hardy is just the artist to make that point. Her name recognition in the States should give her a boost, because this would be one of the coolest inductees ever.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING:
“LE TEMPS DE L’AMOUR”
EMMYLOU HARRIS
PERFORMER
THOUGHTS:
Truly one of the great singer-songwriters – bringing country, folk, and rock to a beautiful intersection point. Everyone from Joni, to Linda, to Dolly being inducted makes her absence all the more obvious.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING:
“BOULDER TO BIRMINGHAM”
WYNONIE HARRIS
INFLUENCE
THOUGHTS:
This is another glaring absence in the [Early] Influence category. Wynonie Harris was making music that directly led to rock & roll’s creation.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING:
“ALL SHE WANTS TO DO IS ROCK”
PJ HARVEY
PERFORMANCE
THOUGHTS:
Album for album, Polly Jean Harvey has had a flawless career. Her work, timeless-yet-relevant, and almost mystical in its own way, has been consistently lauded. There are few more deserving artists.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING:
“TO BRING YOU MY LOVE”
SCREAMIN’ JAY HAWKINS
INFLUENCE
THOUGHTS:
Here is a figure larger than a body of work. From a performance perspective alone, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins opened the door for everybody.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING:
“I PUT A SPELL ON YOU”
MS. LAURYN HILL
PERFORMER
THOUGHTS:
This is one of the few artists who I won’t balk at being inducted before the group that preceded their solo career. THE Ms. Lauryn Hill is such an important artist, and this would be all-inclusive.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING:
“EX-FACTOR”
HOLE
PERFORMER
THOUGHTS:
You cannot have a reasonable conversation about grunge and ’90s alt rock without including Hole – it’s time.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING:
“MALIBU”
HÜSKER DÜ
PERFORMER
THOUGHTS:
Beyond ahead of their time, beyond influential, beyond ignored. And they have the most fun band name to say ever. That about sums it up.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING:
“PINK TURNS TO BLUE”
I
INXS
PERFORMER
THOUGHTS:
As one of the last enormous names left from that era, I think we are going to see INXS inducted sooner than later. They have so many hits that still sound incredible today.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING:
“SUICIDE BLONDE”
IRON MAIDEN
PERFORMER
THOUGHTS:
I mean, this is one act that we can all agree is a crazy omission, no matter what your interpretation of rock & roll is. Iron Maiden are huge!
RECOMMENDED LISTENING:
“RUN TO THE HILLS”
HIDDEN UNDER HEADPHONES 
Leave a comment