Before year’s end, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will announce which artists will be part of their 2019 induction class, which will then lead us all to wonder just who will actually show up.
In the over three decades history of Rock Hall induction ceremonies, there have been a number of no-shows by inductees. Some of them were due to health or other personal reasons. Others? Not so much. Here are just five notorious examples of no-shows in the history of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.
Jerry Garcia
When the Grateful Dead were inducted in 1994, Garcia apparently wasn’t too fond of the entire concept of the Hall of Fame, which is why he sat out the induction ceremony. The rest of the band attended. Why is this notorious? The band brought a cardboard cut-out of Garcia to stand in his place. Hilarious!
Ike & Tina Turner
Tina Turner sat out the 1991 induction ceremony because she no longer wanted to be associated with abusive ex-husband, Ike Turner. This is completely understandable and one of many reasons Tina should be inducted as a solo artist, but that’s another rant for another day. Ike’s reason for not attending? He was in jail serving a four-year sentence for cocaine possession, which admittedly is a great excuse for not showing up somewhere.
Grace Slick
So, what was Slick’s reason for skipping out on Jefferson Airplane’s induction in 1996? She said, “All rock and rollers over age 50 look stupid and should retire.” Whether you agree with her or not, you have to give the woman props for sticking to her words, because Slick has maintained a very low profile for many years now.
Three out of Five Members of Van Halen
So, this one was just a hot mess! Van Halen was part of the Rock Hall’s 2007 class, and around that time there was a whole slew of drama going on in the band. (Surprise!) For starters, David Lee Roth was back in, but Michael Anthony was kicked out and replaced with Eddie Van Halen’s then 15-year-old son, Wolfgang. Oh, and Eddie needed to go to rehab. Once the dust settled, all who showed up to the ceremony were Anthony and Sammy Hagar.
Sex Pistols
The punk icons refused to attend their induction in 2006 in protest of the exorbitant cost for acts to attend, which can be upwards of tens of thousands of dollars per table. They did, however, send a note, which was read out loud by Rolling Stone founder/Rock Hall Board Member Jann Wenner, and honestly, it’s perfection.
Erica Banas is a rock/classic rock blogger that loves the smell of old vinyl in the morning.
