Initial thoughts on the 2012 ballot

Today, the nominees were announced for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.  I guessed five of the nominees correctly, and a couple I saw as upset possibilities, but decided against just because I had to cut the list down, and I guessed.  So the nominees have been announced, and while I’m familiar with all the names, I feel I’ve got to brush up on a couple before I start passing any judgments of any kind.  So for now, I’m just going to give a face-value initial reaction to the news.

And the biggest reaction is: maybe they’re actually listening to us.  Don’t get me wrong: the smart money still says they don’t care about what we think and may not even know who we are, though I did get a travel brochure for Cleveland from the Hall Of Fame Museum.  But looking at the list, aside from the six repeat nominees, it’s easy to get a big head and think they’re listening.  Start with the Cure, easily one of the biggest names of those who would represent the alternative scene adequately.  While there might be some gripes about the Cure being too commercial and how Sonic Youth or someone else might be a better fit, there aren’t too many that want more alternative-scene acts getting recognized who would object to the Cure.  I’m sure Matt and Trey from South Park are ecstatic about their selection, if they’re paying attention.

Equally noteworthy, the Spinners are finally on the ballot.  Ever since the O’Jays finally got their due in 2005, the Spinners have been the primary target for the 70’s soul crowd, and there’s been some major outcry for their induction.  In fact, when I ranked the Spinners near the top of my list of overlooked artists on the Future Rock Legends Revisited/Projected  project, I called our inclusion of the Spinners “beating the real Rock Hall at its own game.”

This year’s ballot also includes two acts that have had major activity on the FRL site: Heart and Small/Faces.  While there’s been some commotion and disagreement on whether the Small Faces and Faces should be nominated together, or whether their different styles associated with each name merit separate recognition, it’s really a lead singer’s difference between the two, and therefore, pretty much a good call to combine them, in my opinion.  It's like a band deciding to go a completely different direction when they got a new lead singer.  Still the same band, even if they're no longer Small.  But that's just my opinion.  They, by the way, represent the only possibility for any new members of the Clyde McPhatter Club, for people inducted more than once.  Meanwhile, Heart has never been a major discussion at any single point in time, but there has always been a steady stream of activity on the thread/page for them, and always an act with plenty of supporters.

From the list of newly eligible artists, Guns N’ Roses and Eric B. And Rakim are the two acts that have always stood out the strongest among them, and there’s been a lot of hoping aloud that each would be nominated as soon as they became eligible, and lo and behold, it has happened.

And while there hasn’t been near the amount of outcry for them as others on here, the nominations of Joan Jett And The Blackhearts and Rufus With Chaka Khan do represent the possibility of the powers-that-be listening to others, maybe even us.  Recently, I called attention to the phenomenon of “Front Man Fever”, where the lead of a group gets inducted while the rest of the group gets left behind.  With additional beefing about the Miracles, Comets, and Midnighters (among others) getting left out of the induction picture, the trend of Front Man Fever has been getting a lot of backlash.  The possibility is increased when you consider that both Joan Jett and Chaka Khan have been “Previously Considered” without the Blackhearts and Rufus.  Now, they’re nominated with their groups.

Even among the repeats, there’s been voiced support for the returns of Donovan, the Beastie Boys, Donna Summer, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, War, and even some for Laura Nyro.  The only name on the ballot that shocks anyone is that of first-time nominee Freddie King.  Feel free to spell his name with a “y”, by the way.  The singles said “Freddy”, the albums said “Freddie.”  Again, this is neither a comment on his merits for nomination, nor one of personal preference.  His nomination is merely a surprise to all.  There’s been more support for Albert King, Ben E. King, and even Carole King to be inducted as a Performer.

Other than the possibility of getting the NomCom’s attention, another major note is the stronger female presence on the ballot.  A solid third of the ballot is women or women-fronted acts: Heart, Laura Nyro, Donna Summer, Joan Jett And The Blackhearts, and Rufus With Chaka Khan.  While it isn’t a majority, a lot of predictions, shamefully not including mine, factored the museum’s “Women Who Rock” exhibit this past year as reason to predict a lot of women on the ballot.  I personally thought there was always a bit of a disconnect between the goings-on at the museum and the decisions of the powers-that-be of the Foundation, particularly the NomCom.  It seems that may not have been the case this year.

Looking at the list, there’s also a huge potential for canceling out, subgenres being divided against themselves by multiple representation.  Donna Summer and Rufus With Chaka Khan both represent disco, though Rufus was a bit more funky than Summer, compounded by War’s funk and the Spinners’ danceable kind of soul.  The Beastie Boys and Eric B. And Rakim both represent rap, and for the third time, the Beastie Boys are one of two rap acts on the ballot.  Both Heart and Joan Jett And The Blackhearts stand for hard-rocking females, both from the 80’s scene.  Donovan and Small/Faces are both 60’s British Invasion acts that went into the 70’s.  Though stylistically different, Guns N’ Roses and the Red Hot Chili Peppers were both very influential and somewhat flashy guitar rock bands of the more modern era of rock, which could also describe the Cure, sans the flashy part.  Laura Nyro and the Spinners are both soul acts, though one is blue-eyed and the other Philly.  This again puts Freddie King as something of a dark horse, which may work in his favor as well as against it.

So there’s an initial reaction to this year’s ballot: a lot of expected names, some pleasant surprises, and even a total surprise or two.  It’s all up to the voting body now.  Would that I were one of them.

Picking the ballot

Even though there's a thread about this on the FRL website, I couldn't call it a blog about the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame if I didn't write something about this.  So here it is:

According to Future Rock Legends, the Nominating Committee for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Foundation (referred to with the catchy abbreviation of “the NomCom”) will be meeting on September 12, 2011 to draw up the ballot for the Class of 2012.  And of course, it’s always fun to try and guess who will be on the ballot.  Last year, I had the most correct nominees, by guessing six out of fifteen.  So as the current Silver Button holder (don’t ask), I’m taking the occasion to start guessing who will be on the ballot for this coming year.  I must state right away though, that this is not necessarily who I’d most like to see get inducted, or who I think is the most deserving, this is merely those who I think are going to be there.  It’s hard to pinpoint these things down, mainly because in the past few years, the number of nominees on the ballot has ballooned up from what used to be the standard nine, to twelve and fifteen.  I’m allowing for up to sixteen.

           

The main thing that most people make when predicting the ballot is that they lean too heavily on returning nominees.  They do so with good reason: a lot of favorites do keep reappearing on the ballot; however, since the turn of the millennium, the slight majority of ballots tend to have a slight majority of first-time nominees.  Since this past year’s ballot was sixty percent return candidates, the pattern dictates that the newly nominated will be the glut of this ballot.  So pick your repeats carefully, since it’s unlikely to have so many of them this year.

           

Of those who might return, the clear favorite is undoubtedly Chic.  They’ve been nominated six times, and are clearly favorites with the NomCom.  Also, in the past year, it has been revealed that Chic lead-man Nile Rodgers has cancer.  There has been no news regarding Rodgers’ progress in the fight against this heinous affliction, but given how much the powers that be in the Hall Of Fame Foundation love and admire him, it seems unlikely that they’ll do anything other than keep nominating them every year until inducted, hopefully soon in case Rodgers does not survive the battle, though everyone, NomCom or no, hopes he is victorious.  In short, Chic will be back.

           

With three singer/songwriters as well as the avowedly admiring members of Alice Cooper inducted this past year, there may be enough sway to tilt the scales toward a Laura Nyro induction this time around.  She’s been nominated the past two years, so it appears they may be serious about getting her in eventually.  So I’ll guess that her name appears again.  Also nominated the past two ballots have been LL Cool J and Donna Summer, the former of which represents the NomCom’s continued efforts to include more rap in the Hall, while the latter represents both immense commercial success and the main face of R&B music in the late ‘70s, disco.  The NomCom may not try to put all three of these names on the ballot, but throw your darts blindfolded, and you’ll probably see two of the three stuck to the ballot.

           

Now comes the tricky part: trying to figure out who the first time nominees will be, and there’s usually a sizeable crop of them each ballot.  Beginning with newly eligibles.  Among this group, only two names stick out.  And of those two, Toure’s continued support of LL Cool J may keep Eric B. & Rakim off.  So, in all likelihood, the only newly eligible act to appear on this year’s ballot will be Guns N’ Roses.  The only liability that might keep them off is whether or not they want Bon Jovi on for a second time.

           

Next we come to the Little Steven pick.  Love his choices or hate them, he usually gets at least one of his picks onto the ballot each year: the Dave Clark Five, Wanda Jackson, the Hollies, Darlene Love, etc.  He’s got a good track record.  While hard to tell who’s next in his queue, he has in the past hinted at two acts that he seems to want to get in.  Of the two, the more likely choice would appear to be Johnny Burnette And The Rock And Roll Trio, a highly influential guitar band from near the dawn of rock and roll.

           

Most folks seem to think that it was the influence of new NomCom member Roy Trakin that finally got Neil Diamond on the ballot and in the Hall this past year, so can lightning strike again for him?  If so, there are once again two strong possibilities.  Of the two, the sounder bet is arguably Roxy Music.

           

 Recently, the website for “Rolling Stone” magazine has had a poll running for the best prog band.  And it seems that hard rock and prog take turns getting on the ballot.  Alice Cooper having been on and inducted last year, Genesis the year before that, and Metallica before that; it does indeed seem to be prog’s turn.  However, no matter what the results of the poll say, don’t expect the people’s choice to necessarily make the ballot.  The nomination of Genesis showed the proclivity to nominate acts that only loosely fall under the umbrella of “prog rock” as opposed to those who’d be considered textbook examples.  So, in lieu of Jethro Tull, Yes, or King Crimson, the safe money for a prog representative is on Electric Light Orchestra, a band whose orchestral style is more of a cousin to prog, as opposed to actual prog.  Nonetheless, their odds a`re the best.

           

There have always been at least nine names on the ballot, and so far we don’t have much representation of soul music.  While Joe Tex is a repeat favorite, his four nominations have come over the course of fourteen years, and having been on last year’s ballot, he might not be back this time around.  Meanwhile, fans of soul music have been pounding on the door for the Spinners to get inducted.  The NomCom isn’t known for listening to the outcry from John Q. Public, but it’s hard to imagine that they’ll stay on the outside forever.

           

With the likelihood of Guns ‘N’ Roses making the ballot, it weakens the probability of Stevie Ray Vaughan making it on, whose name should include And Double Trouble.  However, with innovation and influence, and politics as well since John Hammond produced his (their) first album, he (they) could appear on the ballot any year now.  Similarly, if Laura Nyro makes it on again, any other singer/songwriter making it on is all the more unlikely, much less that of fellow White, female Judy Collins; however, her tribute performance to Jac Holzman at this past year’s ceremony has reminded us all how beautiful her voice is, and while her biggest hits were not her own compositions, she does fit into the singer/songwriter category quite nicely.  So if they feel that segment is underrepresented, she may get a nod.

           

The ballot for the Class of 2000 was the last ballot where all the nominees had at least one Billboard Hot 100 hit.  Since then, there’s been at least one act that never charted on the Hot 100.  Though the Rock And Roll Trio and Double Trouble never made the pop charts, solo Johnny Burnette and the Vaughan Brothers did.  Meanwhile, the NomCom has only recently started warming up to the 80’s alternative scene.  The time may be right for a well-known name associated strongly with that era and scene.  So I’ll look for the possibility of Sonic Youth showing up, but it isn’t a strong possibility, imho.

           

This past year’s ballot had no candidates for the Clyde McPhatter Club, referring to people who’ve been inducted more than once.  In a previous blog entry, I listed Steve Winwood as the most likely next member.  However, solo Winwood isn’t likely for another appearance just yet.  So, I’ll put the Spencer Davis Group as a possible contender.  Chuck Willis tied with Chic for current holder of most nominations without getting inducted, and may possibly have been nominated again last year to keep Chic from being alone at the top.  So we may just get another appearance from the Sheik Of The Blues this year.  This may also be the year for another appearance from the Red Hot Chili Peppers as well.  And lastly, in case they bump it up to sixteen this year, as they did for 2006, let’s throw in a left field candidate, a complete shot in the dark.  This year, my left field candidate will be the Grass Roots.  With the death of lead singer Rob Grill earlier this year, they may get a nod for nostalgia’s sake.

           

So there’s my list.  It’s mostly in the order of likeliness of seeing them on the ballot.  Again, this is no reflection on my personal musical tastes, or even professional evaluation of any artist, only those whom I think will be nominated.  And of course, it’s just my opinion, and a lot of it is guessing.  Here’s hoping I get to hang on to my Silver Button though.

The Crystals? Not just yet.

            In my previous entry, I laid out some guidelines for what I try to do with this blog.  And now I’m going to break one of those guidelines.  Despite my aversion to spotlighting individual artists, I’m going to focus on a single act.  That act is the Crystals.  I do so because they are something of an interesting intersection at this point, with an extra hazard thrown in.  Simply put, the Crystals are simultaneously between a rock and a hard place and yet also in a decent place to be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

            The first road that crosses is that of the ‘60s girl group.  Along with the Ronettes, the Crystals are something of the quintessential girl group, partially because of their affiliation with Phil Spector, who supposedly had a penchant for female acts at the time.  Seemingly naïve young girls, lighting the world on fire with their songs, their youth, their sound.  The tale of rock ‘n’ roll in the early ‘60s isn’t even close to accurate without girl groups.  Which brings us to the Crystals.  As one such poster-children group, they make seemingly good candidates.  They sang young and had songs that were very much about the teen scene of the early ‘60s.

            Which brings us to the darker side of that road: the professional respect factor.  Steadier and steadier, the trend of the NomCom, critics and people who follow the Hall Of Fame, and even among the laity; skews towards those who did more than just sing.  You have a much better chance if you wrote the vast majority your own songs, played a guitar (or keys or drums failing that), produced your own albums, distributed your work on your own label, created your own choreography, or even handled your stage persona and your own publicity.  And if you did all of that, you’re pretty much an eventual shoo-in.  Those who only sang, be it solo or in groups, do get in with some regularity, but lately, it’s often despite much murmuring. 

            Add to that, early ‘60s rock ‘n’ roll, among those same groups of people, tends to be unusually reviled.  It was inoffensive, usually about love or heartbreak (sometimes both), joyful, apolitical, supposedly drug-free, and created by larger groups of people each specializing in one aspect and few trying to be jacks of all trades… in short, everything that has been sacrilegious to the music industry from the late-‘60s on.  This plays out in reality with the Hall Of Fame.  Those affiliated with that time period generally have a hard time getting acknowledged, let alone inducted.  Despite being an able songwriter, Gene Pitney needed eight nominations before getting in.  From that same class, Brenda Lee went eleven years between her first and second nominations before getting in on her third.  Even writing his own songs and slinging an axe didn’t get Del Shannon inducted after any fewer than seven nominations.  And how about songwriting teams of Ellie Greenwich & Jeff Barry and Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil not being honored until 2010, and may not have happened were Greenwich still alive?  And that doesn’t even mention the fact that other than the first-round Ronettes, every girl group from the ‘60s has needed three nominations to get inducted—even the Supremes.

            Which brings us to the last bump in this road, what about other girl groups?  The Crystals are in a better place right now than others because not only have they been considered before, but also the recent push has been for those that were under Phil Spector’s control.  So which other girl groups are deserving?  The (50's girl group) Chantels have two past nominations, but still aren’t in.  There’s also the Marvelettes, one of Motown’s first power groups, and one of the few such groups from the classic era of that label still not in.  With Aerosmith having covered their “Remember (Walking In The Sand)” and “Leader Of The Pack” being considered a classic, as well as a handful of other great songs, you could also make an argument for the Shangri-La’s.  Let’s not forget the Chiffons either, whose track record keeps pretty steady with most of the other aforementioned.  The least of the possibly deserving girl groups though would be the Angels, and that would be a pretty difficult induction to accept.  Not that it’s ever gonna happen though.  Even right now, getting the Crystals in as a representative girl group will prove difficult.  (Had they had more commercial success, the Greenwich-Barry nom-de-plume group of the Raindrops would be an excellent candidate, since most of the stuff from their albums is fantastic.)

            Part of that difficulty comes with the other position we find them in: the house of Spector.  In the past, Phil Spector argued that with his wall of sound being so distinctly his signature, especially on the girl group records, he was the true artist, not the ones on the label. And there’s been a lot of support for that sentiment, too.  But over time, acts he famously produced (even if only for a couple records) and musicians who played for him have been getting in.  It began in 1991 with Ike And Tina Turner, and went on to include John Lennon, Hal Blaine, the Ramones, the Righteous Brothers, and George Harrison.  But it was the 2007 induction of the Ronettes that really saw Spector’s power crumbling, particularly because Spector himself blocked their nomination in the past as a member of the NomCom.  It continued in 2011 with the inductions of artist Darlene Love and session player Leon Russell.  The session players still have a few big names in the queue, but as far as the artists go, the Crystals are perhaps the last major name to aim for.  The Blossoms never broke big; Bob B. Soxx And The Blue Jeans were too minor and were pretty much the Blossoms with a male lead singer.  Any other big names that were ever associated with Spector (like Ben E. King) had oone or two records produced by him, but not the same level of control he wielded with his other acts.  So the Crystals are perhaps the last act in the house to try and induct, now that Darlene Love is in.

            But ironically, Darlene Love’s induction this past year may be the very reason getting the Crystals in has become much harder, and pretty much impossible for the next couple of years.  While championing the cause, both before her induction and at the actual induction ceremony, supporters for Love were very quick to remind everyone that it was Darlene’s voice on records credited to the Crystals, including two biggies: “He’s A Rebel” and “Da Doo Ron Ron.”  Without those two, the Crystals’ biggest weapons become “Then He Kissed Me” and “Uptown” which feature two different lead singers.  Getting Darlene Love inducted apparently was so important, that it didn’t matter if the merits of the Crystals were besmirched in the process.  The kicker to this is that those who supported Darlene Love’s induction could also well become the biggest proponents for the Crystals.  In their own zeal for Darlene, they shot the cause for the Crystals squarely in the foot.  To rally support for Darlene Love with Crystals’ records, and then try to use those same records to argue in favor of the Crystals comes off as pure flip-flopping, trying to have the argument both ways and win twice.  It just doesn’t work because it looks bad when people try to do it.  And without a proper passage of time, any attempts to use those same records for the Crystals that were used for Love is only going to hurt the cause of the Crystals.  Even worse, this reflects back into the first road of girl group power.  This makes the Crystals look even less deserving of Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction than the Angels... the L.A. baseball team, that is.

            In summation, maybe the Crystals are deserving of induction.  I personally wouldn’t object to it.  But if any of the NomCom are out there, don’t try for them on the ballot for the Class of 2012.  It just isn’t a smart idea.  For now, your best bet for girl groups is once again the Chantels.  Three’s been the lucky number for girl groups, after all.  Or the Marvelettes, who hold some important distinctions for Motown.  And if you want to continue to induct pieces in the house of Spector, maybe Ben E. King, even though it was only a major record or two.  Or Sonny And Cher, who first worked for Phil.  Or focus on the session men: Tommy Tedesco is a pretty big omission for the Side-Man category.  Or even go for arranger Jack “Specs” Nitzche as an Ahmet Ertegun Award recipient.  Now just isn’t the time to push for the Crystals.

"Monitors" is plural for a reason.

So hopefully these first several blogs have given you a feel for what this whole blog is about.  I still haven't determined a regular pace at which I'd like postings to be done, or if there will even be a pace to it.  Nonetheless, and with a move across the U.S. pending in the next couple weeks, I feel that now is a great time to solicit for guest writers.  In some ways, I feel that this isn't just my blog, but this belongs to all of us.  Besides, you may have an idea for an article that I just plain haven't stumbled across in the back of my head, yet.  Well, now's your chance.  If you want to write an installment, or would like to suggest a topic for me in a future write-up, the guidelines are pretty basic.

1. Despite the freedom from FCC policy on the web, please write for the most part as if they could regulate us.  In my humble opinion, the more you swear, the more you come off as a jilted fanboy (or girl), and the less convincing your argument is going to appear.  I don't mind an occasional cuss, but if you feel the need to, be more like the Who's "Who Are You", and less like Adam Sandler's "Ode To My Car".

2. Don't be artist specific.  I started this blog with the intention of being a complement or sister site to the Future Rock Legends site (http://www.futurerocklegends.com/)  If you want to write about an artist or topic that already has a page on FRL, it probably shouldn't go here.  Besides which, there are already enough individual blog posts all over the Internet about why Rush needs to be inducted.  On a side note, a big thank-you to FRL for linking to the previous entry ("Front Man Fever") on their Biggest Snubs page, and for continuing to link to each entry.

3. I'm a borderline grammarian.  I try to be as grammatically accurate as possible but am lenient when it comes to irregular punctuation, capitalization, etc. for the sake of driving the point home.  Nonetheless, and as the case is with language, bad grammar makes your argument seem less convincing.

4. Even though I said the blog belongs to all of us, it is in my account, and as such, I make the final call as to whether or not something gets posted.  I can't really conjur up a situation where this is an issue though.  Just don't invent one.  I'll also probably edit the more egregious spelling and other grammar errors.

5. When you send me your guest entry, let me know how you wish to be credited, i.e. your handle and/or pen name.

6. Submit all entries or ideas to succotash_54@yahoo.com  Place "Rock Hall Monitors Entry" somewhere in your subject title so I know it isn't a spam message.

Pretty simple, huh?  So with that in mind, the suggestions box is open!

Front Man Fever

Warning: long read

In the previous entry (“Missing Members”), I made a direct point to avoid discussing those acts where the lead singer was inducted, but the rest of the group was not. This time, however, we’re going to focus on those such acts.  It was quite a common practice on the part of the Hall Of Fame in the early days.  By the time it came for Tom Petty and Elvis Costello to be inducted, however, the practice seemed to have dissipated, resurfacing now and again.  So, with that, it’s time to make a case study out of the Front Man Fever, looking at each case, and determining the level of severity of the fever.  Disclaimer: it’s basically an issue of label credit in most cases.  Understandably, the lineups on some of these backing groups may have vacillated a bit, and some groups may have been just session musicians credited as backing groups, but the principle is more the thing in this case.

Front Man: Elvis Presley

Left Behind: the Jordanaires

Temperature: 98.7.  Elvis has always been known as the King Of Rock And Roll, and while the Jordanaires were credited on an incredible number of his significant earlier recordings, it’s just not thought too much of that Presley got in alone.  And rightly so, given how much the attention was on Elvis versus the rest of the group.  It is, however, well past time to induct the Jordanaires as Side-Men.  We’ve got the main back-up band in, let’s put the harmony makers in as well.  Side-note, the Jordanaires were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall Of Fame in 2004, seemingly without Elvis Presley.  Tit for tat, I guess.

Front Man: James Brown

Left Behind: the Famous Flames

Temperature: 98.7.  Like the Jordanaires, the Famous Flames were credited on the vast majority of James Brown’s significant records; however, like Presley, the spotlight has always been on the main man himself, even going as far as to require the musicians to keep their eyes on him while playing, to keep the focus on him.  And like the Jordanaires, it’s high time to induct the Famous Flames’ members as Side-Men.

Front Man: Buddy Holly

Left Behind: the Crickets

Temperature: 98.9.  A bona fide outfit for the most part; however, as the story tends to go, the only reason we ever heard of the Crickets is because Buddy Holly was trying to skirt his contract with Coral and get his stuff released on Brunswick.  The Crickets never contributed a single thing to “That’ll Be The Day” and may have even only been assembled to support the story.  Side-Man or glaring omission?  Tough call in some ways.

Front Man: Bill Haley

Left Behind: the Comets

Temperature: 99.7.  There’s been some discrepancy in the story of whether or not the Comets actually were included with Haley.  Most sources say no.  This one’s pretty significant considering Haley was never credited as a solo artist after his days of being billed as “The Silver Yodeler.”  Also, that backbeat created by the band behind him is an absolutely essential piece in the DNA of rock ‘n’ roll   And the group meant a lot to Haley, too, particularly saxophonist Rudy Pompilli. 

Front Man: Louis Jordan

Left Behind: His Tympany Five

Temperature: 99.1.  Nope, the Early Influences aren’t exempt from the scrutiny either.  Louis Jordan was no doubt the brilliant mind that commandeered the Tympany Five, but when you consider the band is what provides the rhythms that helped make rock and roll what it began as and eventually what it became, you’re left with a feeling that, yeah, it probably would have best to include them.

Front Man: Roy Orbison

Left Behind: the Teen-Kings

Temperature: 98.6.  Hardly worth mentioning at all, and only done so because of the enthusiasm of collectors in Orbison’s formative days of the ‘50s.  Nonetheless, the career he made for himself as a solo artist is so tremendous that inducting the Teen-Kings with him would have called for a second induction of Orbison as a soloist.

Front Man: Smokey Robinson

Left Behind: the Miracles

Temperature: 103.  Let’s face it, this omission borders on the obscene.  Robinson did release records for End Records in 1958, but barring that, he would have been simply ineligible for the solo induction he received in 1987.  The Miracles are a huge piece of Motown’s legacy, and are right up there with the Four Tops, the Temptations, and the Supremes.  Seriously, Hall Of Fame, this is one that gravely needs correction.

Front Man: Hank Williams

Left Behind: His Drifting Cowboys

Temperature: 98.9.  Pretty much every said about Louis Jordan And His Tympany Five applies to Hank Williams With His Drifting Cowboys. 

Front Man: Les Paul

Left Behind: Mary Ford

Temperature: 98.6.  Yeah, it’s not really “How High The Moon” that’s considered important in rock and roll lore as much as, say, “Nola” of which he is of lone credit.

Front Man: Dion

Left Behind: the Belmonts

Temperature: 98.8.  “I Wonder Why”, “That’s My Desire” and “Teenager In Love” are all pretty well-known and loved records, but no one would say that Dion was nothing without the Belmonts behind him.  It’s one of those instances where it might not be a bad idea to induct the man a second time, this time with his group, but no one would really blame you if you didn’t, either.

Front Man: Louis Armstrong

Left Behind: His Hot Five (Seven)

Temperature: 98.6.  Satchmo was already a legend by the time he formed his first band and also had such a long run of popularity after he stopped crediting His Hot Five, His Hot Seven or His New Cotton Club Orchestra, that it’s pretty insignificant in this discussion.

Front Man: Hank Ballard

Left Behind: the Midnighters

Temperature: 101.  Major omission here.  For starters, Ballard only had two hit R&B singles without the Midnighters, and those were well after his heyday.  Secondly, they were simply known as “The Midnighters” in their formative days at the very dawn of rock and roll (well, after they changed their name from “The Royals”, that is).  Ballard may have been the main man and even the principal songwriter in the group, but the Midnighters as a rock and roll group are a seminal piece of rock and roll history.  Dick move, Hall Of Fame, dick move.

Front Man: Charlie Christian

Left Behind: the Benny Goodman Orchestra

Temperature: 97.5.  In a unique situation, we find that it’s a matter of cherry-picking one member out of an orchestra, who wasn’t even the leader, didn’t even receive label credit, and inducting that one.  Charlie Christian is a revered figure in the world of jazz guitar, but Goodman was also the man who was swing before swing became popular, and his records overall are pretty important in the continuation of jazz’s popularity, which helped to usher in the era of rock and roll.  The Hall hasn’t really recognized big band yet and most likely won’t, but if they were ever to start, Goodman and company is a prime selection.

Front Man: LaVern Baker

Left Behind: the Gliders

Temperature: 98.8.  The Gliders were on most of her early, major records like “Tweedlee Dee”, “Jim Dandy”, and “Play It Fair”.  However, given how there are many so-called music experts who aren’t that well versed in LaVern Baker, it’s a marvel alone that Baker got in, without the Gliders.

Front Man: Elmore James

Left Behind: the Broomdusters

Temperature: 98.6.  One semi-important record where they’re credited, and that was after the rock era had begun.  Since Elmore’s an Early Influence, that record doesn’t really come into play.

Front Man: Professor Longhair

Left Behind: His Blues Jumpers

Temperature: 98.7.  They’re on his lone R&B hit, “Bald Head”.  With other records like “Tipitina” in the mix, the importance of the Blues Jumpers is questionable at best.

Front Man: Ruth Brown

Left Behind: Her Rhythmakers

Temperature: 98.6.  They were on a handful of her records, and only one of them considered major.  Not a glaring omission really.

Front Man: John Lennon

Left Behind: The Plastic Ono Band

Temperature: 98.7.  While they were the credited band on a lot of the big ones for John (including the numerous name variations) their collective work is often simply referred to as “solo John”, and at times seemed more like a side project for the members’ careers, or like a revolving door for whoever happened to be there that day.

Front Man: Bob Marley

Left Behind: the Wailers

Temperature: 99.5.  “Roots, Rock, Reggae”, “Exodus”, “Buffalo Soldier,” etc.  The Wailers were pretty integral to Marley’s sound.  Plus, Peter Tosh would have had a shot at getting into the Clyde McPhatter club.

Front Man: Rod Stewart

Left Behind: Faces

Temperature: 98.8.  As a solo artist, Rod had a long a prosperous career that embraced many different styles and degrees of style, and for that alone, he’s quite deserving in his own right.  However, when the subject is brought up pertaining to his “serious rock cred”, however that becomes defined varying from conversation to conversation, it often leans more heavily on his stuff with Faces or Faces-era.  And when the Small Faces are brought into the conversation, it becomes more complicated.  So in some ways, solo Stewart is the wisest choice, but many still declare “Stay With Me” as the zenith of Rod rocking out.

Front Man: Janis Joplin

Left Behind: Big Brother And The Holding Company

Temperature: 98.8.  It’s a mixed bag, really.  Does Janis deserve the honors as a solo artist, or do we just paint her broadly to include the group’s records under the name “Janis Joplin” to sum up the woman’s overall deservingness of the honor?  It seems like the latter is what has happened; but with “Piece Of My Heart”, “Down On Me”, “Turtle Blues”, and other classics belonging to the group, it feels like maybe there’s room to induct the group still, even all these years after Janis’ solo recognition.

Front Man: Neil Young

Left Behind: Crazy Horse

Temperature: 98.8.  They’re credited on his major records sporadically. So the case for including them with Neil Young is really about as solid as the case for keeping them off.

Front Man: Frank Zappa

Left Behind: The Mothers Of Invention

Temperature: 98.8.  As with Neil Young, credited sporadically on the major records.  With Zappa, the Mothers were the body that perfunctorily carried out the commands of that weird, weird brain.

Front Man: Pete Seeger

Left Behind: the Weavers

Temperature: 102.  Pete Seeger as a soloist really isn’t an Early Influence.  His first two records as a solo artist were in 1954, which is arguably at the dawn of the Rock Era.  Plus of his seminal songs written, most were either recorded with the Weavers, or came after rock ‘n’ roll was big.  As a group, they helped set the template for folk groups as well.  Hey, all the members of the Weavers suffered under the stigma that came with McCarthyism, not just Pete.

Front Man: Bill Monroe

Left Behind: His Blue Grass Boys

Temperature: 99.0.  Monroe himself was an able fiddle player and the fiddle-playing was a strong driving force of the band, but the Blue Grass Boys were with him on “Blue Moon Of Kentucky”, “True Life Blues”, “Footprints In The Snow”, and the other major early records that not only founded bluegrass music, but helped revolutionize country music and also helped paved the way for rock ‘n’ roll.

Front Man: Jelly Roll Morton

Left Behind: His Red Hot Peppers

Temperature: 99.0.  He was the leader, composer and pianist, but listening to his records, you’d think they should have at least included clarinetist Johnny Dodds or trombonist Kid Ory, both of whom feature prominently.

Front Man: Gene Vincent

Left Behind: His Blue Caps

Temperature: 99.0.  Basically, they were always credited on his records, and while his guitars and vocals are always at the forefront, it wouldn’t have been the same without the Blue Caps behind him.

Front Man: Charles Brown

Left Behind: eponymous Trio

Temperature: 98.8.  They’re there on some of the big records, including “Trouble Blues”, and not there on other big records like “Black Night”, in which there was still a credit of “Charles Brown And His Band”.  So, you could go either way on this one.

Front Man: Paul McCartney

Left Behind: Wings

Temperature: 99.0.  It’s somewhat damaging that the records with Wings are often included in the reference to “solo Paul”, but it was the ‘70s with Wings that really establish the case for Paul’s post-Beatles induction in the first place.  Successful though Pipes Of Peace and Flowers In The Dirt were, they don’t quite stack up to At The Speed Of Sound, Venus And Mars, or Band On The Run.

Front Man: Bruce Springsteen

Left Behind: The E Street Band

Temperature: 98.8.  You hate to see such a well-oiled machine not get recognized in its entirety, but the fact is, the E Street Band just was not credited on the vast majority of the records.  At least Bruce called them up on stage to bask in the applause with him upon his induction.

Front Man: Nat “King” Cole

Left Behind: eponymous Trio

Temperature: 98.9.  Again, you could go either way.  They were together on many important records, but it was Nat solo on important later ones.  However, given that they were well-known as an outfit even before they started cranking out hit records, the fever burns a hair hotter here.

Front Man: Billie Holiday

Left Behind: Teddy Wilson And His Orchestra, Her Orchestra

Temperature: 98.4.  Teddy Wilson was the artist of credit on most of her major records, where she was often billed as “featuring the voice of”.  And her own orchestra was backing her on the majority of her major records after that.  So, it kind of balances out here, bringing the temperature almost all the way back up to normal.

Front Man: James Taylor

Left Behind: the Flying Machine

Temperature: 98.6.  Pretty inconsequential to the overall body of sweet baby James’ work.

Front Man: Prince

Left Behind: the Revolution, the New Power Generation

Temperature: 98.8.  With two separate significant backing bands, as well as a number of big records with no backing band on the label, it makes sense to only recognize Prince; however, the Revolution were on the most major songs of the career.

Front Man: Bob Seger

Left Behind: the Silver Bullet Band

Temperature: 98.8.  Again, it really depends on how inclusive you feel like being.  There were as many major records where the Silver Bullet Band was credited as there were ones where they weren’t.  Plus he also had the Last Heard and the System, so in the end, take your pick.

Front Man: Miles Davis

Left Behind: eponymous Quintet (or however many were in there at any given time)

Temperature: 98.7.  Not the worst omission, but I’m sure Herbie Hancock would have been flattered with the honor to have been included.

Front Man: Patti Smith

Left Behind: eponymous Group

Temperature: 98.9.  I think Patti herself would have preferred the group getting recognized, given how much gratitude she gave to her band members, having them play with her, and even giving the guitarist a verse on a song during her performance (the song being the one her mother liked to vacuum to, according to Smith).

Front Man: Jeff Beck

Left Behind: eponymous Group

Temperature: 98.9.  Pretty much the same thing as with Patti Smith, and hey, we could have made Rod Stewart another induction in that moment.

Front Man: Bobby Womack

Left Behind: Womack Brothers

Temperature: 98.6.  Really, they’re only mentioned so you wouldn’t think I forgot about them.  Yeah, solo Bobby’s career was so much huger.  And no, there’ll be no mention of Jack Parker with Neil Diamond…. Let’s not get too carried away here.

Front Man: Darlene Love

Left Behind: the Blossoms, Bob B. Soxx And The Blue Jeans, the Crystals(?)

Temperature: 98.8.  A tricky situation here.  There’s a prevalent argument about how without the above three “Left Behind” acts, Love isn’t deserving of the honor, and some insist that even with them included, she still isn’t worthy.  As a soloist, she had as many Hot 100 hits as the Blossoms and Bob B. Soxx And The Blue Jeans put together, and the timelessness of her performance on “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” really puts the cap on the case for her, but given a combination of “revenge upon Phil Spector” and the matter of how much the accomplishments in those other three efforts were used in promoting her case for induction (and the fact they sang songs from those efforts during her induction set list), it almost feels strange to not give the rest of them some proper recognition.  There’s still hope for the Crystals to be inducted as Performers (though don’t look for Love to be included as an inducted member if that happens), and the Blossoms may yet get in as Side-Men, if they ever decide to induct back-up singers in that category, but the late Bob B. Soxx, along with the Blue Jeans will never be on the inside of the Hall.

And so you have it.  A real Top 40, as it were.  It’s a Front Man Fever, and no amount of cowbell will cure it, since the cowbell player is most likely not the front man.

Missing members

In a recent posting on a message board (http://ourrockandrollhalloffame71305.yuku.com/topic/1534/R-RHoF-Screw--Started----Group-Inducted--s-Bobby-Nunn--Leo), the subject was broached regarding members of groups who were not inducted with their groups.  (For clarification, this does NOT have to do with lead singers being the only ones inducted, like Smokey Robinson, Bob Seger, Prince, etc.)  And Charles Crossley, Jr. brings a good point that this would not happen today.  When the O'Jays were inducted in 2005, they included members that left before the group broke through big in the '70s.  Rob Trujilio was given a statuette as a member of Metallica despite his relatively recent arrival in the group.  Despite purists' objections, Sammy Hagar was inducted as a member of Van Halen.  And so on.

At a cursory glance, it actually seems pretty silly.  If the Coasters are inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, isn't it really more of inducting the entire body or concept that is "The Coasters"?  Is it of paramount importance to induct the right members as opposed to, say, actually inducting the group at all?  Will the casual fan or visitor to the museum even know the difference if Bobby Nunn and Leon Hughes weren't omitted?

But surprisingly, it does matter.  By choosing to induct or not induct certain members, you're effectually choosing which songs do or do not matter in an artist's catalogue, or to the history of rock 'n' roll.  As the breakthrough mainstream hit for the Coasters, the 45 of "Searchin'"/"Young Blood" is actually pretty important for the introduction of the Coasters, not to mention as an introduction of ethnic humor to a wider audience... meaning I don't really get the humor in "Young Blood", but the laughter from the members of the Coasters while singing "Well lookee there", "What's your name?" and "You're The One" was genuine.  They were cracking up while recording it.  To not induct Nunn and Hughes also slights the music they were part of, which in this case is pretty consequential.

And the Coasters were just the first.  As a member of a fan site for the Four Seasons, the topic constantly comes up of the omission of Joe Long, who replaced original member Nick Massi.  Even Frankie Valli himself fought to get Long included, but lost out.  Long, by the way, was the bass singer/player from 1966 until 1975, a time which saw the Four Seasons' most experimental material and some of their best, including songs like "Opus 17 (Don't You Worry 'Bout Me)", my personal favorite "Tell It To The Rain", "C'mon Marianne" (the opening guitar line was the inspiration for the keyboard line on the Doors' "Touch Me"), "Beggin'" (which received new popularity recently as a remixed dance hit), "I've Got You Under My Skin", their comeback single "Who Loves You" and their critically revered, commercial flop album Genuine Imitation Life Gazette.  Some even want Gerry Polci and Don Ciccone who were the primary lead singers during the time of the Seasons' second wind in the mid-to-late '70s.  Doesn't that music deserve to be recognized as well?

And what about the Supremes?  Was Cindy Birdsong included as Florence Ballard's replacement?  Personally, I think Jean Terrell deserves recognition too, since it was the first time since "When The Lovelight Comes Shining Through His Eyes" that the Supremes' songs didn't sound like the lead singer was full of herself.  Bruce Johnston was key in helping the Beach Boys stay afloat during the mid-'60s all the way through the '80s.  Not recognized.  And I doubt they got all the significant members from the Temptations, Eagles, or Drifters in, either.  Oh yeah, and I'm pretty sure that more often than not, Steely Dan was more than just a duo.  Now there aren't many who'd say put Pete Best and Stu Sutcliffe in with the Beatles or Dave Mustaine with Metallica, but even so, there's a lot of missed members falling through the cracks.

So what, if anything, is the solution?  Inducting them separately would be misleading, indicating that these people had significant solo careers, which is clearly not the case.  And inducting them as Side-Men would only be a further insult to them, essentially saying they weren't actually group members, merely session players that also toured with them; and until we know what the plans are for that category in renaming it "Excellence In Musical Recording", it only further compounds the notion that it's a bad idea to induct them as such.  Creating a separate category called "Overlooked Members Of Previous Inductees" is really not a good idea either, as it would drag out the ceremony longer and only serves to further embarrass the foundation than they are by having not included them in the first place.

My idea is this: induct them retroactively.  Just over the course of the off-season, simply put out press releases on behalf of the foundation stating "The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Foundation officially recognizes (insert name here) as an included and inducted member of (insert group here), which was inducted in (insert year here), and shall be heretofore recognized as part of the inducted class of (insert year here again)."  Give them a statuette, let them sign the wall, and it's good.  You don't need to make it a part of the actual induction ceremonies, though you can if you want. 

It's not a perfect solution, but it corrects the oversight, abates the bloodlust of the diehard fanbase, minimizes the potential discrediting to the Hall Of Fame, and until we master time travel, is in my opinion the best option on the table.

That, and continued observation to try and prevent it from happening again.

P.S.  Feel free to add other missed members in the comments.  I'm just rattling off but a few examples.

Race Card Drivers

When the 2008 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction class was announced, an op-ed piece was published called “A Walk On The White Side”, in response to the fact that all of the Performer inductees were Caucasian (though the inductees did include Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff as Ahmet Ertegun Award recipients and Little Walter as a Side-man). But the sentiment is hardly new. It seems every year that there are more White inductees than Black (there are very seldom any Hispanic nominees/inductees); and accordingly, there’re accusations regarding racism in the voting body. Those who say that are looking at the general trend in the ratio of Black to White Performer inductees over the past few years. And maybe there is some truth to it, as a greater percentage of White nominees end up making the grade than that of the Black nominees, but those who are saying these things are looking at only the inductees, which for 2011 are four-fifths White, with one Black artist getting the nod. So, let’s look at all the nominees from this year, not just the inductees. By the way, this analysis could also be applied ably to the similar argument claiming bias against women.

The White nominees include miss-outs Bon Jovi, Donovan, the Beastie Boys, Laura Nyro, the J. Geils Band; as well as inductees Alice Cooper, Neil Diamond, Tom Waits, and Dr. John. Four of nine got in this time. Looking at the Black nominees, we see that they were Chuck Willis, Joe Tex, Chic, LL Cool J, Donna Summer, and inductee Darlene Love. One of six. So while it can be argued that the percentages work out more favorably for the White artists, it should also be noted that both camps had five nominees to miss out. From a gender perspective it looks like four for eleven-and-a-half for the men, and one for three-and-a-half for the ladies, since Chic is co-ed. Percentages in that arena both run about one-third, and would both be exactly one-third if Chic was considered a male act only, which you could almost do, given that Chic probably wouldn’t even be considered if not for Nile Rodgers, who was an original member of the Nominating Committee, and is therefore very much a part of the political loop of the Rock Hall. It’s only if you play it as a game of “White men” versus “Everyone else” that it becomes skewed at four for eight versus one for seven. But even this is not a sound conjecture when played against other factors that involve past inductions and nominations. For starters, until the Class of 1994, at least half of the inductees were Black each year, and since there have seen two or three classes where the majority of the Performer inductees were minorities.

So, it seems that another explanation is needed. In light of this past year’s ballot, the clearest place to look next is the issue of number of nominations. Of the five inductees, only Darlene Love, the lone minority inductee, had been nominated before. The other four were appearing on the final ballot for the first time. Of all those who didn’t make the grade, only Donovan and Bon Jovi were newcomers to the ballot, both of which are White male acts. The other eight miss-outs were all past nominees, six of whom were ALL the women and minorities that didn’t make it. So two-thirds of the first-time nominees get in, while only one-ninth of the repeats make it, with two and eight being the respective number of miss-outs. That staggeringly favors the newcomers, no matter how you slice it.

But is it a trend? Apparently so. Four out of five for this year were first-timers. In 2009, all five inductees were first-ballot selections. In 2007, all three of the first-time Performer nominees were inducted. In fact, since 2000, 42 of the Hall of Fame’s 67 Performer inductees were first-ballot choices, almost two-thirds. Of the remaining 25 that needed more than one nomination, seven of them were second-time choices, and another nine proved that the third time was a charm. Also since 2000, there were only two years (2001 and 2006) when the first-nomination elected were less than the number of returned candidates that finally got in, and in one of those years (2006), the percentage of returned candidates that got in was 30% of those that were on the ballot, while one-third (33.3%) of the first time nominees made the cut, giving the percentage advantage once again to the rookies.

This still holds up relatively well when looked at through the eyes of affirmative action as well. When you take into account all acts that were either a minority or female (including co-ed acts), there have been eleven Black acts that have gotten in on their first nomination (one of them also all female), as well as two additional female soloists, and three co-ed acts. That means there have been 29 that were nominated for the first time since 2000, and of those 29, 16 got in on their first nomination, which from a percentage standpoint, is better than that of this millennium’s all-White-male acts that were nominated for the first time, going 27 for 52.

Now, you can argue the point that once they’re inducted, you don’t need to nominate them again, so of course more White acts get in on the first try because there aren’t as many repeat nominees to try again for, and since 2000, there have been 17 White acts (one of them co-ed) that got in on a multiple nomination. However, since 2000 there have also been 13 White, male acts that were nominated once, missed out, and to date have not been nominated again, which is pretty close to even. For minorities, the number of post-2000 minority multiple nominees to get in are 7, and their post-2000 first-time nominees that to date, have not been re-nominated after missing out that first time? Two: War and Afrika Bambaataa. On top of that, there have only been five White acts (one of them female) that have nominated for a multiple time since 2000 that still aren’t in, while there are seven in the African-American camp, three of them with four or more nominations. Because they keep getting nominated again and again.

This points to the simple notion that when it comes to Black and female acts, they keep nominating them until they finally get in, which is nice, but it seems that they often won’t nominate more such acts until they clean their plate of the current choices. That explains why the Dells and “5” Royales were never even nominated until the Moonglows and Flamingos were finally inducted, and why no other rap act was ever nominated until Grandmaster Flash And The Furious Five finally made it. After this year’s election, there are now seven acts that have failed to get in after three nominations, and would have been eight if another rookie got in instead of Darlene Love. And of those seven, five of them were on this year’s ballot, four of them Black. So maybe it’s not prejudice against Black performers, but maybe just those particular artists. Maybe, just maybe, it’s not racism, but voters just genuinely feel that Chic, Joe Tex, Chuck Willis, etc. are simply not all that deserving of induction, or at least not the most deserving ones on the ballot.

I can understand trying to get your favorite acts in, and goodness knows some truly deserving artists have taken many nominations (Black Sabbath, Sex Pistols, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Solomon Burke, etc.), but if you’re going to play the race card, you’d better be able to account for the year when Bobby Womack, Run-D.M.C., and Little Anthony And The Imperials all got in on their first nomination, and Chic missed out – for the fifth time. So if you’re hell-bent on representing disco groups, maybe try nominating the GAP Band instead. If you want soul in the bowl, give Joe Tex a rest and try the Spinners, Stylistics, Chi-Lites, Harold Melvin And The Blue Notes, Lou Rawls, or even “Soul Philosopher” Johnnie Taylor. If you want a disco solo star… well Donna Summer really is the best candidate in that regard, so how about we stop including other dance/disco acts to divide the ballot against her? And failing that (and just for the sake of this article), try Chaka Khan, Janet Jackson, or Barry White, if gender is immaterial. And if the impetus is that strong to represent rap, Ice-T is eligible. Chuck Willis is probably more a victim of the fact that he hadn’t been nominated since the 1990 ballot, only to be nominated for a surprise sixth time (or fifth, depending upon which story you use) a full two decades later, but if the re-familiarization with his contributions still aren’t enough, maybe Larry Williams would be a good substitute for ‘50s R&B. But don’t blame race when a breath of fresh air, or a batch of nominees in this case, is a more likely solution.