Rock & Roll Hall of Fame – It’s Okay To Be Mad
It’s okay to be mad when they announce the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees. When you look at the list of nominees and don’t see a band/artist you love on there…it SHOULD bother you. I’ll explain my logic – but first here’s the nominees:
2024 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Nominees
- Mary J. Blige
- Mariah Carey
- Cher
- Dave Matthews Band
- Eric B. & Rakim
- Foreigner
- Peter Frampton
- Jane’s Addiction
- Kool & the Gang
- Lenny Kravitz
- Oasis
- Sinéad O’Connor
- Ozzy Osbourne
- Sade
- A Tribe Called Quest
What does it take to be nominated?
According to the Rock Hall: To be eligible for nomination, an individual artist or band must have released its first commercial recording at least 25 years prior to the year of nomination.
“This remarkable list of Nominees reflects the diverse artists and music that the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame honors and celebrates,” said John Sykes, Chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation. “Continuing in the true spirit of Rock & Roll, these artists have created their own sounds that have impacted generations and influenced countless others that have followed in their footsteps.”
Rock and Roll and The Hall – Get Mad
So when you see the nominating class for 2024 – one thing jumps out: ten out of 15 of the Nominees are on the ballot for the first time, including Mariah Carey, Cher, Foreigner, Peter Frampton, Kool & the Gang, Lenny Kravitz, Oasis, Sinéad O’Connor, Ozzy Osbourne and Sade.
That’s right. Foreigner is being nominated for the first time. Same for Peter Frampton (because NOOOOOOBODY had Frampton Comes Alive).
Go ahead, make that deep grunt when you roll your eyes and say “Rock Hall…whatever”. Believe me, I wasted too much time getting mad about the acts NOT in the Rock Hall. And strangely enough, that’s a good thing.
Music is YOUR Life
Music is a personal connection to your life. It’s the soundtrack to memories, moments and magic. Songs take you back to high school in a ’74 Vega (my first car) cruising with your friends to McDonalds on a Friday night. Hearing Bonnie Raitt makes me smile thinking about dating my wife Kathi, dancing with a woman I knew would make my world a better place.
So when the list of artists NOT in the Rock Hall comes out every year – we take it personally. I love Paul Rodgers and Bad Company…why aren’t they in the hall? I have no idea.
If you listen to our show you’ll know how long I asked “why the hell Pat Benatar isn’t in the hall”. Pat Benatar was thing incredibly strong woman roaring at me from the radio – telling me I better treat her right or she’ll kick my ass. Memories with music.
Who should get in?
Ozzy Osbourne as a solo artist checks all the boxes. The social influence (reality TV, etc) plus the actual music is going to be played fifty years from now.
Foreigner? Sometimes I think the voting body for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame doesn’t consider album sales when they vote. Foreigner has sold over EIGHTY million records worldwide – and the magic created with Lou Gramm and Mick Jones can’t be dismissed because too many people like them.
Peter Frampton. I put Peter in a unique category because of “Frampton Comes Alive”. There was a time in my life that everyone I knew had a copy of it (much like Fleetwood Mac Rumours). To have that impact on the record buying populace has to be worth something, right? And Peter Frampton is one of the genuine nice guys in rock.
So yeah, It’s okay to be mad when they announce the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees. Just don’t let it ruin your day.