r/rockhall

I think we're getting to the point that almost all of the great performers from the 1970s have been inducted (although many would disagree). RRHOF needs to move on to the 1980s and 1990s ...

Let's do these and then just move on before it gets embarrassing.

I'm basing my suggestions on the main criteria of musical excellence, influence, and impact.

I'm picking these for the performers category but maybe some are better fits for the other ones.

In no specific order:

The Carpenters

Jethro Tull

Three Dog Night

King Crimson (no idea, I've never heard one song by him/her/them)

Grand Fuck (Railroad) I mean .. I'm Your Captain?

Maybe not:

Casey Kasem (Ertegun award)

Boston (eh .. maybe?)

KC & The Sunshine Band (I dunno; I'm drunk)

Barry Manilow (sorry; I'll let myself out)

Here is my list:

• Eric Burdon: Inducted with The Animals (1994); 2nd induction with War (Eligible since 1996)
• Brian Eno: Inducted with Roxy Music (2019); 2nd induction for solo career (Eligible since 2000; possible side category induction?)
• Joan Jett: Inducted with Joan Jett and the Blackhearts (2015); 2nd induction with The Runaways (Eligible since 2002)
• Paul McCartney: Inducted with The Beatles (1988) and solo career (1999); 3rd induction with Wings (Eligible since 1997)
• Lionel Richie: Inducted for solo career (2022); 2nd induction with The Commodores (Eligible since 2000)
• Nile Rodgers: Inducted for Musical Excellence (2017); 2nd induction with Chic (Eligible since 2003)
• Diana Ross: Inducted with The Supremes (1988); 2nd induction for solo career (Eligible since 1996)
• Dr. Dre: Inducted with NWA (2016); 2nd induction for solo career (Eligible since 2018; possible side category induction?)
• Steve Winwood: Inducted with Traffic (2004); 2nd induction for solo career (Eligible since 1997; nominated in 2003)
• Sting: Inducted with The Police (2003); 2nd induction for solo career (Eligible since 2008; nominated in 2015)

When are the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nomination committee going to get its act together and finally nominate the Cranberries for the Hall? I mean one their songs is now credited with stopping a war for Pete's sake.

For newer generations (such as Gen Z), casual listeners may not be very different from casual listeners of older generations. Most casual listeners simply follow chart hits and have relatively limited music knowledge.

However, future younger-generation music voters are different. They are usually passionate and dedicated core music fans with broader musical perspectives, and they are strongly influenced by Pitchfork and Rate Your Music. Because of that, some "niche" artists and works carry major importance to them.

Many older core listeners have long dominated Rock Hall voting, but their musical perspective has often been narrower.

Rock Hall voting has always been driven by core listeners, regardless of generation. Casual listeners generally have little influence.

Pitchfork and Rate Your Music will definitely have an impact in the future, but probably around ten years from now. They already strongly influence younger generations of core music fans. And the people most likely to become future Rock Hall voters are these core listeners, casual listeners were and will not be major force in rock hall voting.

So when John Sykes (and Rick Krim) step aside, figures like Dave Grohl, Questlove, and Tom Morello, who seem "young" and "cool" today, will eventually become the new old guard. At that point, the committee may lean more toward hipster tastes. The annual nominee lists may then reflect both Pitchfork / Rate Your Music influence and streaming-chart popularity.

Remember when John Sykes said that "more younger voters supported acts that would have had no chance five years ago." He was likely referring to Joy Division / New Order. They were voted in over many commercially bigger names because they are highly influential among younger core listeners.

Acts like My Bloody Valentine and Cocteau Twins could have far better chances ten years from now. Even Billie Eilish has mentioned listening to My Bloody Valentine. Younger core music listeners, who are much more likely to participate in Rock Hall voting than younger casual listeners, are more hipster-minded than many people think.

And John Sykes understands this. He already said that the next five years would focus on correcting overlooked snubs from the 1980s. After that, he may pass the torch to the next generation, who may then push for 1990s artists and more niche legends admired by younger generations of core listeners.

Been thinking a lot about the side categories of the Hall and how they usually don't get as much attention as the main Performer categories, and so I though it'd be fun to throw out some names that I'd like to see inducted for Musical Excellence, Musical Influence, and Non-Performers in the future. I should note that I'm really not a fan of shoving artists that could very well fit as Performers into the side categories, so I'm not gonna be putting folks like Eric B & Rakim, Devo, and New York Dolls on here even though I do think there's a good chance that this is where they'll eventually end up getting in. Technically some artists on this list did have performing careers that could arguably warrant consideration in the Performers category, but in those cases I do think their work behind the scenes is more significant and thus makes the side category more appropriate.

Musical Excellence

Ashford & Simpson - Husband and songwriting team who wrote songs for artists such as The Shirelles, Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell, Diana Ross, and Chaka Khan, including "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" and "I'm Every Woman," in addition to having a handful of hits as performers themselves.

Ry Cooder - Slide guitarist who played with artists like Captain Beefheart and the Rolling Stones among many others. Also released many albums of his own, contributed to several film soundtracks, and served as a producer for the Buena Vista Social Club.

Paulinho da Costa - Session drummer who contributed to countless iconic and successful songs and albums across many genres by artists such as Michael Jackson, Madonna, Rod Stewart, the Pointer Sisters, Quincy Jones, Earth Wind and Fire, Diana Ross, Donna Summer, the Miracles, Gloria Gaynor, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Belinda Carlisle.

Delaney & Bonnie - Singer/songwriter duo who toured alongside other artists as "Delaney & Bonnie and Friends;" these friends included George Harrison, who credits Delaney for teaching him to play slide guitar; Eric Clapton, who says he learned much of what he knows about singing from Delaney; and many musicians who were recruited directly from the tour for Derek & the Dominoes or for Joe Cocker's Mad Dogs and Englishmen tour.

Jim Keltner - One of the most prominent session drummers in the music industry from the late 60s onwards, playing with the likes of Bob Dylan, George Harrison, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Carly Simon, Harry Nilsson, Joe Cocker, Pink Floyd, Roy Orbison, Brian Wilson, Neil Young, and Fiona Apple.

Max Martin - One of the most prominent pop producer of the 21st century, has co-written 29 number one hits on the Billboard Hot 100 and well over 100 top 20 hits for artists such as Taylor Swift, The Weeknd, Britney Spears, Ariana Grande, Usher, NSYNC, Coldplay, Justin Timberlake, Katy Perry, Adele, Lady Gaga, and Avril Lavigne.

Giorgio Moroder - Producer and composer dubbed the "Father of Disco," whose work with synthesizers influenced the development of disco, synth-pop, and EDM. Produced and wrote numerous hits with Donna Summer, and composed many popular songs from film soundtracks in the 70s and 80s.

Sylvia Moy - Motown songwriter who convinced Berry Gordy to retain Stevie Wonder on the label when Gordy planned to drop him, and later wrote several hit songs for Wonder.

Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section/The Swampers - A collective of session musicians known for infusing R&B, soul, and country, who played on recordings by numerous artists in the 60s and 70s, including Aretha Franklin's "Respect" and "I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You)," the Staple Singers' "I'll Take You There," and Paul Simon's "Kodachrome."

The Neptunes - Among the most prominent producers of the late 90s and 00s in R&B, hip hop, and pop, producing and co-writing hits for the likes of Snoop Dogg, Britney Spears, ODB, and Gwen Stefani, in additional to co-founding the Star Trak label.

Barrett Strong - Recorded the first ever hit single for Motown, before becoming one of the labels' most prominent songwriters, collaborating with Rock Hall inductee Norman Whitfield on iconic tracks like "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," "War," and "Papa Was A Rolling Stone."

The Sweet Inspirations - Vocal group founded by Cissy Houston that saw success with several singles, but was most known for providing backing vocals for artists such as Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin, Dusty Springfield, Van Morrison, and the Jimi Hendrix Experience.

Tom Wilson - One of the most influential producers of the 60s, who produced several Bob Dylan albums, Simon and Garfunkel and the Mothers of Invention's debut records, and much of The Velvet Underground & Nico (though we was only credited on one song for the latter).

Early Influence

Wendy Carlos - Consulted on the development of the Moog synthesizer, the first commercially available synthesizer, and later helped to bring the instrument to the public's attention with her album Switched-On Bach. Additionally, is one of the most prominent openly transgender women in music history.

The Cold Crush Brothers - An early hip hop group whose rhymes were used uncredited in "Rapper's Delight," one of the earliest commercially successful hip hop tracks.

Ella Fitzgerald - Legendary jazz singer whose vocal technique and improvisational techniques remain highly regarded and have influenced singers far beyond jazz music. Additionally, Verve Records was originally founded for the purpose of publishing her music.

Memphis Minnie - Prominent and innovative blues musician from the 20s to the 40s, whose work influenced numerous other blues singers and whose songs have been covered by rock artists such as Led Zeppelin and Jefferson Airplane.

Lee "Scratch" Perry - Reggae legend who pioneered the development of dub music, which has seen wide ranging influence in others genres including rock, punk, hip hop, and EDM.

Johnnie Ray - One of the most popular singers of the 50s, whose jazz and blues influenced music is often cited as a major precursor to rock and roll.

Bert Weedon - The first guitarist to have a hit record on the UK Singles Chart. He wrote two books on guitar playing that many British guitarists used to learn the instrument, including Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Pete Townshend, and Brian May.

Non-Performers

Estelle Axton - Co-founded Stax Records alongside her brother Jim Stewart (who was already inducted into the Rock Hall, kind of absurd she wasn't inducted along with him).

Stanley Dorfman - Co-created and originally produced and directed Top of the Pops, the longest running weekly music show in the world. Later directed numerous concert films and television specials, and contributed to the development of music videos by directing videos for David Bowie and Blondie among others.

Florence Greenberg - Founded Scepter Records and Wand Records, which gave a start to artists such as Dionne Warwick, The Shirelles, Tammi Terrell, the Kingsmen, and Chuck Jackson.

Johnnie Mae Matthews - Believed to be the first African American women to own a record label, she played a key role in the early careers of artists like the Temptations and Mary Wells, and her label is believed to have been the basis for Berry Gordy's founding of Motown.