If I Had a Ballot for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

I realize more and more each year how meaningless the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is. When I look at the list of artists NOT in it (Chicago, Moody Blues, Todd Rundgren, Yes, to name a few), I sigh.

Still, I play the game, because it’s fun for me.

Cleveland (October 9, 2014) — The nominees for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015 are:

The Paul Butterfield Blues Band
Chic
Green Day
Joan Jett & the Blackhearts
Kraftwerk
The Marvelettes
N.W.A.
Nine Inch Nails
Lou Reed
The Smiths
The Spinners
Sting
Stevie Ray Vaughan
War
Bill Withers

To be eligible for nomination, an individual artist or band must have released its first single or album at least 25 years prior to the year of nomination. The 2015 nominees had to release their first recording no later than 1989.

Ballots will be sent to an international voting body of more than 700 artists, historians and members of the music industry.

Last year, three of my picks, Linda Ronstadt, Peter Gabriel, and Hall and Oates actually got in, so I’ll put the other two on this year’s ballot:

Paul Butterfield Blues Band, whose three Bs (Butterfield, Mike Bloomfield, Elvin Bishop) were also individually important in rock. East-West, from 1966, is one of my favorite albums. Here are the two instrumentals, Work Song and the title cut.
Chic, its sound is still relevant, though if Nile Rodgers got in as a non-performer (songwriter/producer), I could accept that.

Plus:
Joan Jett & the Blackhearts – because I have a bias for women rockers.
The Marvelettes – …and “girl groups”.
*The Spinners – because I LOVE the Spinners.

I dismissed, at least for the time being, both Lou Reed and Sting, because their groups Velvet Underground and The Police, respectively, are in the hall.

This is Stevie Ray Vaughan’s first year of eligibility, and I DO love his music; I hope he does get in, and he may this year.
Green Day has a couple of albums I like. And I love their NAME. Maybe down the road.
I know I SHOULD put Kraftwerk on the list; very important group.
My ignorance of the music of Nine Inch Nails is inexplicable, but there it is.
As I wrote last year, “I know N.W.A. is massively influential, despite its limited output, but not feeling it yet.”
If I had a sixth vote, or if the Chic folk get in as non-performers and I had another selection, it might well be for The Smiths.
Pretty sure I supported War’s induction before. With a seventh vote, would pick them.
Bill Withers had some great songs, but not enough for me to pick.

Which five artists would YOU vote for?

Author: Roger

I'm a librarian. I hear music, even when it's not being played. I used to work at a comic book store, and it still informs my life. I won once on JEOPARDY! - ditto. View all posts by Roger