Only two nominees from last year on this ballot. Todd Rundgren and Chaka Khan (solo).

Posted by remy10 on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 07:11am

Definitely the most diverse ballot we've had in a while.

Posted by Garrick on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 07:18am

That's a pretty interesting group of noms. Quick first impressions:

1.) They certainly appear to be aware of the perception that there should be more female and non-white representation in the Hall. 7 of 16 nominees are female and 7 of 16 are black.
2.) Surprising omissions: Pat Benatar, Kraftwerk, Dave Matthews Band
3.) Surprising inclusions: Mary J. Blige (Super happy about that one), Fela Kuti (I'll give a dollar to anyone who predicted that one)
4.) 3 people have a chance to become two-time inductees - Tina Turner, Dave Grohl, and Carol King
5.) Not a very mainstream list. No real classic rock radio staples except for maybe Todd Rundgren. Kinda the opposite of last year's list.

Curious to see what everyone else thinks.

Posted by Michael W on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 07:22am

I am going to post my first predictions for inductions right now, but I have a method for beginning comparisons. Compare the list to last year's list. Find people on the list that could be two-time inductees. While there are three on the list, I'm going with the flow and picking the most popular inductee choice - The Foo Fighters. Now, I'm going to see who was nominated last year. (I am Not including Chaka Kahn). So, that leaves us with Todd Rundgren. Now, I will pick two previously nominated artists. I'm going with Rage Against the Machine and Devo right now. Finally, pick two brand new acts. However, there are only two new acts. I'm going with Jay-Z and leaving spot #6 open.

Posted by Living Stone on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 07:31am

Rock and roll may not be dead, but the rock and roll HOF is. Boring.

Posted by Mattew Lukasiewicz on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 07:31am

I'm surprised they nominated Jay-Z and LL Cool J in the same year. I would have thought Jay-Z would have been the lone hip-hop nominee so that he would easily coast in.

Posted by Garrick on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 07:32am

How can you leave off the Super Group " EMERSON, LAKE AND PALMER'? ONE OF THE MOST AMAZING, SOPHISTICATED, KNOWLEDGEABLE AND fantastic musicians from the 70's. They used to fill massive stadiums back in their days and sold million of records. Time to put this group into the R&R Hall of Fame!! Give this group the respect they deserve!!!

Posted by David Fox on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 07:52am

2022 inductees
1. Josie and the pussycats
2. Jem and the holograms
3. The Beets
4.The Be Sharps
5. The Archies
6. The Beagles
7. The Bedrock rockers
8. The Chipettes

Posted by Mattew Lukasiewicz on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 07:53am

I have to say I'm disappointed with the ballot. No Bad Company, No Duran Duran, No Judas Priest, No Motley Crue, No Procol Harum, No Soundgarden, etc.
The Committee sure made a yellow brick path for Rage Against The Machine. I don't see much competition for them. In these politically charged times, this could be Rage's Time. Interesting the Committee decided on Devo and The Go-Go's instead of Duran Duran. From their discographies and number of hit songs, I think Duran Duran is more deserving.
Women artists received plenty of attention this cycle. I think we will see a repeat of last year when all those hard rock and metal bands canceled each other out. Instead, it will be with all the women artists. I have no idea who would have an advantage as Carole, Dionne, Tina, etc all have their fans.
My FAV thing is Iron Maiden finally on the ballot. They will receive nearly 100% of the eligible hard rock and metal vote. Go down the list...Black Sabbath, Def Leppard, Guns N Roses, KISS, Metallica, Van Halen. There's been a strong block of British voters voting for British artists. I think Iron Maiden has a good chance.
New York Dolls was the beneficiary of the recent death of popular musician Sylvain Sylvain. It got plenty of attention and that led to many asking why isn't New York Dolls inducted. I would have went with Bad Company, Blue Oyster Cult, or Foreigner.
I really don't like the Todd Rundgren selection. He's been nominated before and doesn't sound that enthusiastic about the nominations. He could benefit on this ballot.
I was wrong about Foo Fighters. They were indeed included on the ballot. Foo Fighters and Jay-Z appear close to locks for Induction. Dave Grohl is well-designed and loved.
Devo is a real Wild Card here. They might receive some support. The Go-Go's are finally here and should be inducted. Looks like the Committee changed out Pat Benatar for Tina Turner. This ballot should be a good puzzle for Roy when he makes out his different classes. I am intrigued by what could happen. LL Cool J has to come through this time. KING

Posted by KING on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 07:55am

Okay, how many of us--like me--had to go on Wikipedia to find out who Feta Kuti was?

Posted by Joe on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 08:01am

For the record, I got a whopping 3 nominations correct! Tina Turner, Jay-Z, and LL Cool J.

I challenge anyone here to have done worse than that!

Posted by Michael W on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 08:14am

Lol did pretty terribly!

Then again, everyone else did poorly.

I think I can get who will see induction.

1. Foo Fighters-I was wrong. But I was glad I was wrong. FF for the win baby! Slam dunk!

2. Jay-Z-LL Cool J maybe on the ballot, but Jay-Z will straight up slaughter him. FYE

3. Iron Maiden-No competition, so it makes an easy path for them

4. Carole King-Having the only diamond record of all the nominees really helps as The Dude stated and it seems the Hall wants to target these specific acts. Double Inductee as well.

5. Tina Turner-Make up with Ike Turner (Despite being a huge part with her career). She seem like a slam dunk and should have been the first woman double inductee.

6. RATM-Three times is twice the charm no doubt for them and because we live in hard times, they will definitely deliver! They probably might cancel some votes for Foo Fighters, but I think two are pretty separate enough from each other's era that it won't matter.

So in conclusion...
Two FYE
Two FYN
Two Previous nominees

And three double inductees!!!!!! Woo Hoo!

Posted by Plebian on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 08:36am

Here are the nominees, with their number of nominations and years of eligibility. (Hopefully the math is accurate.)

NOTE: There were no new nominees in 2020, thus even though it's 26 years since the first Foo Fighters and Jay-Z first record, it's still the acts' first year of eligibility. Carole King was eligible prior to the start of the Rock Hall; thus, her first year of eligibility would be the Hall's first year (as it would be for acts in similar scenarios).

* Mary J. Blige- first nomination; fifth year of eligibility
* Kate Bush- second nomination; 19th year of eligibility
* Devo- second nomination; 20th year of eligibility
* Foo Fighters- first nomination; first year of eligibility
* The Go-Go's- first nomination; 17th year of eligibility
* Iron Maiden- first nomination; 18th year of eligibility
* Jay-Z- first nomination; first year of eligibility
* Chaka Khan- third solo nomination; 19th year of eligibility
* Fela Kuti- first nomination; 26th year of eligibility
* LL Cool J- sixth nomination; 13th year of eligibility
* New York Dolls- second nomination; 24th year of eligibility
* Carole King- second nomination; 36th year of eligibility
* Rage Against the Machine- third nomination; fifth year of eligibility
* Todd Rundgren- third nomination; 27th year of eligibility
* Tina Turner- first solo nomination; 24th year of eligibility
* Dionne Warwick- first nomination; 34th year of eligibility

Posted by Jim R. on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 08:40am

Wow, I was wrong about so much, but I am glad as hell to be wrong.

First off, I decided to learn about the nominations by reacting along with the Who Cares... podcast. Would recommend, it definitely beat just reading the list all at once.

I'm absolutely thrilled to see many of the longtime snubs among women and people of color on the ballot, and I'm just overjoyed that we get a ballot with Rage Against the Machine, Devo, Kate Bush, Chaka Khan, and Tina Turner. Shocked that Kraftwerk and Pat Benatar didn't make the ballot, but some of the artists that did pop up more than made up for it. I've got to admit, I know very little about Fela Kuti, so I have to make an effort to listen to his work coming up. This ballot will piss off a lot of white rockist boomer guys, which is Good, and I am excited to watch.

As for predictions, I'm just gonna walk through my thought process for a bit here and get to my answer.

So we start with 16 nominees. I think that Tina Turner is an absolute lock, I have no doubt in my mind that she will be inducted in this class. I think this means that Mary J Blige and Chaka Khan do not get in, and probably Dionne Warwick as well.

I think that Kate Bush and Fela Kuti will probably not come close to the amount of votes needed to get in. Iron Maiden maybe has a shot, having a somewhat clear metal lane, but given how poorly Judas Priest has apparently done in the voting, I'm not sure I see Maiden doing much better.

Jay-Z seems close to a lock, though LL being on the ballot could complicate it. I think when it comes down to it, Jay-Z gets in, LL Cool J does not.

I think Carole King is also extremely likely. There may be some vote splitting with Dionne but I think she is just too big of a figure not to get the votes.

Todd Rundgren is sort of the sole mainline "classic rock" act on the ballot, which I think works in his favor quite a bit.

The Go-Go's seem to have the momentum, and also have the 80s new wavey pop rock lane to themselves. They're in.

Foo Fighters and RATM will be battling it out for votes, but I think RATM's critical acclaim and socio-political relevance will win out, while there doesn't seem to be as much urgency for the Foo Fighters.

Devo and New York Dolls both seem somewhat out there, but I think both could pick up a lot of the votes that ushered some of the classic alternative acts in recently. I think in a head to head, New York Dolls probably take it.

So in all, I would say that my initial predictions are:
1. Tina Turner
2. Jay-Z
3. Carole King
4. Todd Rundgren
5. The Go-Go's
6. Rage Against the Machine
If 7: New York Dolls

Excited to hear what you all think!

Posted by RG on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 08:57am

I don't know if I have been less excited about a list of nominees.

Posted by Dezmond on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 08:59am

First, as far as who is here on the list. I don't really care about many these artists. I don't dislike them, just...indifferent. But a few thoughts. First, glad to finally see Tina Turner nominated on her own. I have argued that should happen for over a decade. With all due respect to Stevie Nicks, Tina should have been the first double female inductee. I love Devo, but beyond their groundbreaking debut album, I'm not sure on their worthiness for HoF. I'll support them because I do love them personally, and perhaps one really important album is enough if some of their other albums were good and of their time and had some hits. Iron Maiden: I'm not a fan, but they should have been in long ago (along with Judas Priest). Foo Fighters works. I love Kate Bush. Jay-Z should get in. I guess Fela Kuti was the left field pick this time. I really like Kuti's work a lot, and it actually has had a lot of influence. So even though not a household name in the U.S., I wouldn't argue against his worthiness. But not going to happen. His nomination was his reward, I think. That does open up an interesting question as to world music artists in general.
The rest...meh.

But again, I must remind people of artists still not in: Duran Duran, King Crimson, Link Wray, Big Star, Judas Priest, Ozzy Osbourne solo, Jethro Tull, ELP, Joy Division/New Order, Replacements, Smiths, Smashing Pumpkins, Beck, Brian Eno, Kraftwerk...

Posted by Dezmond on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 09:27am

RG,

That's pretty close to what I think too. My initial thoughts are:

1. Jay-Z - Should be a lock.
2. Tina Turner - Voters will look at her name and won't believe she's not already inducted.
3. Carole King - See Tina Turner.
4. RATM - They're the right nominee at the right time.
5. The Go-Go's - This year is their best chance.
6. Foo Fighters - They might fall short but I think they're too big too miss.
7. Iron Maiden - I hope they get in. I'll be voting for them. But metal has a hard time.
8. Todd Rundgren - Seems like a perennial just-missed kinda candidate.
9. LL Cool J - My personal biggest snub and I unfortunately think he gets snubbed again.
10. Chaka Khan - Might sneak in, but the black female vote might be split, making it tough for her.
11. New York Dolls - It'd be cool if they made it though.
12. Devo - Probably considered a one-hit wonder by a lot of voters.
13. Dionne Warwick - See Chaka Khan.
14. Kate Bush - She's a super dark horse candidate but I don't see it happening
15. Mary J. Blige - This is probably a little too soon but her time will come in a few years.
16. Fela Kuti - It's an honor just to be nominated.

My personal votes will probably go to Jay-Z, Tina Turner, LL Cool J, Iron Maiden, and Foo Fighters, with Carole King and Rage just missing for me.

Posted by Michael W on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 09:28am

There's no need to get so hysterical and emotional here. Control yourselves!

Posted by FAJB on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 09:31am

What an interesting list. I am actually surprised at how many women are on here. I'm so so happy about Kate Bush! She's by farrrrr the most deserving artist on the ballot but I'm worried that with other female snubs like Carole King or Tina Turner the American boomer voters are going to opt for them instead. I'm sure this list will piss off those pretentious "hall of shame" rock elitists because their favorite one-hit wonder band from the 70s didn't get a nomination and I'm happy about that tbh. I do still think there are some obvious snubs not on here (i.e. The Smiths) but I guess this is just the hall playing catch-up on a huge backlog of artists.

Posted by Christian on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 09:35am

Michael W - I predicted Fela! You can just put my dollar in a donation box for a good charity. I'm pretty sure at least one of the Hall bloggers also had him on their list. He just is too big of a name around the world with massive influence on numerous genres of music; he was bound to get a nomination some day.

I'll have more comments later; this is an interesting ballot. It's like they deliberately filled it with acts that the main voting block has often snubbed - heavy on women, metal, R&B, and Rap

Posted by Shrek on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 10:04am

Here are the standings for the Fan Vote so far and they are:

16. Fela Kuti
15. Jay-Z
14. Mary J. Blige
13. LL Cool J
12. Kate Bush
11. New York Dolls
10. Chaka Khan
9. Dionne Warwick
8. Devo
7. Rage Against The Machine
6. Todd Rundgren
5. The Go-Go's
4. Iron Maiden
3. Carole King
2. Foo Fighters
1. Tina Turner

What do you think?.

Posted by richie on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 10:23am

Alright, time for some statistics!

Nominees by Origin
New York, NY - Jay-Z, Carole King, LL Cool J, New York Dolls, Dionne Warwick [Newark, NJ], Mary J Blige
Los Angeles, CA - Rage Against the Machine, The Go-Go's
London, UK - Iron Maiden, Kate Bush
Chicago, IL - Chaka Khan
St Louis, MO - Tina Turner
Seattle, WA - Foo Fighters
Philadelphia, PA - Todd Rundgren
Akron, OH - Devo
Lagos, Nigeria - Fela Kuti (Would be the first inductee based in Nigeria, as well as Africa as a whole)

Monthly Spotify Listeners
Jay-Z - 19,395,651
Foo Fighters - 14,157,682 (They released an album this week, so these numbers are somewhat higher than their baseline)
Tina Turner - 11,031,863
Rage Against the Machine - 7,157,331
Mary J Blige - 6,709,370
Iron Maiden - 5,820,504
Chaka Khan - 4,237,002
Carole King - 3,806,340
Kate Bush - 3,742,797
Dionne Warwick - 3,026,353
LL Cool J - 2,834,346
The Go-Go's - 1,888,496
Devo - 1,413,062
Todd Rundgren - 1,314,171
Fela Kuti - 583,896
New York Dolls - 275,355

Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums [2020 Update] Appearances
Carole King - 25. "Tapestry"
Jay-Z - 50. "The Blueprint", 67. "Reasonable Doubt"
Kate Bush - 68. "Hounds of Love"
Mary J Blige - 126. "My Life", 271. "What's the 411?"
Rage Against the Machine - 221. "Rage Against the Machine"
LL Cool J - 246. "Mama Said Knock You Out"
Devo - 252. "Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!"
New York Dolls - 301. "New York Dolls"
Todd Rundgren - 396. "Something/Anything?"
The Go-Go's - 400. "Beauty and the Beat"
Fela Kuti - 402. "Expensive Shit"
Chaka Khan - 499. "Ask Rufus" (I'll count it since Rufus isn't in either and they'll likely only ever induct one)
Tina Turner - Only Appears w/ Ike
Foo Fighters, Iron Maiden, Dionne Warwick - No Appearances

Billboard Top 40 Single Hits
Jay-Z - 49 Top 40, 21 Top 10, 4 #1 Hits (Empire State of Mind, Heartbreaker, Crazy in Love, Umbrella)
Dionne Warwick - 29 Top 40, 10 Top 10, 2 #1 Hits (Then Came You, That's What Friends Are For)
Mary J Blige - 22 Top 40, 6 Top 10, 1 #1 Hit (Family Affair)
LL Cool J - 17 Top 40, 9 Top 10, 1 #1 Hit (All I Have)
Carole King - 14 Top 40, 4 Top 10, 1 #1 Hit (It's Too Late)
Tina Turner - 13 Top 40, 6 Top 10, 1 #1 Hit (What's Love Got to Do With It)
Chaka Khan - 6 Top 40, 2 Top 10, 1 #1 Hit (Higher Love)
Todd Rundgren - 6 Top 40, 1 Top 10 Hit (Hello It's Me)
The Go-Go's - 5 Top 40, 2 Top 10 Hits (We Got the Beat, Vacation)
Foo Fighters - 3 Top 40 Hits (Learn To Fly, Best of You, The Pretender)
Devo - 1 Top 40 Hit (Whip It)
Kate Bush - 1 Top 40 Hit (Running Up That Hill)
Fela Kuti, Iron Maiden, New York Dolls, Rage Against the Machine - No Songs Charted in the US Top 40

Posted by RG on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 10:50am

So Jay-Z is the biggest singles act, but who is the biggest albums act? With the possible exception of DMB the biggest albums act always gets inducted. Is it split by charts and sales again?

Posted by Follower on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 11:07am

Here are the current standings in the online fan vote for the 2021 class:

16. Fela Kuti
15. Mary J. Blige
14. Jay-Z
13. LL Cool J
12. Kate Bush
11. New York Dolls
10. Chaka Khan
9. Dionne Warwick
8. Devo
7. Rage Against The Machine
6. Todd Rundgren
5. The Go-Go's
4. Iron Maiden
3. Carole King
2. Foo Fighters
1. Tina Turner

What do you think?.

Posted by richie on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 11:10am

We at least have one deceased act or ones with deceased members in the class. Who's gonna be?

Fela Kuti
New York Dolls (Everyone, but David Johansson)
Devo (Bob Casale and Alan Meyers)
Iron Maiden (Clive Burr)

Posted by Plebian on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 11:23am

You people are severely underestimating the induction potential of Fela Kuti. I get that he had no USA media or radio presence, thus had virtually no pop cult ID here. Basically he has the importance of Kraftwerk, but in this case every living HOF musician of the 70s that might not have liked Kraftwerk's weird electronic approach openly worships Fela for his innovative musicianship, sophisticated compositions, and awe inspiring live performances; music historians and critics also worship him. He's as important in Worldwide music as Bob Marley.

Posted by Shrek on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 11:32am

That last post by the way was from me. I forgot to put my usual FRL alias on it. Guess my real ID is now out there.

Posted by Shrek on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 11:47am

Fela Kuti and New York Dolls probably might be the dark horse of these nominations. Anyone get that feeling as well?

Posted by Plebian on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 11:49am

Follower,

I think the top albums artist is also Jay-Z. 17 Platinum Albums, 14 of which were #1 on the US charts, and 10 of which are multi-Platinum. That level of success is just staggering.

Carole King's Tapestry should be the highest selling individual album, though.

Posted by RG on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 11:54am

Yes, King has the highest selling single album on the list. Tapestry has sold 25 million copies.

Posted by Shrek on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 12:04pm

I totally agree, Plebian.

I think New York Dolls are definitely in the conversation. They'll pick up a lot of votes from the people who voted for other recent classic alternative artists - T Rex, Roxy Music, Kraftwerk, MC5, among others. The fact that their only real competition for votes is Devo will also be helpful. I think a lot of the older voters will gravitate towards them, but I wonder if their lower profile and lack of output compared to some of those other artists might hurt. I currently have them at #7 on my initial prediction.

Fela Kuti is a true wildcard. Shrek, I totally see your argument. He may do great as a musician's musician and a critic's pick, but not as well with the populists.

Posted by RG on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 12:09pm

Quick thoughts before I get other stuff out of the way this morning and do a full rundown.

- I'll dig up the Whitburn albums book for a comparison ranking based on that since some people are asking for it.

- I think users here are on the same general page about who will get inducted. Jay-Z, Foo Fighters and Carole King are locks and Tina solo is about as close as you can get to one (I'll get to WHY she shouldn't be considered a lock or even a worthy inductee later). Lots of people saying Maiden as well and I totally see it. They have absolutely ZERO competition in both the hard rock and classic rock lanes.

If there's a sixth inductee, I'm thinking Devo. There's basically no other key rock act on the ballot from the 80s/90s other than Foo Fighters (Rage was its own niche thing). So not only does that get Devo a LOT of votes from people wanting to vote for RAWK bands, but they also are the key representative of the now very electable group that includes Roxy Music, Radiohead, The Cure and Depeche Mode. So, like Maiden, Devo has a pretty clear lane.

- And as you can see from my expected inductees, the black and/or female noms will basically cancel each other out, four white performers and four male performers would make up the inductees.

- Fela Kuti stands ridiculously tall over everyone else on this list. It's not even close. Perhaps a Musical Excellence award is on the horizon.

Posted by Casper on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 12:19pm

- Oh and predicting the fan vote Top 5. Foo Fighters top it due to lack of competition with "classic rock" Maiden being the runner-up. Rundgren and King are classic rock adjacent enough. It's the fifth spot that is a real wild card and I'll go with Devo.

- In the past, a lot of people have wrongfully labeled the voters eventual choices for induction and poor fan reaction to the ballot on racism and misogyny. Untrue. But for this ballot? VERY true!

Posted by Casper on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 12:24pm

Fela Kuti, New York Dolls, Kate Bush and Iron Maiden are an easy top four for me. So many choices for that fifth spot, though.

Overall, a solid but unspectacular ballot. No real facepalm nominees this year.

Posted by DarinRG on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 12:26pm

- It's funny because the ballot is BUILT to ensure a woman or POC gets the sixth slot if there is one. Once you count Jay-Z, Foo Fighters and King as locks, there's no way to get to #6 without doing so unless Devo/Dolls/Maiden all get in.

Posted by Casper on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 12:29pm

Here we go again another year and another snub year for Three Dog Night. This band is far and above any of the other bands that were nominated as far as number one hits, popularity and success. They are overlooked every single year and I find it appalling. They are well deserving and well overdo for the a nomination.

Posted by Neil on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 12:29pm

Blige- Hell no
Kate Bush- I know almost nothing
Devo- please oh please
Foo Fighters- would be nice
The Go Gos- they had like one hit
Iron Maiden- absolutely
Jay Z- absolutely not
Chaka Khan- Either induct her or stop nominating
Carole King- Blech
Fela- I know nothing
LL Cool J- too many rappers already, so no
New York Dolls- If they have to have a glam act
Rage Against the Machine- they already have the Beastie Boys
Todd Rundgren- I know little
Tina Turner- Not needed
Dionne Warwick- Had to do research but ok

Posted by Garrus on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 12:31pm

- I stand corrected. Rundgren. So, in theory, voters could select three or four of Rundgren/Devo/Dolls/Maiden after the three, in my opinion, locks - King, Jay and Foo. So, there still is potential for white guitar acts to crash the party. Unlikely though.

Posted by Casper on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 12:31pm

Where is Three Dog Night AGAIN?! Another year, another undeserved snub

Posted by Mary on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 12:31pm

Still processing this nominee list like everyone else. Early thoughts...

1. This is a surprising non-populist ballot. Casual music listeners might not be able to place even half the names. I have not discussed this ballot with my wife yet but I can guarantee there are at least five names she would have no idea about.

It is a ballot that is going to provoke quite a bit of reaction from people. Personally I think it is a welcome change highlighting several neglected genres. After years of limited female artists the lid was blown off today. Good.

2. Several personal favorites are on this ballot, including Carole King, Iron Maiden, Kate Bush and New York Dolls. Really happy to see all of the first-timers. Very few acts from last year's ballot on this one (only two, if you count Chaka). This highlights how many acts really belong in the hall.

3. Biggest surprises for me are LL Cool J, Dionne Warwick and Fela Kuti (Full disclosure: I do know who he is due to an uncle who is a huge world music fan. Not very familiar with his work, however). For the few hall watchers who predicted his nomination kudos. I did not think LL Cool J would be added to the ballot with Jay-Z, but maybe that works to his advantage. I had basically written off Warwick as a lost cause.

4. Not throwing out any predictions yet. Too early for me. I do think Jay-Z and Foo Fighters are slam dunk inductees.

5. Personal choices if I had a ballot: Carole King, New York Dolls, Kate Bush and Jay-Z. Fifth choice would destroy me, but probably between Tina and Iron Maiden.

6. I've always believed a person's opinion of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame can be summed up by their reaction to one statement: "Boston is not in the rock and roll hall of fame." This ballot skews far away from the classic rock world, for better or worse. Personally I think Boston should be in, but I don't lose sleep over it.

Posted by remy10 on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 12:36pm

It seems the older bands are being overlooked and pushed aside for new bands and rappers. Someone said Three Dog Night and Boston, two highly successful bands from the 70's that should have been inducted years ago. Bad Company, Doobie Brothers. Are they kidding me? Are they waiting for all these bandmembers to die off so they can do induct them post mortem?

Posted by Roger on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 12:47pm

- Roger, Doobie Brothers were inducted last year.

- You have to wonder if someone like Dionne Warwick (who won't get in) could have got in when they had those sleazy 9 artist ballots which basically consisted of the nominating committee shoving inductions to whomever they pleased. If Darlene Love got in, then Warwick probably would have as well.

- And Dionne Warwick is the only 60s representation here. Crazy! That's why they need to either flesh out the singles category more (with actual rules) or start having a veteran's committee type ballot. The Monkees and Love are the only 50s/60s acts remaining that I think can actually get the votes for induction.

Posted by Casper on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 12:52pm

- Wouldn't it be some kind of BS if they decided to only have five inductees from such a diverse ballot? Effectively denying what likely would have been a female and/or black inductee for the sixth (or seventh) slot?

Posted by Casper on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 12:54pm

So I come on here a lot but never have posted before and I think I finally should this ballot is very interesting definitely left field but I think we may have a 8 artist class.

1) Jay z- love it or hate it he's a lock.
2) rage against the machine- I think Dave is gonna try and get foo to wait I hope and rage should be in before them anyway.
3) Tina turner- should've been the first 2 time female inductee but no matter what she's in.
4) Carole king- so overdue and she highly deserves it
5) Iron Maiden- they itch that classic rock and metal itch and they r highly popular I think they glid in.
6) Todd rundgren- he has to be so close and I think 3rd time in a row is the charm.
7) the go go's- they scratch a few itches a 80s group, all female group and a new wave.
And finally I see fela Kuti as a early influence.

So whatya guys think?

Posted by Tylerpadre on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 12:57pm

Casper

Dionne Warwick is getting in in 2021, with Tina Turner and Carole King. Warwick has a lot of support from past inductees who will be voting for her.

Posted by Roy on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 13:01pm

Casper..sorry! I forgot the Doobies went in last year. What about Dave Matthews Band? There are a lot of 50s 60s and 70s bands that are being completely overlooked and I'm beginning to wonder how old some of these people on the committee are. Do they even know who Three Dog Night is? Kool and the Gang?

Posted by Roger on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 13:02pm

I'll throw this out there right now:
There's only going to be 5 inductees from this year's list so they can leave time on the program for Depeche Mode and the Doobie Brothers to perform after getting cheated out of the chance last year.

Posted by Shrek on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 13:11pm

Roger, if anything, the nominating committee has skewed super old. They are clearly slighting 90s acts (and previously - and now - 80s acts) because a lot of them are too focused on inducting their own childhood heroes. There's basically nobody on the committee young enough to have been a teenager buying albums by Beck, Bjork, Smashing Pumpkins, etc.

Posted by Casper on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 13:40pm

Only potential snubbed bandmembers would come from Foo Fighters.

William Goldsmith (Drums, 1995-97)
Franz Stahl (Guitar, 1997-99)

Maaaaaybe someone could make a case for Blaze Bayley being Iron Maiden's frontman during a very forgettable period in the late 90s.

Posted by Casper on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 13:49pm

Other members of Go-Gos and Maiden were their prior to or after their recording careers. Thus, they would not be snubs.

Posted by Casper on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 13:50pm

Shrek,

https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2021/01/rock-roll-hall-of-fame-confirms-induction-schedule-lays-out-2021-plans.html.

Greg Harris said that the 2021 ceremony will only focus on this year's inductees and will not celebrate the Class of 2020, so I think there'll be at least 6 inductees this year.

What do you think?.

Posted by richie on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 14:13pm

I don't know why we follow that Bill Wyman (Not The Rolling Stones member) guy, seems like a pretentious dirtbag with his opinions.

Posted by Plebian on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 14:55pm

Tina Turner is winning the fan vote. Let's hope that once is an accident.

Posted by Follower on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 15:28pm

Now that the 2021 nominees have been announced, Which 5-7 acts do you guys see being inducted?.

Posted by richie on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 15:38pm

Is it just me, Why is Joe Cocker not there

Posted by [email protected] on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 15:39pm

I'll give my full take on 2021 on Friday. I'm tired right now.

Posted by Roy on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 15:42pm

Richie,

I posted my initial reactions this morning, but to repost now that things have settled slightly:

1. Tina Turner - LOCK
2. Jay-Z - LOCK
3. Carole King - LOCK
4. Todd Rundgren - Clear path, he will consolidate a lot of the traditional classic rock vote
5. The Go-Go's - Clear path, they will take much of the new wave/80s pop rock vote
6. Rage Against the Machine OR Foo Fighters - I'm 50/50 here, I'm certain that one but not both of these artists will make it. Both have strong points in their favor. Let's debate.

If 7. New York Dolls - Classic alternative has had some success recently

Posted by RG on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 15:53pm

Ritchie,

Here is mine if you did not see it.

1. Foo Fighters
2. Jay-Z
3. Tina Turner
4. Carole King
5. Iron Maiden
If 6: Rage Against The Machine
If 7: New York Dolls

RG,

I believe FF and RATM are different enough from each other's era that it won't matter. Question is, how will Dave and Tom decide who goes first?

Posted by Plebian on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 16:15pm

As of 5:15 (not The Who song, but the minute) PM on Wednesday, February 10, 2021, here is the leaderboard of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame fan vote for the Class of 2021.

Top Five Artists

1. Tina Turner, with 7,819 votes
2. Foo Fighters, with 6,028 votes
3. Carole King, with 5,409 votes
4. Iron Maiden, with 5,011 votes
5. The Go-Gos, with 4,628 votes

6. Rage Against the Machine, with 3,797 votes
7. Todd Rundgren, with 3,522 votes
8. Devo, with 3,281 votes
9. Dionne Warwick, with 3,216 votes
10. Chaka Khan, with 2,704 votes
11. New York Dolls, with 2,256 votes
12. Kate Bush, with 2,090 votes
13. LL Cool J, with 1,742 votes
14. Jay-Z, with 1,733 votes
15. Mary J. Blige, with 1,624 votes
16. Fela Kuti, with 719 votes

Total Votes: 55,579 votes

* I will start a series dedicated to each of these nominees. Part One - Mary J. Blige, is coming in the next three hours.

Posted by Living Stone on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 16:25pm

Once again the hall of fame proves it is an absolute joke ! Despite claims to the contrary, nominations go to who sells the most records and has the most influence on the nominating committee.

Posted by John on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 16:25pm

I really want to see Dionne Warwick inducted.

Posted by Chris on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 16:28pm

My prediction right now is:

Foo Fighter
Go-Gos
Jay-Z
Carole King
New York Dolls
Tina Turner

If seven, Rage Against the Machine
Eight, Dionne Warwick

Posted by Zack F on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 16:38pm

What a surprising list.

Who will likely be inducted of these:

Jay-Z- LOCK
Foo Fighters- LOCK
Tina Turner
the Go-Go's
Iron Maiden- LOCK ( lack of competition from other hard rockers other than RATM
would make them a lock, I think
Kate Bush- lack of any real alternative artists (other than Devo) will help her

Who I would vote for from this list:

Kate Bush- there is genius, and then there's Kate Bush. Side two of Hounds of Love
(the side without the hits) one of the best album sides ever, up there with Side 2
of Abbey Road and both sides of Dark Side of the Moon.
Iron Maiden
Tina Turner
Todd Rundgren
Chaka Khan
Dionne Warwick

Posted by Eric Tompkins on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 16:47pm

I have not seen too many regular's comments on here.. Are you guys in shock? Not that any of these nominated are not worthy of the honor, but the omissions are stinging.. No Prog Rock again! Enig must be fuming.. Did they go overboard on the Classic Rock/Hard Rock/ Metal last year to virtually eliminate it, and just throw some Iron Maiden red meat out there?
Can they get any more circumspect than to just placate the obvious? With Foo Fighters, RATM, and Jay Z..(Ho Hum..zzz.)
Some have been overlooked for quite awhile, and should already be in..(Carole King, LL Cool J, Tina Turner, Todd Rundgren).
But where is Kraftwerk? OK, if you think giving them a break is good. Same with Rufus w/Chaka Khan.. understood.
What I cannot fathom is snubbing fantastic bands like Jethro Tull, Pat Benatar, Judas Priest, Motorhead, Bad Company, for the Classic Rock era, and Soundgarden and Smashing Pumpkins for 90's Rock, and DMB fans will be outraged..

I do like the nominations of New York Dolls, Devo, The Go-Go's, and LL Cool J for some variety of substance, but the rest is highly generic, with no real risk taking, and unfortunately, a bit boring for me. But I suppose it seems they have decided to go the safe and sure route this time.. save the excitement and go for the tried and true, no matter how down the middle and par for the course it may be..

Posted by Will N. on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 16:51pm

Maiden, King, Turner and Foo Fighters are the top four predicted on here AND are also the top four in the fan vote. And we all know Jay-Z is getting in.

To reiterate, it's really just the (maybe) 6th and (maybe) 7th slots where the inductee list could get real interesting. Fela Kuti, Todd Rundgren and Chaka Khan also each have a strong Musical Excellence induction case (so don't rule that out!)

Posted by Casper on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 16:53pm

Feel like Todd is gonna be ME in a few months...

Posted by Plebian on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 16:57pm

Alright rock & roll comrades, the nominees for class of 2021 is finally here & it's really diverse this time, so here's my objective rankings as always & I'll give out my thoughts as well.

Mary J. Blige - 8/10
I'm pretty much shocked that she's finally got nominated for the first time as she's one of the most successful & important artists in the R&B field. So I don't mime if she gets inducted.
Kate Bush - 7/10
I'm so suprised that she's been nominated once again, as much as she deserves it I think she might have to wait a little longer. If she's gets inducted then have 2x Hall of Famer Peter Gabriel be a presenter.
Devo - 7/10
With The Cure & Depeche Mode recently being inducted I think this might be their year. They're one of the most well-known bands in the 80's with their sound & their song Whip It. But they shouldn't be in before Kraftwerk which they got left out this time.
Foo Fighters - 8/10
They're a lock for induction this year & Dave Grohl would become the 24th artist to be inducted twice. They really stand out in the 90's like the ones that got inducted.
The Go - Go's - 7/10
There has been a buzz about their upcoming nomination due to the documentary movie about them last year & they pretty much have a chance to earn induction.
Iron Maiden - 8/10
A lot of rock purists wanted more metal bands to be in the RRHOF & Iron Maiden is one of them. With that said they should deserve to be in but DEFINITELY not before Judas Priest, Thin Lizzy & Motorhead which they got left out this year as well.
Jay - Z - 10/10
He's definitely a lock for induction despite what many rock purists would say about it. He's one of the most influential artists of the 90's & beyond.
Chaka Khan - 7/10
I like her music as solo & with Rufus but she might fell short of the list of those who should get inducted but definitely not a borderline candidate.
Carole King - 5/10
She's hasn't done anything significantly important further than having a biggest album of 1971 or 72 & writing songs for or with other artists but she got inducted as AMA recipient so I don't see her getting inducted the second time.
Fela Kuti - N/A
Literally don't have thoughts on him so I don't mind if he gets inducted or not.
LL Cool J - 8/10
I'm so pleasantly suprised that another rap artist is getting nominated alongside Jay - Z & with him being a lock for induction I think LL might not get it this time but that doesn't stop him from having influence & success.
New York Dolls - 7/10
With British glam legends Roxy Music & T. Rex recently being inducted I think they might have a shot for induction despite being nominated previously a long time ago.
Rage Against the Machine - 8/10
With induction of Nine Inch Nails last year, this might be a year for RATM especially there's a lot of things changing this year in the U.S.
Todd Rundgren - 7/10
This is his third nomination & I would rather see him getting in as Award For Musical Excellence.
Tina Turner - 10/10
She's queen of Rock & Roll. Let her in this year! Influence, innovation, cultural impact, critical acclaim etc: all check!
Dionne Warwick - N/A
I'm so shocked & suprised that she's getting nominated for the first time especially after one of her relatives got inducted last year & that's Whitney Houston. She might be a long shot but definitely worthy of the honor.

Posted by Navonte Robertson on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 16:59pm

An unusual, if interesting list of nominees to say the least. Some of my initial, scattered thoughts:

-King feels like the lockiest lock to ever lock, and it's well deserved. Tina's also up there. Here's hoping they don't screw that up.

-Iron Maiden is probably my favorite act of this bunch and they're in my top 3 of biggest omissions along with Kraftwerk and Joy Division.

-RATM feels like they have a good chance this year too.

-FYE's Foo Fighters and Jay-Z are worthy obviously (every nominee is) but I can't say that I'm too excited about either of them.

-It's disappointing to not see Kraftwerk again. I'm hoping the break will be helpful towards their chances.

-While I'm not sure if Dionne Warwick will get in this year, I do think it'll do wonders for her chances in our Rock Hall Projected project. She's the only nominee not yet inducted (Kuti's in as an influence and Rundgren is in as Non-Performer) and has been a perennial bridesmaid for the past few years. It also wouldn't be the first time that a real life Hall of Fame nomination would help bump the longtime Projected nominee into induction, as we've seen with Bad Brains.

-With Tina, Carole, & Dionne all nominated, maybe the hall can take another look at longtime snubs Connie Francis, Petula Clark, or Lesley Gore?

-With Carole's new nomination (her first was way back in 1989) maybe the hall can give another look to Ben E. King someday?

-I liked someone's idea of Fela Kuti as a Musical Excellence candidate.

-I don't want Chaka Khan to get in this year. I want to see her get inducted with Rufus and it'd feel like a (less extreme) Nile Rodgers/Chic situation.

-Kate Bush would be a cool induction, but I don't see it happening. Then again, Laura Nyro got in and she feels like a weirder choice than Bush.

-I'd love to see the Go-Go's, NY Dolls, Devo, & LL Cool J get in but it just doesn't feel like their year again.

-I sincerely hope they induct more than 5. Go for 7, hell even go for 8. Get half the ballot in and the mountainous backlog will start to clear.

Posted by Steve Z on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 17:16pm

Steve Z,

Which 5-7 acts do you see being inducted?.

Posted by richie on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 17:21pm

Wow there's a ton to unpack here. Just surprised I haven't seen a full boomer meltdown with 40 names in all caps of one or two hit wonders on radio playlists

Posted by K-Dawg on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 17:26pm

The Breakdown
A Companion Series to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2021 Nominees

Part One - Mary J. Blige

Mary Jane Blige was born in January 11, 1971, in New York, New York. In 1991, Blige was signed to Uptown Records, founded by rapper Andre Harrell. Uptown Records signed R&B and hip hop artists, and would later sign 2020 Inductee Biggie Smalls, or the Notorious B. I. G. Blige's debut album, What's the 411, would be her first of eight albums to sell over 100,000 copies, and sold 300,000 copies overall. The follow-up album, My Life, was voted in #126 on Rolling Stone's Greatest Albums of All Time List. It also sold 300,000 copies. Of her 13 albums, 8 have gone multi-platinum, selling 50 grand albums in the US and 80 grand worldwide. She has won over fifteen music awards and at least three acting awards. And that leads us to her chances of induction:

Less than 5%

As much as she is liked among the Greg Harrises of our world, she does have a slim chance. Fela Kuti has a bigger chance than her.

Posted by Living Stone on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 17:49pm

Here is my tier rating of all the nominees so far
(Judging on discography, innovation, cultural impact, and influence)
S-Legendary
A-Almost Legendary
B-Good/Great
C-Average
D-Below Average

Jay-Z-A
Kate Bush-B
Rage Against the Machine-B
LL Cool J-B
Devo-B
Foo Fighters-B
New York Dolls-B
Tina Turner-B (I agree with Caspar, a lot to be desired in a weak discography regardless of race and gender)
Fela-B
Todd Rundgren-C (Seriously am I the only one that sees him as ME this year in a few months?!)
Carole King-C
Mary J. Blige-C
Chaka Khan-C
Dionne Warwick-C
The Go-Go's-D

RG, K-Dawg, Michael W, The Dude, etc..

Your opinions? I hope I don't hurt too much of your feelings.

Posted by Plebian on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 17:51pm

Casper,

Which 5-7 acts do you see being inducted this year for 2021?.

Posted by richie on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 18:19pm

Rage Against the Machine - heavy prog
Devo - new wave prog adjacent
Todd Rundgren - prog
Chaka Khan - soul prog
Iron Maiden - metal prog
Foo Fighters - prog adjacent
Mary J. Blige - diva prog
Tina Turner - just prog
Dionne Warwick - most prog of all
Kate Bush - prog adjacent
New York Dolls - make-up prog
Jay-Z - rap prog
LL Cool J - proto-rap prog
The Go-Gos - prog adjacent
Fela Kuti - african prog
Carole King - space prog

Posted by Classic Rock on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 18:28pm

I'll fire off my ratings of the nominees too.

S-Legendary
A-Almost Legendary
B-Good/Great
C-Average
D-Below Average

Jay-Z - A (And I wouldn't argue with him being an S)
Foo Fighters - B
LL Cool J - B
Mary J. Blige - B (Her impact is underrated)
New York Dolls - B (Just barely)
Iron Maiden - C (Almost a B)
Carole King - C
Tina Turner - C
Rage Against The Machine - C
Fela Kuti - C
Kate Bush - C
Go-Go's - C
Chaka Khan - C
Todd Rudngren - C
Devo - C (Just barely)
Dionne Warwick - D

I get why they did what they did, but in general it's a pretty uninspiring group for me.

Posted by Michael W on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 18:39pm

I was looking at the decade breakdown of the nominees. Some are difficult to place in one decade but this is how I see them.
60s-1 Dionne Warwick

70s-5 Chaka Khan, Fela Kuti, Carole King, New York Dolls and Todd Rundgren

80s-6 Devo, Go-Gos, Kate Bush, Iron Maiden, LL Cool J and Tina Turner

90s-4 Mary J. Blige, Rage Against the Machine, Foo Fighters, Jay-Z

Thoughts:
Kind of surprised there are almost as many 70s acts as 80s ones. The 80s have always been shorted in my opinion. Casper is right; the committee is still veering old.

Only one 60s act. Barring some special committee for oldies acts I guess I need to accept that pre-70s is over.

I'm fine with 90s acts and have no real problem with any of them (although I feel Rage is overrated). But are these really the 4 most necessary acts from the decade? Not even close. The 90s are a real mess right now.

Posted by remy10 on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 18:41pm

The Dude,

Which 5-7 acts do you see being inducted this year for 2021?.

Posted by richie on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 18:51pm

- remy10, it's clear that the nominating committee just has its own dumb biases when it comes to the 90s. They are overlooking SO much great music. They really SHOULD have some white dudes on the committee in their thirties, because as of right now, there is nobody in that room to bat for Beck, Bjork, Smashing Pumpkins, Alice in Chains, Pavement, Pixies, Oasis, Weezer, etc. This is what happens when your nom com members are virtually all above the age of 50 and the youngest are women. They need younger voices on that committee who actually lived through the 90s and beyond as kids/teenagers.

- richie, I have posted multiple times about my inductee guess. Top four on here and in that fan vote are Carole King, Tina Turner, Foo Fighters and Iron Maiden (the latter has a great induction path given the names on the ballot). Then there's Jay-Z who we all know gets in (#5 in the FRL poll).

So my only real guesses are for the 6th slot (if it happens). I choose Devo as the Roxy/Depeche/Cure choice. If there's 7, I think Rundgren will have it as he's classic rock adjacent and has probably come fairly close recently.

Posted by Casper on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 18:54pm

Frankly, keep the committee numbers the same but replace the 60+ year old white guys with 30+ year old white guys and I think we would have a committee without any blind spots. At this juncture, the old white dude fogeys clearly aren't having much of a say, anyway, if this ballot is anything to go off of. Better to have someone in the room arguing for Weezer than for Tommy James & the Shondells...

Posted by Casper on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 18:57pm

Also, it's absolutely fine for people to give Tina Turner or Carole King low grades or rankings or whatever. If these nominations truly are to represent their solo careers, then nothing Carole did in the 60s is relevant (except covering her own songs on some of the solo LPs) and nothing Tina did with Ike is relevant.

And when you look at it through that lens (as you should), then their cases aren't as strong for induction.

King totally deserves it due to Tapestry and would have been a Performer lock by the start of this century (if not late 90s) had the Hall not quickly thrown in the towel and arguably backdoored her. But as a big fan that has done a deep dive into her discography, there's one classic album and three more pretty good ones. It's not an overwhelming case by any means.

And Turner....it's really all about Private Dancer. Look up the rest of her post-Ike stuff and you'll find middling critical reviews and weak sales, etc.

Posted by Casper on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 19:03pm

Interesting ballot but I don't see some of the logic. EX:Chaka Khan. If Chaka is someone the Committee wants inducted, it doesn't make sense to have Carole King, Dionne Warwick, Mary J. Blige, Tina Turner on the same ballot. Same with Dionne Warwick. She's finally on the ballot but has to go up against Blige, Khan, King, Turner, etc.
I was right Jay-Z and LL Cool J on the same ballot. It's a smart strategy. My guess plenty of voters will vote for Jay-Z and LL Cool J. Think I have 5 right this year.
Iron Maiden is the 1 I want to see inducted. It might make sense to focus on 1 of the metal bands. The Judas Priest, Motorhead, Thin Lizzy, collage didnt work last year.
I would have shifted Todd Rundgren to Musical Excellence. He's a unique talent as a singer, guitarist, songwriter, producer, etc.
I dont understand bringing back New York Dolls after all these years. Bad Company, Blue Oyster Cult, Judas Foreigner, Judas Priest, Soundgarden, would have been better selections.
Poor Duran Duran excluded again! DD has done everything needed for Induction. They have the required influence, innovation, longevity, musical excellence, etc.
With all the women on the ballot, I think Carole King, Tina Turner, and The Go-Go's can break through.
I think a Quick King 6 as of right now 4 Induction.
1. Tina Turner
2. Jay-Z
3. Iron Maiden
4. Carole King
5. Foo Fighters
6. The Go-Go's.
There's a lot of Carole King fanboys and fangirls out there. With the voting body swelling to 1,000, it will be interesting how the younger voters vote. Dave Grohl is 1 of the most respected musicians around. This year Soundgarden was squeezed out by Foo Fighters and Rage Against The Machine.
I really dont know about Rage Against The Machine and their chances.
Another person many were confident about,Cher, also missed the ballot. It will be an interesting week discussing the 16 nominees. I dont know why they just didnt go to 18 or 19 nominees. The year of 19 nominees might have been their best group of artists. KING

Posted by KING on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 19:06pm

Why does FLR keep insisting that the fan vote is meaningless? If 7 out of the 8 winners got inducted, it has to have some meaning. Besides, lets hope that once is an accident and the fan vote winner will get inducted this year. (So far it's Tina Turner)

Posted by Follower on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 19:10pm

KING

I agree with you about Chaka. I have always felt her chances are far better solo than with Rufus (too large and complicated a membership). But I don't see any way she gets in this year. Not against King, Turner and The Go-Go's. Even voters that pick several female acts may leave her off. And that's a shame.

Posted by remy10 on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 19:19pm

Hey Guys,

In the event that one of the acts on the ballot gets an induction this year, Who would be the biggest beneficiary of that act next year?.

Posted by richie on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 19:19pm

At least the question is a new one.

Posted by remy10 on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 19:21pm

I guess Dave Grohl is the Jeff Lynn/Mark Knopfner/Brain Eno/Marc Bolan of this year.

(Credit to Nick for giving Marc Bolan the role!)

Posted by Follower on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 19:21pm

If it was like last year and they decided to do 2 acts from each decade:

90's: Jay-Z and Foo Fighters
80's: The Go-Gos and LL Cool J
70's: Todd Rundgren and Tina Turner

Posted by Follower on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 19:25pm

Oooooh now, this class is very interesting. Both more black artists and most importantly black WOMEN nominated at once. I dont care for much of the rock-leaning acts if I'm honest. If I'm being practical though, so much diversity won't end up good when the voting comes around as most of the acts here who are noteworthy will cancel each other out. Tina, Jay and FF are the three lock ins tho and i'll be both surprised and upset if they dont get in.

Now what would be REALLY legendary if this were the first all-black class or female-majority class. And either way, they will be all deserving.

Posted by ABJ on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 19:40pm

Hey Guys,

In the event that one of the acts on the 2021 ballot gets an induction this year, Who would be the biggest beneficiary of that act next year for 2022?.

Posted by richie on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 20:10pm

richie, Induction of a lower-tier solo female name (anybody not named Carole King or Tina Turner) would probably open the floodgates for options like Carly Simon, etc. Especially if they got in on a ballot with so many female-fronted acts splitting the vote.

Maiden getting in would also prove that metal actually can get in fairly easily as long as there isn't a massive hard rock logjam like there was last year. So that would be great news for Priest.

Posted by Casper on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 20:23pm

I'm going to do my brutally honest breakdown in order of their chances of induction.

Jay-Z: The greatest MC who ever lived and a 100% lock. His superior wordplay and rhythmic intuition places him a cut above everyone else. Classic albums galore and a run of mainstream success rarely paralleled by anyone in the rock era. Still, this is kind of boring. As Bill Wyman pointed out, he's been nothing but a corporate sellout for decades and I question whether he has done anything of high artistic merit for the last 10 or 15 years. How can I get excited about someone who just screams Pepsi Cola (TM) whenever I look at his face? There's nothing rock and roll about that or his persona and it's kind of a shame that so many major black performers will lend their name to basically anything for $.

Foo Fighters: A "career compiler" in baseball terms is that guy who collects like 2800 hits and plays for 20 seasons while rarely making the All Star squad or having MVP-caliber years. There's no peak with them or this band! Their best record was the Grohl solo record that launched this project and it's mostly been downhill ever since with few SINGLES from this century that can be considered GOOD. This reeks of insider nepotism and Grohl playing the institution's game for so long. He's effectively been rock's likable everyman for the last twenty years.

But rarely LOVED. And that's where you have to doubt their chances a little. How many critics are really going to vote for them on their ballot? Likely few. How many pop/R&B minded voters? Likely none.

If they get in, it's a testament to the voting body being heavily white, male and guitar-centric.


Carole King: The issue here is that the institution gave up on her back in the early days when the ballots were STACKED and relegated her to the non-performers bin with her ex-husband. If they had just waited 10 years (at most), she could have been a Performer inductee with Goffin getting in via the backdoor.

So, let's discuss the solo career. Tapestry is one of the greatest albums ever made. Inarguable fact. The other good ones are Writer and the two I have owned on vinyl for years (along with Tapestry), the Really Rosie soundtrack and that one with "Jazzman".

Too often, her LPs descended into total unlistenable schmaltz. It's a relatively shaky discography and hardly one that was super influential outside of Tapesty (or artistically innovative at all). Still, people will give her bonus credit for her other work just like they did for Stevie which makes her an automatic inductee in a few months. The same goes for...

Tina Turner: ...whose beyond spotty case makes this a nomination I have been dreading for some time. I love her and the record she did with Spector is one of the best of the sixties. But what's on trial here is the post-Ike discography which is full of mostly commercial and critical misfires. And Private Dancer isn't even that great an album! Half of it doesn't hold up and it wasn't even on the Rolling Stone list recently (despite the new version of that list being far more diverse and inclusive).

She's going to get in. It's a famous name! Just like Joe Biden in the primaries. But we're stuck with this mess because the Hall refused to separate her and Ike decades ago...and now here we are with some other artist not getting in so that a prior wrong can be rectified...just like when the E-Street band hijacked a ceremony not really about them.

Iron Maiden: I honestly can't even listen to this crud. But boy do I understand its importance! Especially after watching their Classic Albums doc. There is nobody in the classic rock or hard rock lanes this year, so I will be shocked if they don't get in (same for the four I listed above). In fact, I'd say the % chances are:

Jay-Z: 100%
Foo Fighters: 90%
Carole King: 90%
Tina Turner: 90%
Iron Maiden: 85%

Jay-Z is in no matter what and the four following are the top four in the poll here and in the fan vote. This seems like the most predictable class in decades if they go with just five.

Devo: But I don't think they will go with five. My reasoning here is that Devo is in the same vein as Roxy Music, The Cure or Depeche Mode. The votes are now there for such "new wave" acts and nobody is standing in Devo's way. There's probably a dozen acts from the late 70s through the end of the 80s that are more important as far as the post-punk scene goes, and Devo's case mostly relies on two great albums (although the compilations of their earliest stuff is ESSENTIAL and paints a much different portrait of this band), but this is a "good enough" inductee that would represent the voters making another forward thinking decision.

Those are who I think the inductees will be. I'll come back later for two more parts: The Contenders and The Hopeless.

Posted by Casper on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 20:51pm

Alan Light brought up Early Influence Karaftwerk again. It's happening this year, I can tell.

Posted by Follower on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 21:18pm

Sorry, Kraftwerk. Early Influence Kraftwerk is coming!

Posted by Follower on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 21:19pm

:( Kraftwerk

God, that would be the dumbest decision ever. Why not just wait one last time for Heaven's sake?

Posted by Plebian on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 21:29pm

Casper,

What type of Rock Hall inductee are you specifically looking for? What qualifies as a true inductee in your eyes?

Posted by Plebian on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 21:41pm

Look, I'm getting tired about rock oats complaining how the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is too "PC" or "catering SJW's". But this ballot is, IMO, is the probably the best and that they are going in the right direction for the future. Black artists and women haven't had the best representation in years and it's time to give them the spotlight. I just I could pick more than five artists.

My wishlists/picks for the fan ballot:

*Kate Bush
*The Go-Go's
*JAY Z
*Fela Kuti
*Carole King

My predictions:

*Foo Fighters
*The Go-Go's
*Iron Maiden
*Jay Z
*Carole King
*Tina Turner
(Dionne Warwick if 7)

Posted by John R.C. on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 21:46pm

If the Rock Hall class were just the youngest nominees:

1. Foo Fighters
2. Jay-Z
3. Mary J. Blige
4. Rage Against The Machine
5. LL Cool J
if 6, The Go-Go's

If the Rock Hall Class were just the oldest nominees:
1. Carole King
2. Dione Warwick
3. Todd Rundgren
4. Fela Kuti
5. New York Dolls
if 6, Tina Turner

The Class if it were the ones in the middle:
1. Iron Maiden
2. Kate Bush
3. Chaka Khan
4. Devo
5. Tina Turner
if 6, New York Dolls

Posted by Follower on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 21:59pm

Originality, quality of peak output and clear influence on good artists after them is what my ideal candidates tend to be. Harry Nillson, Kate Bush, The Replacements, Beck...those are some examples.

Posted by Casper on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 22:02pm

Michael W.,

Which 5-7 acts do you see being inducted this year for 2021?.

Posted by richie on Wednesday, 02/10/2021 @ 22:15pm

Whitburn's Top Pop Albums 1955-2016 book's rankings of the nominees:

Jay-Z: 69th all time on the albums chart

Dionne Warwick: #72 (!!!)

Carole King: #107

Mary J. Blige #125

Iron Maiden: #145

LL Cool J: #236

Foo Fighters: #294

Tina Turner: #437

Unranked: Kate Bush, Devo, The Go-Go's, Chaka Khan (even with Rufus), Fela Kuti, New York Dolls, Rage Against The Machine, Todd Rundgren

Posted by Casper on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 00:12am

Jay-Z is the fourth most successful albums artist that clearly fits the Rock Hall parameters that is not yet an inductee.

The three ahead of him with all-time ranking:

DMB - #56

Diana Ross - #61

Mariah Carey - #66

And to keep going...

Dionne is at #72

Jethro Tull - #85

Carly Simon - #97

Cher - #106

R. Kelly - #109 (ew....)

Ozzy Osbourne - #124

The aforementioned Mary J. Blige at #125

Eminem -#128

Phish - #130 (!!!)

Snoop Dogg - #134

E-40 - #135

The Monkees - #138

The aforementioned Maiden at #145

Sting - #157

Foreigner - #175

Megadeth - #177

KoRn - #183

Connie Francis - #187

Peter, Paul and Mary - #188

Duran Duran - #190

Taylor Swift - #193 (and probably Top 100 by now)

Britney Spears - #194

Patti LaBelle - #196

Phil Collins - #200

Posted by Casper on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 00:23am

Jay-Z - #28

Dionne Warwick - #36

Mary J. Blige - #75

Tina Turner - #216 (just for solo years!)

LL Cool J - #160

Carole King - #320

Foo Fighters - #433

Rufus feat. Chaka Khan - #457 (not counting solo work)


Unranked: Kate Bush, Devo, The Go-Go's, Iron Maiden, Fela Kuti, New York Dolls, Rage Against The Machine, Todd Rundgren

Jay-Z trails only Mariah Carey (#3 and climbing), Taylor Swift (#6 by now and climbing), Rihanna (#9 by now and climbing) and Usher (#16) among artists that fit Rock Hall Performer parameters. Connie Francis at #30 is between him and Dionne Warwick.

Posted by Casper on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 00:40am

What is that rank for? And define "Rock Hall Performer parameters".

Posted by Follower on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 00:50am

Sorry, that second ranking was Billboard's Top Pop Singles career rankings from the 1955-2015 book.

By "rock hall parameters" I mean artists that clearly fall under the umbrella. So not country or Perry Como or Barbara Streisand, etc.

Posted by Casper on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 01:10am

I assume the early influence is probably gonna Big Mama Thornton? Unless they are seriously considering Kraftwerk to be EI? (That would suck, but damn it might as well)

Posted by Plebian on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 02:39am

KING,

Once again, this is a critic's ballot.


Although I find this list to be extremely disappointing, the inclusion of more women on this ballot is a noticeable breath of fresh air. Technically, there are only 2 "prog" artists on thIs ballot- Kate Bush and Todd Rundgren. It's good to see both Tina Turner and Carole King on the ballot. I was somewhat surprised to see Dionne Warwick, Fela Kuti, Mary J. Blige, Iron Maiden and the New York Dolls on the ballot.

Where are: The Bangles, Carly Simon, Sade, Duran Duran and Jethro Tull?

Where are: Pat Benatar/Neil Giraldo, Kool & The Gang, Joy Division/New Order, Eurythmics, B-52s, Thin Lizzy, Motörhead, John Prine, Dave Matthews Band and Willie Nelson?


I am certainly okay with Mary J. Blige being there.

Jann, please take back your Rock Hall; John Sykes clearly does not know what he's doing!

Well, what do you think?

Posted by Enigmaticus on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 03:52am

So, who will I definitely be voting for?

1. Kate Bush
2. Tina Turner
3. Carole King
4. Dionne Warwick/Mary J. Blige (alternating)
5. Iron Maiden/Fela Kuti (alternating)


Who will I not be voting for?

Rage Against The Machine
Foo Fighters
Jay Z
LL Cool J.
New York Dolls
Devo
Todd Rundgren

Who may I possibly be persuaded to vote for:

The Go-Gos
Chaka Khan

By the way, Todd Rundgren definitely deserves to receive the award for musical excellence.

Well, what do you think?

Posted by Enigmaticus on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 04:16am

Okay, where did Kraftwerk go?

Posted by Enigmaticus on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 04:22am

ENIG
Iron Maiden has done some experimental and progressive work with Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son. They are an intelligent metal band and have worked many years earning this nomination. I hope they are Inducted. Maiden is definitely a heavy metal band but have shown progressive work. Definitely have my vote.
Can't believe Duran Duran has been snubbed again. This really is ridiculous since the Duran Duran discography and overall work dwarfs The Go-Go's and others. I think The Go-Go's were 1 of my last cuts. It's my fault since many signs pointed to their ballot appearance.
I think they could have went with ELP or Jethro Tull instead of New York Dolls. The Dolls musician Sylvain Sylvain recently died. I think that might have been a factor. Johansson is the only 1 left from the original group I believe.
I'll definitely be voting for Tina Turner. She's 81 years old now and time running out. We are seeing many younger musicians and older ones than Tina dying in 2020 and early 2021. I always liked the songs from Private Dancer. That was an incredible album and I enjoyed the videos too. I think the Committee thought the same way about Carole King 79 and Dionne Warwick 80. These female legends deserve Induction while they are still alive and coherent to enjoy the honor. They could give 1 of these female greats 1 of these other honors. Disappointed no Pat Benatar. She had some good momentum. Pat's a decade younger than the ones above. I guess they decided to give Carole, Dionne, and Tina the nominations.
I will also be voting for LL Cool J. He was 1 of rap's 1st Superstars. Started out real young at 15 or 16 in the 1980's. I've been advocating for him a few years.
Agree with you on Rundgren. He would be a strong candidate to receive the Musical Excellence Award. I think he could be Inducted as there is not as many hard rock/ metal groups as last year.
Like other years, I'm interested how it shakes out. If 2/3 Iron Maiden, LL Cool J, and Tina Turner is inducted, I would be very happy. The Go-Go's is a group I probably vote for alternating with Foo Fighters. KING

Posted by KING on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 06:16am

Holy cow. There they are the 2021 Nominees. Ok Rock and Roll friends. The time finally came. I was sooo wrong about so many.
It is true there are Nottoo many regular's comments on here. I am a regular and I am Not in shock? All of those nominated are worthy of the honor, but the omissions hurt.. No Prog Rock again! Enig I am sure is angry.. Did they go overboard on the Classic Rock/Hard Rock/ Metal last year to virtually eliminate it. That is a good question. There is NO Jethro Tull.
The Hall certainly played it safe by putting the obvious newcomers on here With Foo Fighters, RATM, and Jay Z. That is a bit boring.
Some have been overlooked for quite awhile, and should already be in. There is Carole King, LL Cool J, Tina Turner, Todd Rundgren. Damn man I predicted Carole King 3 Years in a row but skipped this year. I picked John Prine for a singer/songwriter. I did hold out to still predict Tina Turner. Since she is around 80 and one of the most popular singers of all time. I kept her as a pick this year.
But where is Kraftwerk? OK, if you think giving them a break is good. I am Not a fan I stress But I was soo sure about Kraftwerk. I was wrong too about Rufus featuring Chaka Khan. They went with simply Chaka Khan.
What I don't understand is snubbing amazing bands like Jethro Tull, Pat Benatar, Judas Priest, Motorhead, Bad Company, as well as Soundgarden. I can't believe none of those were nominated. They did throw in Iron Maiden for the Heavy Metal. That's another I predicted in one of my versions.
I do like the Nominations of Devo,the Go-Gos,LL Cool J and Todd Rundgren. Those show some variety. .Well there is the actual list of nominees. That's what we got. I don't think hardly anyone on here or anywhere expected Fela Kuti. I am glad that Carole King and Dionne Warwick were both nominated. Since I predicted them both awhile back. Damn I cut them and was wrong. But hey I am very glad they are there. I will now absorb the list.

Posted by Ben on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 06:27am

Casper, Dionne Warwick (back in her heyday), which I was around for, was as big or bigger than any of the other artists on the ballot. Jay-Z is the only one who can be mentioned in same breath, IMO.

She was A STAR back in the 60s

Posted by Paul in KY on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 07:08am

Where is Three Dog Night?! Year after year total snubbing. The band had 21 Billboard Top 40 hits between 1969 and 1975, with three hitting number one.

Posted by Tom on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 07:30am

They never promised to nominate the top vote getter on the kiosk vote or induct the top vote getter on the fan.

Posted by Greg F on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 08:19am

Is there a need to have a separate rock hall for prog rock bands..most notably Jethro Tull ( 50 years of performing )- and sales 10 x many inductees--attend a show, you'll know why -- and ELP ( we've waited long enough where 2/3 of the band having passed now - and Rock and Roll wise - how can Bad Company not be eligible ? Some bands who were eligible earlier on had much tougher competition when we were sill backload decades of stars. How about a 'veterans' committee like baseball has ? Still appreciative of the Hall - great time on visits..

Posted by 65 yr old Dave on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 10:40am

Which 5-7 acts do you see being inducted this year for 2021?.

Posted by richie on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 10:49am

It seems like Fela Kuti has bumped up well in the fan vote. Thoughts?

Posted by Plebian on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 10:52am

Initial thoughts:

Mary J. Blige - Thinking she's this year's Dave Matthews Band: she's deserving of consideration, nomination, and in my mind, eminently worthy of induction. But it feels too early for her, particularly in a year where the Hall is pushing a huge backlog of divas. The cynic in me thinks Blige got the nod instead of the more popular Mariah Carey, who may have overshadowed the older artists being considered. Happy to see contemporary R&B getting some recognition, but this just isn't going to be her year.

Kate Bush - The last couple years have seen the Hall get around to inducting a lot of overlooked British artists, so in that regard Kate Bush would seem to be a safe bet. The problem I foresee is that the push for Carole King to get in as a performer will suck all the air out of the singer-songwriter slot Bush best fits into it. Glad to see her get another nod, but it's not looking good.

Devo - I honestly thought Kraftwerk would get the synthrock lane all to themselves, given Nine Inch Nails and Depeche Mode getting in last year; instead, Devo scored their second nomination and took the space instead. Still have to get past the Hall's hesitancy to induct keyboard-based bands, on top of the band's unearned reputation as a one-hit wonder. Thinking that will be enough to keep them on the outside looking in for another year.

Foo Fighters - Going into this week, their nomination wasn't 100% certain; but damn if the Hall didn't just nominate them, but also set it up for them to easily be a frontrunner in terms of induction. They have the contemporary rock slot almost completely to themselves, but they're a mainstream rock act in a year where other options are few and far between. Regardless what you think of them, they're one of the slam dunks in terms of induction.

The Go-Go's - Sometimes, an artist or band just has momentum. The last artist who redeemed that into a induction was Janet Jackson; and this year, the Go-Go's have a similar amount of popular consideration about them and the Hall. It helps that, out of this year's bumper crop of female nominees, they are the most straightforward rock-oriented. I think them getting in this year is a near-damn certainty.

Iron Maiden - Last year, the Hall nominated too many hard rock and metal bands in one year, thus guaranteeing that none of them would make it in. Iron Maiden is in a better position, as they have the hard rock slot virtually all to themselves, with only the Foo Fighters and Rage Against the Machine to compete against. There still seems to be a bias against really hard bands actually getting in, and the more pop-metal bands having an easier time of it. Most likely will walk away with the fan vote, but it's a toss up on whether they get in.

Jay-Z - If you asked me a week ago, I'd have said Jay-Z was a slam dunk, not just for scoring a nomination but to get inducted as well. Jay-Z as the lone hip hop artist would have been a cinch; and even if he was up against a different act, like Outkast, Salt-n-Pepa, Eric B. & Rakim or the Fugees, I could see him sailing in. Instead, they've paired him up with the one solo rapper who can compete with him in terms of recognition. I'm certain that we're going to see Jay-Z and LL Cool J split the hip hop vote, keeping both of them out for another year.

Chaka Khan - For the past couple years, Chaka Khan has been paired against another diva, and been subsequently blown out of the water by them in terms of popularity. This year is no different: on top of her going up against Tina Turner, she also has to compete against Mary J. Blige, and to a certain extent Dionne Warwick. On top of that, her solo catalogue is the weakest out of the four, so separating her from Rufus hurts her prospects further. Another year with her on the outside looking in.

Carole King - The Hall seems to be pushing an effort to fix past mistakes this year, and King getting in as a performer is one of the two sure things I see in this year's crop of nominees. As the artist behind one of the most popular albums of all time, her bonafides are not in question. It helps that she doesn't have the same crowded field, as fewer female singer-songwriters or indie/alternative artists were included in this year's nominees. The closest thing to a sure thing out of any of the artists under consideration this year.

Fela Kuti - I've been seeing a lot of people dismissing Fela's chances of getting in. His induction will expand the scope of the music represented in the hall, so I see there being a push to make sure he's get a spot in this year's class. My personal feeling is even if Fela doesn't get in, he's getting in: either filling the Nina Simone slot from a few years ago, or he'll get backdoored with a Musical Excellence award.

LL Cool J - See my notes about Jay-Z above. Sadly, I think LL will get a bump in terms of votes this year, as there will likely be some voters who think LL should slide in before Jay-Z. That said, LL has struggled when he was the only rapper among the inductees, and I don't see that changing with a powerhouse like Jay-Z also competing for votes.

The New York Dolls - This year's replacement for the oft-nominated The MC5, along with the usual one or two indie rock or punk bands that grab a slot each year, like the Replacements, Los Lobos or Bad Brains. Those bands usually get inducted, and most of them have a more sizable body of work than the Dolls, who had one album then imploded for nearly thirty years before reforming. Influential for sure, but maybe just not enough direct impact on music to get the nod this year.

Rage Against the Machine - There's not many contemporary or '90s acts on this year's nominee list. Out of the three nods from that decade, Rage is likely a distant second after the Foo Fighters; but they do have a few advantages over other artists on the list, that given them a better chance than they've had in the past. The lack of competing hard rock artists, the toss up among the two dueling hip hop nominees, and an increased visibility arising out of the past year's political upheaval may all contribute to the group slipping in after two past failures. Not a guarantee, but this might be the best option for them to get in any time soon.

Todd Rundgren - The last couple times he's been nominated, Todd Rundgren had a much more robust slate of competitors among classic rock acts. This year, he has a much more open lane to get in: his only real competitors are the Go-Go's or the New York Dolls (who he can potentially represent, as he produced their debut album). There's always at least one classic rocker in each class: Rundgren will be this year's pick to fill that role.

Tina Turner - The other longtime mistake made by the Hall to be fixed this year is getting Turner in as a solo artist. The Me Too movement pointing out that Turner was inducted with her abuser so many years ago has been made much of, and it's long past time to give her a second induction, as she has much stronger claim to that than Stevie Nicks. Personally, I find her solo work weaker than her earlier efforts (mostly due to the 80s production, which is also a problem I have with Chaka Khan's solo run); but I see no reason for her to get in a second time this year.

Dionne Warwick - A long time coming, but finally here thanks to the visibility given her after Whitney Houston's induction; unfortunately, it may have come at the worst possible time. Warwick should get in, but she finds herself up against a number of other divas, along with the Hall's bias against pure pop artists which Warwick definitely falls into. A longshot to get in, particularly with Turner and King taking up most of the attention she'd otherwise be getting.

If I picked the Hall:

Kate Bush
Devo
The Go-Go's
Carole King
Fela Kuti
LL Cool J
Dionne Warwick

Who I think will get in:

Foo Fighters
The Go-Go's
Carole King
Fela Kuti
Todd Rundgren
Tina Turner
and either Iron Maiden or Rage Against the Machine

Posted by Ian on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 11:48am

Which 5-7 acts do you see being inducted this year for 2021?.

Posted by richie on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 11:58am

I honestly think that this is a pretty wide open year this year, I think that all of the nominees deserve to be in except Fela Kuti (There are other left-field picks that are much more deserving that should have gotten nominated like Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks to name a few), but overall, They did a great job nominating more women and more people of color this year than in years past, Instead of making predictions for this year's inductees as I have done for the past three years, This year, I'm going to list off all the acts in order of getting inducted:

Not Likely/No Chance:

Fela Kuti (Why is he even here?. Too obscure and not very many voters will vote for him)
Kate Bush
Mary J. Blige

Small/Minimal Chance:

LL Cool J
New York Dolls
Devo

Solid/Decent/Good Chance:

Iron Maiden
Rage Against The Machine
Todd Rundgren
Dionne Warwick

Very Strong Chance:

Foo Fighters
The Go-Go's

Bank On It/The Definite Inductees:

Jay-Z
Carole King
Tina Turner

What do you think?.

Posted by richie on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 12:49pm

Autumn, if you think the nominee list is a minimal thing, you haven't spent much time here lol

Posted by K-Dawg on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 13:03pm

I honestly think that this is a pretty wide open year this year, I think that all of the nominees deserve to be in except Fela Kuti (There are other left-field picks that are much more deserving that should have gotten nominated over him like Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks to name a few), but overall, They did a fantastic job nominating more women and more people of color this year than in years past, Instead of making predictions for this year's inductees as I have done for the past three years, This year, I'm going to list off all the acts in order of getting inducted:

Not Likely/No Chance:

Fela Kuti (Why is he even here?. Too obscure and not very many voters will vote for him)
Kate Bush
Mary J. Blige
Chaka Khan

Small/Minimal Chance:

LL Cool J
New York Dolls
Devo

Solid/Decent Chance:

Iron Maiden
Rage Against The Machine
Todd Rundgren
Dionne Warwick

Very Strong Chance:

Foo Fighters
The Go-Go's

Bank On It/The Definite Inductees:

Jay-Z
Carole King
Tina Turner

What do you think?.

Posted by richie on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 13:27pm

My thoughts on the nominees for the 2021 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame are coming soon, but first...

THE 2021 ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
WHEN VOTING FOR SENIORITY

1. Dionne Warwick
2. Tina Turner
3. Carole King
4. Todd Rundgren
5. Chaka Khan
6. New York Dolls
7. Fela Kuti
8. Devo

THE 2021 ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
WHEN VOTING FOR THE MOST RECENT ACTS

1. Jay-Z
2. Foo Fighters
3. Rage Against The Machine
4. Mary J. Blige
5. LL Cool J
6. The Go-Go's
7. Iron Maiden
8. Kate Bush

THE 2021 ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
WHEN VOTING ROCKISTS

1. Tina Turner
2. Todd Rundgren
3. New York Dolls
4. Iron Maiden
5. The Go-Go's
6. Rage Against The Machine
7. Foo Fighters

THE 2021 ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
WORST CASE SCENARIO

1. Jay-Z
2. Mary J. Blige
3. LL Cool J
4. The Go-Go's
5. Kate Bush
6. Fela Kuti
7. Devo

Posted by Roy on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 13:40pm

RG,

I know fan vote does not matter, but holy crap the moment I checked the Fan Vote again Fela Kuti just skyrocketed up pass everyone even Todd Rundgren! He is even catching up to Rage too! I think we are seriously underestimating him.

Posted by Plebian on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 14:56pm

I have a question that hit my mind today is there any chance at all ll cool j gets in this year and they do jay z in Brooklyn next year? I know it sounds crazy but they have snubbed first ballot locks before ( Radiohead and rage come to my head) so I'm just wondering if it's entirely possible?

Posted by Tylerpadrex on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 14:58pm

I think if Fela Kuti gets in this year, I think it will be either as an Early Influence or as a Musical Excellence recipient, rather than as a Performer, He just doesn't deserve to be inducted as a Performer, especially with so many other deserving acts on this year's ballot far more deserving than him, I think that there are other left-field picks that are far more deserving that should have gotten nominated over him like Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks to name a few, so I think that if he gets in this year, I think it will be either as an Early Influence or as a Musical Excellence recipient, rather than as a Performer.

What do you think?.

Posted by richie on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 15:13pm

I've been tweeting about Fela Kuti on Twitter a couple of times today and I wouldn't count him out at all. He's well-liked and respected by many music critics and HOFers/musicians who are voters (think a Miles Davis-Nina Simone-esque figure here). He's #7 right now and could easily go into the Top 5 if the momentum continues. It seems like a lot of the online voters are only voting for Kuti (thanks to people promoting it on Twitter with large followings) and that's definitely helping him rise quickly on the fan count. An induction isn't out of the question.

Posted by Nick on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 15:15pm

There's one other thing about Fela Kuti, He's not as well-known as Miles Davis, Joan Baez and Nina Simone, All three of them were much more well-known and much more respected by critics and HOFers than Fela was, so that definitely hurts his chances for getting in as a Performer this year, If he gets in this year, It will be either as an Early Influence or as a Musical Excellence recipient, rather than as a Performer.

Posted by richie on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 15:23pm

In America, yes, he's not a household name but globally he's a titan. It's not just anyone voting in these elections, it's musicians, historians and critics who all (should definitely) have some knowledge of Fela Kuti. If they don't, then they probably aren't qualified RH voters. He could easily get enough support for induction in the Performers category. Don't sleep on it.

Posted by Nick on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 15:26pm

Nick,

But IMO, his spot should have gone to either Willie Nelson or Dolly Parton as far as left-field/outside genre picks go because they are both huge names and would easily get the votes for induction, so I think that Fela won't get in as a Performer, I think that if he gets in this year, I think that it will be either as an Early Influence or as a Musical Excellence recipient, rather than as a Performer.

Posted by richie on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 15:33pm

WHY NOT Tower of Power......Hall of Fame is a joke!!~

Posted by Ken Tyler on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 15:38pm

Just because someone isn't born or huge in America does not mean the larger voting wouldn't vote for him. This is a bold and important nomination as far as international musicians go. He's now ahead of RATM and #6 on the fan vote. I know the fan vote is essentially meaningless but this is unexpected and incredible.

Posted by Nick on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 15:45pm

Which acts do you have as Wild Cards/Dark Horse picks for 2021?.

Posted by richie on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 15:49pm

Nick,

That's it I'm on team Fela Kuti. Let's go!

Posted by Plebian on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 16:00pm

Btw, I know who he is, I just never expected him to get so far!

Posted by Plebian on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 16:00pm

So, I was very suspicious about Fela, so I took data to check the number of votes people get in the span of 10 minutes. Here's the results:

Tina Turner: +227
Foo Fighters: +147
Iron Maiden: +117
Carole King: +118
The Go-Go's: +107
Rage Against The Machine: +89

The mean of this: 114

Meanwhile...

Fela Kuti: + 333

So this guy, who was at dead least yesterday, gets more votes than Foo Fighters and Iron Maiden combined? Suspicious.

Posted by Dookie on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 16:01pm

It's probably because people are only voting for Fela and that's it. It's manipulating the fan vote to maximum effect and getting "their" artist higher on the f an vote. It's clearly working in Fela's favor.

Posted by Nick on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 16:09pm

Dookie, it's not suspicious. Fela's supporters are just voting Fela ONLY. So he gains +1 on every other artist every time someone submits a ballot rather than just +1 over 11 other artists.

I am going to vote for Fela only each and every day as long as he's viable.

- He's the most important name on the list by far. Easily in the Top 25 influential artists of the 20th century.

- The competition for fifth place (where he is currently duking it out with Go-Go's) is the most important there is.

- A great fan vote total for him will likely make the institution think hard about inducting him this year via Musical Excellence or some other category.

Posted by Casper on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 16:10pm

Fela's vote total is climbing so rapidly from this strategic voting that he could be in a strong 3rd place in mere hours. If his fans kept this up just for a single week, it probably would secure him a top five spot by the end of this.

Posted by Casper on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 16:13pm

Casper is absolutely right here; this is why Fela's moving so rapidly on the fan vote. I think he could be in the top five by the end of today.

Posted by Nick on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 16:21pm

I guess we can welcome him with Benetar, Soundgarden, DMB, Priest and Rundgren in the list of Top 5 fan vote artists not to get inducted.

Posted by Follower on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 16:31pm

Dividing overall vote count by an average ballot size of 4 votes gives us 81,292 ballots.

Tina Turner - 51.8%
Foo Fighters - 44.2%
Iron Maiden - 33.6%
Carole King - 32.9%
The Go-Go's - 29.4%

Fela Kuti - 27.8%
Rage Against The Machine - 26.6%

Devo - 21.4%
Todd Rundgren - 20.7%
Dionne Warwick - 20.4%
Chaka Khan - 19.5%

Mary J. Blige - 15.1%
Jay-Z - 14.8%
LL Cool J - 14.7%
New York Dolls - 14.3%
Kate Bush - 13%


There's cleanly four groups here. Tina Turner and Foo Fighters a cut above the rest and then artists hovering around 30%, 20% and 15%.

Posted by Casper on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 16:34pm

Only Fela or Tina have the fan base that is diehard enough to help them win the fan vote. Rawkists are probably so bored by the ballot that they will just give up which means Foo Fighters (and act few actually LOVE) and Iron Maiden can't come out on top.

Posted by Casper on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 16:43pm

Current induction predictions:
Tina, King, Go-Go's (Irving Azzoff always gets what he wants), Jay-Z, Foos, and if there is a 6th, Fela. (He's got a lot of critical acclaim and has plenty of followers despite his lack of mainstream success.

Posted by Follower on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 16:45pm

Fela's in the top five of the fan vote!

Posted by Nick on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 17:09pm

This is awesome.

Calling it now - Gil Scott-Heron will be on next year's ballot.

Posted by RG on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 17:25pm

My predictions for this year's inductees are:

Foo Fighters (FYE lock/shoo-in)
The Go-Go's (Their recent Showtime documentary helps them a lot, plus it would totally make up for Pat Benatar not getting in last year)
Jay-Z (FYE lock/shoo-in, I see LL Cool J as a Dark Horse if they decide to put two Rap/Hip-Hop acts in the same year)
Carole King (Long overdue second induction for her, This time as a Performer, One of the biggest snubs left from the 70's that has yet to get inducted)
Rage Against The Machine (Third time's the charm in a politically charged year for this band, One of the biggest snubs from the 90's that has yet to be inducted)
Todd Rundgren (see Rage Against The Machine, Third time's the charm for him as well, Another singer-songwriter as well in addition to Carole King)
Tina Turner (Fan Vote Winner, plus the recent inductions of Janet and Whitney help her a lot, Long overdue second induction for her, This time for her solo career)

Wild Cards/Dark Horses:

Kate Bush (The recent inductions of Roxy Music and T. Rex shows that artists who wouldn't huge names in America can get inducted, But she has to go up against so many other female artists this year, Still, I see her as a Dark Horse)
Chaka Khan (This is her third solo nomination without Rufus and her seventh nomination overall, so she might surprise and get in but unlikely IMO, Still I see her as a Dark Horse)
Devo (This year's Ceremony is in Cleveland and this band is from Ohio, With The Cars, Roxy Music, The Cure and Depeche Mode all getting in recently, They stand a decent chance of getting in this year, I see them as a Dark Horse)
Iron Maiden (Metal has a tough time getting inducted recently with Judas Priest missing out on induction twice and Motorhead and Thin Lizzy missing out last year along with Priest, So Iron Maiden might not get in on their first try this year even though they have no competition this year as far as Classic Rock and Hard Rock/Metal acts go, Still, I see them as a Dark Horse)
LL Cool J (Jay-Z is a shoo-in so that'll hurt LL Cool J even though he really deserves to be in there, Still, If there ever was a time to induct two Rap/Hip-Hop acts in the same year, It would be this year with Jay-Z and LL, I see him as a Dark Horse)
New York Dolls (Roxy Music and T. Rex both got in the last two years, so don't rule out New York Dolls getting inducted this year especially with the passing of their guitarist Sylvain Sylvain and the upcoming Showtime documentary on their lead singer David Johansen that's in the works, I see them as a Dark Horse)
Dionne Warwick (Whitney Houston's induction probably opened the doors for her, as did to a lesser extent Neil Diamond and Chicago, She is one of the biggest artists left from the 60's that has yet to get in, plus it would open the door for more Adult Contemporary acts to get in, She's has had a bigger social media presence on Twitter in the past few months so that might help her to get inducted on her first try, I see her as a Dark Horse)

Not Likely/No Chance:

Mary J. Blige (Too many women on the ballot this year will hurt her chances for getting in this year plus the fact that they nominated her and not someone like Mariah Carey is mindblogging, I think she gets in someday but not this year)
Fela Kuti (The least deserving act on this ballot this year, I just don't think he deserves a Performer induction this year over bigger names that are on the ballot as well, I think that there are other left-field/outside genre picks that are much more deserving and should have gotten nominated this year over him like Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks to name a few, I think that he misses out on a Performer induction this year despite him being now in the top five of the Fan Vote (not that it matters which it doesn't anymore), I think that if he gets in this year, It will be either as an Early Influence or as a Musical Excellence recipient, rather than as a Performer)

What do you think?.

Posted by richie on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 17:27pm

Fela Kuti being in the top 5 is really great. I was really excited when I first saw him on the ballot. He's really deserving to be on the ballot and for induction. Even Paul McCartney has some stories about Fela.

https://youtu.be/E4Jnl4jERqE

Posted by John R.C. on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 17:36pm

Casper, RG, Plebian, Will N. and John R.C.,

Which 5-7 acts do you see being inducted this year for 2021?.

Posted by richie on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 18:07pm

I think that Fela Kuti will join Judas Priest, Dave Matthews Band, Pat Benatar and Soundgarden as acts that finished in the top five of the fan vote but didn't get in, IMO, He just doesn't deserve induction as a Performer, As an Early Influence or as Musical Excellence? Yes, but not as a Performer especially with bigger and more well-known names on the ballot this year.

What do you think?.

Posted by richie on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 18:59pm

You forgot Todd Rundgren. He finished in the top 5 back in the 2019 class. He was #3, behind only Def Leppard and Stevie Nicks.

Posted by Follower on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 19:01pm

Follower,

Yeah, I forgot Rundgren as well.

Posted by richie on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 19:05pm

Carole King - deserves to be in as a songwriter, which she is. As far as solo, she can go in if other one-album wonders get to go in. She can go in when Hottie and the Blowfish go in.
Chaka Khan - Chaka Khan lemmy rock u, lemmy rock u Chaka Khan. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. 7 no's.
The Go-Gos - everyone calm down. A moderately successful pop band for 3 years. A female resume of Men at Work. No.
Jay-Z - Yes
Rage Against the Machine - Yes
Todd Rundgren - No. If you disagree, hum his 5th best song to yourself, I'll wait...
Foo Fighters - Yes. Kept rock alive, albeit on a respirator for the last 20 years and I don't even like them.
Kate Bush - No. Stop it. Fringe act. Who I really like, but fringe.
LL Cool J - Yes
Iron Maiden - Yes
New York Dolls - Maybe. I see the influence although I'm not super familiar with their music.
Devo - lol. no. A novelty act. Weird Al first, then we'll talk.
Tina Turner - No. She's in already for the part of her career that she deserves to be in for.
Mary J. Blige - Can't judge, don't know enough about her career
Fela Kuti - If I can't recognize the name, then no.
Dionne Warwick - Yes

Recap:
Yes - Jay Z, Rage, Foo, LL, Maiden, Dionne

Posted by Classic Rock on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 20:51pm

I'm excited for all the Hall Watchers with blogs to give their takes on the class. And of course, for Philip's I-5.

As a side note, I probably should have included Early Influence Kraftwerk in my prediction. Which is Tina Turner, Carol King, Jay-Z, Foo Fighters, The Go-Go's and if there's extras, Fela Kuti (he's got a lot of industry respect and critical acclaim despite lack of success) Rage, and/or Devo. One of those 3.

Posted by Follower on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 20:52pm

Richie,
I will give you a bit of a twisted scenario for the 5-7 inductees of this highly erratic chosen class of nominees, and it has been stated that this is the most diverse class in quite awhile. May be diverse for race and gender, but certainly not for Music, which should be the point and foundation for RRHOF. Are they saying they are attempting to make up for past mistakes? Comparing to Sports HOF, which have their own strange issues, but they do not compromise. They strive to put the best possible inductees into their Halls of Fame, despite some bizarre voting procedures, they try to keep the integrity, and a sense of purity at the core. I certainly hope that the RRHOF is not playing games and compromising the true values of what makes music great. But it seems that there is something unusual going on behind the scenes, and where does it lead. Or maybe they are trying to right the ship for looking back on past errors and mistakes. I don't know, which is why I am asking questions, and this class just seems like a strange, and rather bland group.
For instance, 2 or 3 years ago when I was on board for Tina Turner, trying to get some support for her then, except for a few, there was a huge lack of interest, and nary a peep from HOF voters. Now that she is extremely past due for induction, having been ignored for years, it is imperative that she be inducted. So Richie.. #1 is Tina Turner.
Now my analysis shifts to Hard Rock because with Iron Maiden being the only Heavy pre-90's Rock band on the board, you pretty much have to induct them for lack of competition. Do you really think that Dave Grohl or Tom Morello would allow the Foo Fighters or RATM to be voted in over the legendary Metal band Iron Maiden.. That would surely cause the Earth to shift off its Axis. But one of the 2 bands would love to be inducted alongside of Maiden, so you may see Foo Fighters getting that honor.
Out of some perplexing state of logic, I would have to say my #2 is Iron Maiden..
For #3 there is really no need to go into much detail.. The voters will never make Jay-Z wait. Not with Biggie going in first ballot last year, so #3 is Jay-Z..
#4 has to be my Favorite on the Nominee list and that is The Go-Go's. Everything they have done speaks for itself, and they check off a lot of the Boxes for this Class.. All female group, Rock and Roll, Punk and New Wave roots, L.A. California beach sound, wrote their own lyrics and music, and a pretty decent fan base, and their music still sounds fresh.. So #4 for me is The Go-Go's, plus no Pat Benatar as competition.. seems like a no brainer.
#5 has got to be Carole King.. She is way overdue also, and although at this point, another year may not make a difference, but since she is finally nominated, she should get the necessary support. My #5 is Carole King..
I think there will be at least 6 artists inducted and possibly 7, with this unusual Class, so it does start getting a little suspect from here. Reasons I have not yet committed to Foo Fighters is I am not positive that Dave Grohl is too keen about getting voted in over other bands or artists that he would like to see get in, like probably Devo. Still he may not have a choice in the matter, and for the fact that he may historically love to be included in an induction Class with Iron Maiden, I will go with my #6 as Foo Fighters.. With some reluctance, Richie, due to such said diversity with this Class, and the playing field beginning to level out considerably.. It is #6.. Foo Fighters.
Now it could very well be a Class for 7 inductees, because this slot would be a toss up. It could be a Kate Bush, or New York Dolls, Devo, LL Cool J, Todd R., or Dionne Warwick. With this Class, unfortunately, there seems to be a lot of filler noms. The drop off after the first 6 or so artists leaves a big gap.. Is that intentional? Makes you wonder a bit.
If I was to throw in a 7th, I believe out of those just mentioned, I would have to say they should finally give the nod to LL Cool J, for pioneering the way in Rap, and it would be a great time to do it. You would end up with 2 Rap artists, 3 Female Artists/Band, and 2 Rock acts. Quite a balancing act for this debacle of a Class. So, Richie, I will throw in at #7 LL Cool J for good measure. It would be the least that they could do to induct 7 nominees after disappointing millions of Music fans worldwide, if they even care anymore..

Recap:

#1. Tina Turner
#2. Iron Maiden
#3. Jay-Z
#4. The Go-Go's
#5. Carole King
#6. Foo Fighters
#7. LL Cool J

____

Posted by Will N. on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 21:10pm

If Foo Fighters and RATM are inducted, my next acts in my Magnificent Seven are...

1. Smashing Punpkins
2. The Smiths
3. Joy Division/New Order
4. Big Star
5. Gram Parsons
6. The Replacements
7. Eminem (Eligible 2022)

Posted by Plebian on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 21:36pm

Plebian,

Which 5-7 acts do you see being inducted this year for 2021?.

Posted by richie on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 21:41pm

@Richie

Here's who I think will be inducted:

*Foo Fighters
*The Go-Go's
*Iron Maiden
*JAY Z
*Carole King
*Tina Turner

(Dionne Warwick and Fela Kuti as 7th/alternative slots)

Posted by John R.C. on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 21:53pm

Richie -
While he isn't a slam dunk to be inducted due to his lack of major mainstream American recognition (though he was the subject of a pretty popular Broadway show); you seriously underestimate the adoration by existing HOF musicians and influence on more modern ones. Stars like Paul McCartney, Mick Jaggers, Elton John, etc. made pilgrimages to Nigeria to see him perform. Ginger Baker of Cream essentially abandoned his lucrative career as a rock drummer to move to Africa to play with Fela.

Fela is an equal on the world music stage with Bob Marley. Equal parts musical genre creator and political revolutionary. It's just that Fela's music isn't as easily edited down to a Legend style greatest hits compilation; so he's never been discovered by frat boys doing bong rips to give home the same style of after death popularity.

But Afrobeat is on a popular rise again in Hip Hop and in dance clubs. I've seen huge crowds at music festivals in dance frenzy and losing their collective minds over Afrobeat from modern bands like Antibalas.

I predicted Fela for the ballot, because to me he seemed so damned obvious to be "due". He has an incredibly good shot at being inducted due to support from musicians and critics

Posted by Shrek on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 22:35pm

Shrek,

I know, but I think his spot should have totally gone to either Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton or Garth Brooks as far as left-field/outside genre picks go because they're more deserving and much more well-known to the general public than Fela was, So I think that his spot should have totally gone to one of those three acts that I mentioned (Willie, Dolly or Garth).

What do you think?.

Posted by richie on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 22:44pm

I'm confused why you keep suggesting country artists as a left-field pick that ultimately went to Fela Kuti. I mean, it could've been from any genre really and it wouldn't have mattered. You're really underestimating how well-respected and acclaimed he truly is. Listen to "Zombie" and you'll understand why he's a worthy nominee (and inductee).

Posted by Nick on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 22:50pm

Nick,

I have to disagree with you on Fela Kuti, I know he's well-respected and acclaimed, but I honestly think that his spot really should have gone to either Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Garth Brooks, Patsy Cline or even Gil Scott-Heron as the left-field/outside genre pick, because they're all much more well-known and much more deserving of the honor than him IMO.

Posted by richie on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 23:02pm

But you're not elaborating on why you think he's unworthy. It's super faulty and weak to say someone isn't Rock Hall material when they're not well-known or commercially successful. The Rock Hall has never been about that. Rather, it's about an artist's impact and influence. Fela Kuti's got that in spades. Btw, I predicted Gils-Scott Heron for this year's class.

Posted by Nick on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 23:10pm

Kind of sadden with the Foo Fighters hate. I know they are not the most liked band and don't have the most impressive resume, but it still makes me feel like I'm a stupid human being for liking them in the first place. Any one get what I'm trying to say?

Posted by Plebian on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 23:20pm

Nick,

The reason why that I think Fela Kuti is unworthy of induction is because the other 15 acts on the ballot this year are much more well-known and much more deserving of induction than him IMO.

Posted by richie on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 23:20pm

Sorry Richie, but that doesn't make sense and I haven't heard you articulate one legitimate reason yet on why Fela Kuti is unworthy. Induction into the Rock Hall has nothing to do with how many albums you sold and how famous you are. It has to be more impact and influence, that's the real reason why someone should be considered for the Rock Hall.

Posted by Nick on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 23:35pm

Sorry Richie, but that doesn't make sense and I haven't heard you articulate one legitimate reason yet on why Fela Kuti is unworthy. Induction into the Rock Hall has nothing to do with how many albums you sold and how famous you are. It has to be more based on impact and influence, that's the real reason why someone should be considered for the Rock Hall.

Posted by Nick on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 23:36pm

Nick,

The reason why I think that Fela Kuti is unworthy of induction is because I don't even know his music, I have never even heard of him, That is the real reason why behind it.

And by the way, Which 5-7 acts do you see being inducted this year for 2021 and Which acts do you have as Wild Cards/Dark Horse picks for 2021?.

Posted by richie on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 23:43pm

Also, since Jay-Z isn't winning the fan vote, this is another year where the winner of the fan vote isn't the biggest albums act or the biggest singles act! This also happened in 2015, where SRV beat both Green Day and The Spinners.

Arguably it happened in 2017, as Whitburn's book had yet to be updated, so as far as we knew, Joan Baez was the biggest albums act.

Posted by Follower on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 23:57pm

Just because you're unfamiliar with an artist's music doesn't mean they're unworthy. You should explore his brilliant catalogue and then make a decision if you still feel that way. Go to YouTube, Spotify or iTunes and listen to some of his songs. Yes, he's challenging but he's the masters of the Afrobeat and a massive figure in world music. I'm pretty sure some of your favorite musicians (from McCartney to John to Baker to Morello) are on record praising Fela to no end. And this doesn't even scratch the surface of his importance as a political activist. He's almost too over-qualified for the Rock Hall tbh and I'm kicking myself for not putting him somewhere on my recent Top 100 Project that I just completed. But anyway, to say you think someone is unworthy is not a good reason to dismiss an artist's chance. Take some time and listen to some of his records and let us know what you think of it.

Posted by Nick on Thursday, 02/11/2021 @ 23:57pm

In two days, Fela went from last place to 3rd place!

Posted by Follower on Friday, 02/12/2021 @ 00:02am

Fela Kuti is in 3rd now what the heck?! Sooner or later he is going to surpass the Foo Fighters! Ritchie I don't know what type of thinking you are going for, but man I think you might seriously want to reconsider your stance on a literal zombie passing by like an evening stroll. This might be the most inspiring fan vote winner since SRV!

Change of predictions:

Tina Turner
Carole King
Foo Fighters
Jay-Z
Fela Kuti
Iron Maiden

Posted by Plebian on Friday, 02/12/2021 @ 00:14am

With the way Fela Kuti is moving in the fan poll, I'm convinced that he might be inducted the same way as Jimmy Cliff and Nina Simone as both unknown to most of the general public, but has the respectability that most of the voters will pick him.

Posted by John R.C. on Friday, 02/12/2021 @ 00:17am

African Twitter is going insane now holy crap! Fela is pulling a Mad Max Fury Road on a Mad Max actor!

Posted by Plebian on Friday, 02/12/2021 @ 00:17am

Plebian,

I think that even if he wins the fan vote, I still don't see Fela being inducted this year, especially not with bigger and more well-known names on the ballot, I think that he'll be like Dave Matthews Band and not get in despite him being at the top of the fan vote just like DMB were.

Posted by richie on Friday, 02/12/2021 @ 00:20am

Richie

While that may be true, Fela Kuti has something that the Dave Matthews Band doesn't have: Fela has the support of both critics and musicians. While he may not be well known to the public, critics and musicians have nothing but high praise for Fela.

The critical reception of the Dave Matthews band is middling at best and I can't think of any inductees who would vote for DMB other than John Mellencamp and Neil Young.

Posted by John R.C. on Friday, 02/12/2021 @ 00:46am

My predictions for this year's inductees are:

Foo Fighters
The Go-Go's
Jay-Z
Carole King
Rage Against The Machine
Todd Rundgren
Tina Turner

Wild Cards/Dark Horses:

Kate Bush
Chaka Khan
Devo
Iron Maiden
LL Cool J
New York Dolls
Dionne Warwick

Not Likely/No Chance:

Mary J. Blige
Fela Kuti (Why is he even here?)

What do you think?.

Posted by richie on Friday, 02/12/2021 @ 00:48am

Is it just me or is this year's Rock Hall nominations a little..idk...drab? Like I'm glad for everyone of these artists I really do and the diversity this year is a new step forward. Yet, I don't feel as excited? Like my ones in my Magnificent Seven (Foo Fighters and Rage Against The Machine) should get me hype, but I'm rather mute. Fela is really the only one that has gotten me hyped and that's because of the fan ballot plus talk around who he is. The most predicted class (minus Fela) feel boring and predictable. Need a little spice is what I'm saying.

RG, Michael W., K-Dawg, etc...

What are your thoughts? We usually get pretty amped up on this, yet it feels silent. I'm sure the more outspoken Rock Hall Bloggers are happy with the diversity and whatnot. IDK what and I can't put my finger on it.

Posted by Plebian on Friday, 02/12/2021 @ 02:54am

This just in! Fela is ahead of Foo Fighters! He will surpass Tina Turner sometime later today!

Posted by Follower on Friday, 02/12/2021 @ 03:09am

Will N.,
You have given a twisted scenario for the 5-7 inductees of this highly oddly chosen class of nominees, and it has been stated that this is the most diverse class in quite awhile. May be diverse for race and gender, but certainly not for Music, I can agree with that. The emphasis should be on the music. It is indeed different. The Hall could included Jethro Tull and Kraftwerk to make it more diverse for music. I certainly hope that the RRHOF is not playing games and compromising the true values of what makes music great. But it seems that there is odd things going on behind the scenes, and it leads to diversity of Race and gender. That's very good to see. They are trying are trying to right their ways by looking back on past errors and mistakes. I don't know, either,it is questionable and this class just seems like a weird, and rather bland group. That's because of Foo Fighters, Jay-Z and Rage ATM all at the same time. I did predict Jay-Z and Rage ATM myself. I left out Foo Fighters. I went in favor of Soundgarden.
I was on board for Tina Turner, trying to get some support for her then I was very interested in her getting nominated and Inducted. there was a huge lack of interest. Now that she is extremely past due for induction, having been ignored for years, it is imperative that she be inducted. So Richie.. #1 for me too is Tina Turner.
I will analyze Heavy Metal now. Iron Maiden being the only Heavy Metal 80s Rock band on the board, you pretty much have to induct them for lack of competition. I don't think that Dave Grohl or Tom Morello would allow the Foo Fighters or RATM to be voted in over the legendary Metal band Iron Maiden.. I agree it may be Foo Fighters alongside Iron Maiden. It's a tough call.
Jay-Z is a sure thing. Jay-Z is the kind of act to inducted right away. He is very known, Jay-Z will get inducted fast just like Biggie last year.
The Go-Gos are great soo the Go-Gos have a very good chance.
Now as far as Fela Kuti. I don't think anyone saw that coming at all. But we should not rule out Fela Kuti. He sort of know that he is an international star who has been dead a long while. I don't know if Fela Kuti will get inducted but he may get very close. He has a lack of American Mainstream success to hurt him. But he should not be underestimated. he is acclaimed around the world. I don't think you are a major part of that discussion. I'm just throwing Fela Kuti in the mix.
I will end by saying Carole King is a very good chance. I predicted her 3 years in a row. I was tired pf being wrong. And now she is Nominated. But hey I am glad to be wrong with omitting her. I am so sure Carole King will be inducted. That's it for now.

Posted by Ben on Friday, 02/12/2021 @ 06:02am

I'm amped about Dionne maybe finally getting in! A massive star back in 60s who should have been in long ago, IMO.

Posted by Paul in KY on Friday, 02/12/2021 @ 06:48am

Plebian,

I think the main reason this group of nominees seems a little drab is that it doesn't feel like there's a whole lot of suspense about who will get in. Almost everyone expects Jay-Z, Tina Turner, Foo Fighters and Carole King to get inducted and the Go-Go's are on a ton of lists as well. That leaves just one or maybe two spots that most people think are open for debate. I think that's part of why the Fela Kuti surge is so interesting, because it gives hope that something unexpected will happen when the inductees are revealed.

I think another element to it is that musically there's a bit of an adult contemporary vibe to this group. Not every act of course, but Dionne Warwick, Carole King, Tina Turner, Todd Rundgren and Chaka Khan certainly all get played on easy listening stations regularly, and you might hear some songs by the Go-Go's or Mary J Blige there as well. As much as some of us may enjoy, respect and root for those artists, for the most part their music doesn't get you pumped up. It's more mellow. Consequently the ballot feels the same way.

And I'm with you on Foo Fighters. They get knocked for not being Nirvana, but they never were supposed to be. Are they an elite level band? No. But their musical impact shouldn't be dismissed the way it's being done. People want to pray at the altar of influence and innovation, but dismiss songcraft as trite and meaningless. Popularity and accessibility should by no means be the prime determining factors in an artists worthiness, but likewise they shouldn't detract from their worthiness either. Jay-Z is getting some of the same criticisms and it's foolish. I personally listen to Foo Fighters more than any other artist on this ballot.

That being said, I am getting a bit oversaturated on Dave Grohl though. He's kinda everywhere lately.

Posted by Michael W on Friday, 02/12/2021 @ 07:04am

I have followed this website regularly for the past 15 years, although I have only actively participated for the past couple. I enjoy the conversations, although there is a level of weirdness that comes with the territory. I don't understand proggies, and I never will.

But there are two types of statements that I just can't fathom, and to be honest I'm sorry they show up here at all.

1. I don't know or like (insert artist) therefore they do not belong in the hall of fame.

2. I do not think (insert artist) belongs on the ballot, therefore they are not getting inducted.

The first statement is arrogant to the point of stupidity. Anyone who thinks that their musical tastes and experiences are the end-all of hall worthiness simply can not be taken seriously. If you frequent this website I would hope you would be inspired to listen to more types of music, not double down on your personal favorites.

The second statement is just strange. Any act on the ballot is simply on the ballot, whether you think they belong or not. If you think someone else should be on instead, fine. I think Soundgarden should absolutely be on the ballot this year and I am ticked off they are not. This has nothing to do with whether or not Rage Against the Machine will be inducted.

I have enjoyed reading people's opinions on the ballot. I especially enjoy Ian's takes; I think he always does a great job of breaking things down. Will be looking forward to Alex Voltaire's thoughts. I believe he was one of the few to include Fela Kuti in his predictions. I certainly didn't. I will definitely be posting more of my thoughts later.

And Dude, I really do understand where you are coming from. But I have to disagree with your "rigged" terminology. The hall might be ignoring their own populist creations (kiosk, fan vote) but it honestly doesn't mean the process is rigged. Broken perhaps, but not rigged. It's just the wrong way to word it, in my opinion. There is nothing to suggest the hall is doing anything sneaky or unethical by keeping Motley Crue out. They are simply ignoring them. Thank you for your postings. Some of your articles are really interesting.

Posted by remy10 on Friday, 02/12/2021 @ 07:30am

I think that Fela Kuti will end up like Dave Matthews Band and become the second fan vote winner to not get inducted just like DMB were last year. I think that there are not very many voters that will vote for him (There are a few that will), but not a lot will vote for him, so I think that Fela will end up like DMB and become the second fan vote winner to not get inducted.

What do you think?.

Posted by richie on Friday, 02/12/2021 @ 08:03am

Well, they got Jay-Z right. Even if I'm not a fan and much prefer LL, I can't deny his influence. And while I love many on the list, I can't make a case for them over some that haven't been inducted. Nick Cave, The Smiths, Bjork, and hell the mighty John Coltrane have all been left behind. Coltrane, I suppose, could get an influences nod. But these are just a handful that I find as more influential than most on the list that just aren't getting recognition.

Posted by Jeremyadk on Friday, 02/12/2021 @ 08:06am

Hey Guys,

I think that this year instead of making predictions for the inductees, I think that you guys should list off the acts in order of likelihood this year from most likely to least likely.

What do you think?.

Posted by richie on Friday, 02/12/2021 @ 09:10am

MY PREDICTION FOR THE 2021 ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME INDUCTION CEREMONY

THE 2021 ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES (COVID-19)

1. Carole King
2. Tina Turner
3. Dionne Warwick
4. Chaka Khan
5. Todd Rundgren
6. Fela Kuti
7. Jay-Z

Songwriters Burt Bacharach and Hal David will be inducted in the Non-Performers category. Best known for their work with Dionne Warwick. Burt Bacharach will perform with Dionne Warwick.


MY REASONS

The nominees for the 2020 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony were announced on October 15, 2019. The inductees for the 2020 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony were announced on January 15, 2020. On March 12, 2020, the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame announced that the 2020 induction ceremony would get postponed because of the Coronavirus pandemic. On May 2, 2020, it was announced that November 7, 2020 would be the new date for the 2020 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony. The inductees accepted their awards from the comfort of their own homes because of Covid-19, and it was turned into a show on HBO. The Doobie Brothers, Depeche Mode, T. Rex, Nine Inch Nails, Whitney Houston, The Notorious B.I.G., Irving Azoff and Jon Landau were the 2020 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductees. 12 bands and 4 solo artists were nominated in the performers category for 2020.

Looking at the nominees for the 2021 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, it appears the nominating committee is taking precautions because of Covid-19. There are 16 nominees; 10 strong solo choices, and 6 very weak band choices. So I'm calling it right now! There will be no bands inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2021. The 2021 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony will consist of just 7 solo inductees, for social/physical distancing reasons. That should make for a very intimate induction ceremony. Plus, if there ends up being no ceremony, it would be much cheaper to go to the homes of just 7 solo inductees and film them for the HBO special. Carole King, Tina Turner, and Dionne Warwick are the only locks on the list! They are getting inducted for sure in 2021. No more waiting for them.


THE 2021 ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

01. Carole King – Rock Royalty. Second induction. She can vote for herself. Friends in high places. Committee members and tons of past inductees will vote for her.

02. Tina Turner – Rock Royalty. Second induction. She can vote for herself. Friends in high places. Committee members and tons of past inductees will vote for her. We Are The World.

03. Dionne Warwick – Rock Royalty. Friends in high places. Committee members and tons of past inductees will vote for her. We Are The World. That's What Friends Are For. She will get the same support that Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Nina Simone got for induction in 2018. Willie Nelson and Harry Belafonte will follow her into the hall next. Dionne Warwick follows her cousin Whitney Houston into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

04. Chaka Khan – 2020 inductees T. Rex, Depeche Mode, The Doobie Brothers will add to the votes for Chaka Khan, and she will finally be inducted in 2021. Rufus will get nominated again, and Chaka Khan will eventually get a second induction.

05. Todd Rundgren – 2020 inductees T. Rex, Depeche Mode, The Doobie Brothers will add to the votes for Todd Rundgren, and he will finally be inducted in 2021.

06. Fela Kuti – Dark horse inductee; see Leonard Cohen. According to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is for artists you should know, not artists you do know.

07. Jay-Z – Yeah, whatever! He's getting inducted too!


THE REST OF THE NOMINEES FOR 2021

01. Kate Bush - Will eventually be inducted.

02. LL Cool J - Why do solo dead 90s rappers get inducted before solo living 80s rappers?

03. Mary J. Blige - Will eventually be inducted.

04. New York Dolls - 4 dozen bands have been inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame since the last time New York Dolls were nominated in 2001. Are any of them going to vote for New York Dolls? MC5 didn't get in, Bad Brains didn't get in, Steppenwolf didn't get in, Thin Lizzy didn't get in, J. Geils Band didn't get in. New York Dolls are never getting in. They only had two studio albums.

05. Iron Maiden - AC/DC, Black Sabbath, and Metallica are in. Judas Priest didn't get in, Motorhead didn't get in, Iron Maiden will not get in, at least not this year. It's going to take a while for all three.

06. Devo - See Kraftwerk.

07. The Go-Go's - Pat Benatar didn't get in last year. The Go-Go's are not getting in this year.

08. Rage Against The Machine - Not yet. The voters are still finishing up the 50s-60s-70s.

09. Foo Fighters - This is not Nirvana or Pearl Jam, but they'll get in eventually.


THESE ARE THE 50s-60s-70s-80s BANDS / GROUPS THAT SHOULD BE IN THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME BEFORE ANY OTHERS

The Kingston Trio * The Monkees * Jan and Dean * Peter, Paul and Mary *
The Spinners * The Marvelettes * The Spencer Davis Group *
Jethro Tull * King Crimson * Emerson, Lake & Palmer *
Blood, Sweat & Tears * Kool & The Gang * The Commodores *
The Pointer Sisters * Foreigner * Joy Division / New Order

Posted by Roy on Friday, 02/12/2021 @ 09:17am

Well, I'll chime in on the conversation.

I think this ballot is pretty good. There will always be criticism on the Rock Hall for nominating this one and ignoring that one. I write this every year. You can't please everyone. Personally, I love such nominations like Fela Kuti. This spices things up and shows that Rock'n'Roll or Popular Music doesn't end at US Rock Radio Stations. Fela falls in the category of previous inductions like Nina Simone or Joan Baez. I think he has a very strong chance of induction.

I have made my own criteria catalogue for future inductions. Maybe you can understand my thougts.
There are some criterias that are essential to me.

Musical impact - Did the artist change the way of popular music, like creating or defining a genre? - Kraftwerk comes to my mind. Fela Kuti just fits in here too for his deep impact on Afrobeat.
Musical influence - Did the artist inspire other artists to create music? - Look at Velvet Underground. There's the saying that everyone who bought a VU album had founded a band.
Cultural impact - Did the artist have an impact on society? Such a case would be Detroit singer/songwriter Sixto Rodriguez, who's songs lead to an end of the Apartheid regime in South Africa, or many of the Civil Rights activists like Harry Belafonte, or Sarah McLachlan for making female artists visible on the 90's Lilith Fair festivals.
Uniqueness - That's why I personally have problems with many Classic Rock Bands or some of the Modern Pop singers. They are just interchangeable.

Then there are the criterias I personally don't look at.

Musical quality - For me, it's not important to be a virtuoso guitar hero, creating 12 minute long epics. If you can create deep feelings with three chords in two minutes, it's enough (e.g. Ramones)
Writing your own songs - It shouldn't matter if you're just an interpreter or writing your own stuff. Did Elvis wrote a single song? I don't know, but I definitely won't call him a "cover artist".
Longevity - Good, if you are in the business for 50 years, but you can have all of my main 4 criteria points in just a couple of years like Nirvana or the Beatles or with just one album like Sex Pistols.
Charting positions, number of releases, sales numbers - How many Joy Division albums or songs have charted in the US?
Youtube clicks, spotify numbers - The digital world produces an enormous amount of forgettable music. You can be a phenomenon for about a month and have millions and billions clicks and two years later, nobody reminds the big hit.

I do not criticize the Rock Hall for this ballot. All of this year's nominees fall in at least one of my top 4 criterias. Another thing I wrote last year is the case of the "rigged" kiosk and fan vote. It's definitely not rigged. The Rock Hall said years ago, before the fan vote was created, the top 5 vote getters came on 1 ballot within the voting body. That does not mean, that the winner of this vote will get in automatically, easy as that. It's not rigged, it's just consequent. On the other side, the kiosk is a thing I really can't take serious and I'm happy the Hall itself don't take it serious. The Stevie Nicks solo induction is a mystery to me and I feared, it would lead to a Freddie Mercury solo induction. That was not the case for god's sake.

Now here's my ranking of the current nominees. I say it again, all deserving of nomination and induction sooner or later.

1 - Kate Bush (artistically unique, influential to many young alternative singers)
2 - New York Dolls (David Johansen, Johnny Thunders, Sylvain Sylvain are all icons on their own, a defining role on creating Punk)
3 - Carole King (legendary Singer/Songwriter, a Broadway musical, Kennedy Center Honors, Gershwin Prize in recent years)
4 - Jay-Z (raised Hip Hop to another level)
5 - The Go-Go's (pioneering all-female Rock Band)
6 - Fela Kuti (creating the Afrobeat genre)
7 - Tina Turner (huge name, big influence on emancipation)
8 - Foo Fighters (industry darlings, kept Rock music relevant in times of a shift in popular music)
9 - Iron Maiden (one of the greatest Heavy Metal Bands)
10 - Dionne Warwick (one of the great vocalists of AC, a dream team with Bacharach/David)
11 - LL Cool J (pioneering Hip Hop solist)
12 - Chaka Khan (absolutely deserving, but I would prefer Rufus/Chaka Khan)
13 - Rage Against The Machine (crossover pioneers, socially relevant)
14 - Mary J. Blige (incredible R'n'B artist with stylistic evolution over the years)
15 - Devo (New Wave pioneers)
16 - Todd Rundgren (would best fit in the Musical Excellence category, which I think is probably created thinking of him)

Another thing I'm kinda glad with is our Rock Hall Projected. The Fela Kuti nomination shows the vision of this project, Fela was inducted years ago. Tina Turner, Chaka Khan, Mary J. Blige and the Go-Go's all were inducted in recent years, and Dionne Warwick is already nominated this year after 2 weeks of induction voting. All the others were inducted long ago. I'd call this impressive.

Posted by MichaelEU on Friday, 02/12/2021 @ 10:16am

Greg F,

Which 5-7 acts do you see being inducted this year for 2021?.

Posted by richie on Friday, 02/12/2021 @ 11:33am

Our Nigerian voters will be upset if Fela doesn't get inducted. Let's hope the Hall doesn't make a mistake again.

Posted by Follower on Friday, 02/12/2021 @ 11:34am

Follower,

But I think that they will again.

Posted by richie on Friday, 02/12/2021 @ 11:42am

Nice writeup, MichaelEU. Enjoyed reading your comments. Good points about all in our Hall except for Ms. Warwick (and I really hope we will induct her this year).

Posted by Paul in KY on Friday, 02/12/2021 @ 12:02pm

"There is nothing to suggest the hall is doing anything sneaky or unethical by keeping Motley Crue out. They are simply ignoring them."

But what they did to the kiosk twice is wrong, and it's now broken. They screwed over DMB last year with the fan ballot, and they're likely to do it again with whoever is the most voted nominee. I'm am done speculating the Hall of Acts Hipsters, Media Shills, Snowflakes, and Social Justice Warriors Like; the current system is nothing but a joke and a sham along with the Greg Harris, John Sykes, and other so-called "businessmen." They're like ex-friends who lied to you so much, they don't realize they're lying.

Posted by The Dude on Friday, 02/12/2021 @ 13:01pm

DIGITAL DREAM DOOR CRITIQUE OF THE 2021 ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME NOMINEES

https://digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/best_hall-of-fame-nom-2021.html

Posted by Roy on Friday, 02/12/2021 @ 13:02pm

So when do we learn?

Posted by Garrus on Friday, 02/12/2021 @ 13:24pm

Richie,

Carole King
Tina Turner
The Go-Go's
Fela Kuti
Jay-Z
If six: Iron Maiden
If seven: Foo Fighters
If eight: LL Cool J

Posted by Greg F on Friday, 02/12/2021 @ 13:27pm

It seems like we will know in the first or second week in May.

Posted by Greg F on Friday, 02/12/2021 @ 13:44pm

Don't expect me to do anymore predictions here. Even if Motley Crue, Dave Matthews Band, and Fela Kuti gets inducted years from now, fans will complain how postmature it was. The damage is done, making the current system a joke and a sham.

Posted by The Dude on Friday, 02/12/2021 @ 13:45pm

Greg, that's a relief. I was expecting October.

Posted by Garrus on Friday, 02/12/2021 @ 13:59pm

The Dude,

Okay then why are you still here? Everyone else on this forum, including people who are very disappointed in this ballot, at least has something substantive to contribute to the conversation, whether it's talking about what they like/dislike about the ballot, thoughts about the artists, predictions, etc. Basically every post you've made for months has just been repeating the same tired complaints and catchphrases again and again and again. You're not convincing anyone of "the truth" with these rants, you're just annoying us.

Posted by RG on Friday, 02/12/2021 @ 14:04pm

I'm exposing the truths and lies of the Hall, not annoying anybody. I'm finding another method to contribute here. If they don't give a flying f*ck about their consumerism anymore like they were last decade, then I don't give a sh*t anymore no matter who gets nominated and inducted - they're out of touch as major sports leagues and Hollywood.

I'm just either waiting for it to get shut down or be destroyed by the disaffected rioters. Are the selfish watchers who have no knowledge in business, economics, consumerism are happy now?

Posted by The Dude on Friday, 02/12/2021 @ 14:52pm

Dude, don't make us kick you out of the conversation......

Posted by Plebian on Friday, 02/12/2021 @ 14:53pm

I would predict right now if Motley and DMB weren't omitted UNFAIRLY because business and consumerism matters, but why bother talking about the induction processes? This could happen again with Fela, since he's number one the ballot. Greg Harris is out of touch and hated as Roger Goodell to the general public.

Posted by The Dude on Friday, 02/12/2021 @ 15:08pm

https://www.acclaimedmusic.net/top_artists/t0.htm

Here are the list of nominated artists this year that are on the list of the most critically acclaimed artists in music history:

Jay-Z is at #36
Kate Bush is at #91
Foo Fighters is at #195
Carole King is at #227
Rage Against The Machine is at #239
LL Cool J is at #289
Iron Maiden is at #296
Todd Rundgren is at #309
New York Dolls is at #311
Devo is at #356
Mary J. Blige is at #410
Fela Kuti is at #498
Dionne Warwick is at #537
Tina Turner is at #682
The Go-Go's is at #769
Chaka Khan is at #1265

What do you think?.

Posted by richie on Friday, 02/12/2021 @ 15:26pm

So when are Troy, Charles, Eric, Nick, Alex, Philip, Michelle, Jason, Donny, and Joe going to post their reactions to this class?

Posted by Follower on Friday, 02/12/2021 @ 17:34pm

So when are Troy, Charles, Eric, Nick, Alex, Philip, Michelle, Jason, Donny, and Joe going to post their reactions to this class?

Posted by Follower on Friday, 02/12/2021 @ 17:34pm

Is it just me, or do I think part of the reason why the Hall doesn't set up a nominees page for the 16 artists is because it'll give another easy access/leak for who'll be the final 5-7 artists who are going to be inducted?

Posted by John R.C. on Friday, 02/12/2021 @ 17:41pm

Follower,
Expect a blog to be published by the end of this weekend.

Posted by Nick on Friday, 02/12/2021 @ 17:46pm

Nick,

Thank you!

Posted by Follower on Friday, 02/12/2021 @ 17:50pm

John R.C.,

Did you hear the news about the passing of Longtime Rock Hall Watcher Robert Parks aka Underground Democrat from Charles Crossley Jr.'s site (https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/ourrockandrollhalloffame71305/top-of-the-charts-f1/), He was from that same site that you are on sometimes, He had been recovering from heart surgery and Charles was guessing it was a multiple bypass surgery, and TimeHasComeToday said on Charles's site that he saw some Facebook posts is that he was in a coma from a massive stroke, where the doctors it didn't look good, and he passed (in no more than a week) on December 31st of last year.

What do you think?.

Posted by richie on Friday, 02/12/2021 @ 17:57pm

Both of these pop bands wrote their own songs and played their instruments. Both bands only charted top 40 singles between 1981 and 1985. Compare:

Band A:
1981 album - 6x platinum, 1983 album - 3x platinum, 1985 album - gold
1981 singles - #1, #1, 1982 single - #28, 1983 singles - #3, #6

Band B:
1981 album - 2x platinum, 1982 album - gold
1981 singles - #2, #20, 1982 - #8, 1984 - #11, #32

One of the bands is nominated for the RNRHOF and the other isn't and never will be. I know that charts aren't supposed to be criteria for the RNRHOF, I get that, this is just for comparison of bands that were singles driven pop bands.

One of the bands is the Go-Go's (Band B) and the other is Men at Work (Band A). Their resumes are interchangeable. I like the work of both of the bands. Fun early 80's pop, nothing more or less. Not HOF worthy.

Posted by Classic Rock on Friday, 02/12/2021 @ 18:35pm

"Did you hear the news about the passing of Longtime Rock Hall Watcher Robert Parks aka Underground Democrat from Charles Crossley Jr.'s site (https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/ourrockandrollhalloffame71305/top-of-the-charts-f1/)," -richie

UD was a good brother. I miss talking politics and sharing Americana recommendations with him.

Posted by DarinRG on Friday, 02/12/2021 @ 19:09pm

Don't look now, but Fela Kuti is now leading the fan poll at rockhall.com, the R&R HoF website.

Posted by Joe on Friday, 02/12/2021 @ 20:43pm

And he's highly likely the next act to be unfairly omitted, which is why I no longer do any predictions and speculations on this site.

Posted by The Dude on Friday, 02/12/2021 @ 21:01pm

The Dude,

As well as he should be, He just doesn't deserve to be in there, not over Tina Turner, Foo Fighters, Iron Maiden, Carole King, The Go-Go's, Rage Against The Machine, Dionne Warwick, Chaka Khan, Mary J. Blige, Devo, Todd Rundgren, Jay-Z, LL Cool J, New York Dolls and Kate Bush. I think his spot really should have gone to either Patsy Cline, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton or Garth Brooks as they are more household names from other genres than Fela, So I think that it'll be a repeat of last year and Fela won't get in this year despite being #1 in the fan vote just like DMB didn't get in last year despite being #1 in the fan vote also.

Posted by richie on Friday, 02/12/2021 @ 21:20pm

Richie:

There is a reason why the Nominating Committee put Fela Kuti in the ballot. He is really important to music and everyone knows him. Critics know and praise him. Inductees know him. He was major influence on a lot of inductees, including Talking Heads and Paul McCartney. Even fellow nominee Jay Z helped produce the Broadway musical about him. Fela Kuti has fans in both high and low places.

So again, saying that an artist doesn't deserve to be in the Hall just because you don't know him/her/them isn't a good argument.

Posted by John R.C. on Friday, 02/12/2021 @ 21:50pm

They really should just induct Chaka, Fela and Todd as MEs this year alongside the top 5 Performers. Clear the ballot for future years.

Posted by Casper on Friday, 02/12/2021 @ 21:50pm

John R.C.,

But it's the same situation that we saw last year, It's the DMB problem all over again, I just don't think that Fela is that worthy to be inducted as a Performer, As an Early Influence or as a Musical Excellence recipient? Yes, but not as a Perfomer, I'm sorry, but he just doesn't deserve to be inducted as a Performer, IMO.

Posted by richie on Friday, 02/12/2021 @ 22:06pm

If Fela gets omitted unfairly, don't be surprised if the Hall gets any backlashes from political communications, especially the extremists who are into woke politics. It'd be more controversial than the fan outrage of Motley Crue and DMB.

Posted by The Dude on Friday, 02/12/2021 @ 22:29pm

Miles Davis, Joan Baez and Nina Simone all weren't Rock, but were still beloved by many musicians regardless and all three of them were bigger names in general than Fela was, so that is going to hurt him more than the others that I mentioned (Miles Davis, Joan Baez and Nina Simone) when they were nominated, IMO.

What do you think?.

Posted by richie on Friday, 02/12/2021 @ 22:44pm

Bigger names... in the U.S. Go to Nigeria and ask who's bigger: Joan Baez or Fela Kuti.

I don't know about Fela's chances, but I am thrilled to see his nomination happen. Rock and roll doesn't belong to just cis-het White men, predominantly American. I think it's awesome to see the Hall thinking this widely outside of the Trunk.

Posted by Philip on Friday, 02/12/2021 @ 22:57pm

"the Hall thinking outside the Trunk"
-Phillip

I see what you did. If only I knew how to post images here, I would've posted the Captain America "I understood that reference" gif.

Posted by John R.C. on Friday, 02/12/2021 @ 23:15pm

Thanks, I actually coined that one a few years ago. Nice to see it still holds up.

Posted by Philip on Friday, 02/12/2021 @ 23:26pm

Lol Eddie Trunk must be fuming on this ballot.

I just noticed another trend in this ballot. You know how like all three hard rock acts (Judas Priest, Thin Lizzy, and Motörhead) managed to cancel each other out last year? Well, in this year's ballot it seems all the R and B acts (minus Tina) are doing the same (Mary J. Blige, Chaka Khan, and Dionne Warwick [though I suppose Warwick is does not fit in that genre]).

Posted by Plebian on Friday, 02/12/2021 @ 23:42pm

Which acts do you have as Wild Cards/Dark Horse picks for 2021?.

Posted by richie on Friday, 02/12/2021 @ 23:46pm

Another thought,

Is it kind of ironic Rage is the least spoken of their Rock Hall nomination? They did not mention it on their Twitter and Tom Morello has not really spoken as of late. All of the other nominees have at least talked about their own (Kate Bush probably is aware of it though she is private about herself so she does not count).

Posted by Plebian on Saturday, 02/13/2021 @ 01:50am

Forgot Iron Maiden, kind of funny that the loudest, more aggressive acts have been awfully quiet.

Posted by Plebian on Saturday, 02/13/2021 @ 01:53am

I think Richie is getting some unfair criticism. The FRL Regulars and some other music fans and critics typed out their 15-20 groups for their RRHOF nominees. Many were given extra time from October to early February to finalize their ballots. I might have seen Fela Kuti mentioned twice at the most 3 times in over 50+ ballots. Plenty of music fans and critics missed on Fela Kuti. It's still early in the fan voting and the RRHOFers will have the final decision. They will be receiving and sending in their ballots. It will be difficult for Kuti to be voted in. Carole King, Tina Turner, and Iron Maiden are usually up there every year for Top snubs. All 3 are on the ballot this year including 2 appear to be locks in Foo Fighters and Jay-Z. LL Cool J could be a sentimental FAV with his 6 Nominations and Influence on later rappers. I still can't believe he's not inducted. The Go-Go's are finally on the ballot and will receive their share of votes. New York Dolls and Todd Rundgren could be Wild Cards receiving votes from the 70's RRHOF hard rock and metal artists. Kuti's Induction is no sure thing. Richie was correct when DMB outlasted the nominee field in 2020 winning the fan vote but fell short with the voters. It could happen again. KING

Posted by KING on Saturday, 02/13/2021 @ 02:14am

RG,

Which 5-7 acts do you see being inducted this year for 2021 and Which acts do you have as Wild Cards/Dark Horse picks for 2021 as well?.

Posted by richie on Saturday, 02/13/2021 @ 10:25am

It seems to be somewhat obvious that Fela Kuti was nominated as a Wild Card, out of left field, under the radar artist. It figures that maybe the committee knew that he would garner a whole lot of support, and really stir up the mix a bit. And it appears that is precisely what is happening right out of the gate..
My first general impression, looking at the entirety of this class is that you have 5 to 7 higher tier artists nominated, and after that I feel that it drops off to more of a level playing field of mid tier artists. And as Plebian stated a lot of these would more than likely would cancel each other out. I am asking, Does this indicate that what is going on here would ensure that those Top 7 or so artists will have an easier path to induction without much competition?
Rather than nominate 10 or 15 higher tier artists, which I feel is the more fair and engaging approach, and let 'em all duke it out.
For me, after the more major top artists, you have the remainder of the field probably all competing for one last possible slot. Then you have wild card Fela Kuti providing most all of the excitement with his strong fan support showing.
On Roy's point of Kool and the Gang or The Commodores not being nominated and snubbed again, I totally agree. Say in place of Mary J. Blige, but it looks as though their intentions with this class was to go overboard with Female artists, which can be a great thing, perhaps for this year was to overcompensate for a lack of Female nominees in the past.. Any thoughts?

____

Posted by Will N. on Saturday, 02/13/2021 @ 11:30am

Donnie posted his reactions!

https://donniesblogwordpresscom.wordpress.com/2021/02/13/my-thoughts-on-the-2021-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-nominees/

Why haven't FLR RT'd this?

Posted by Follower on Saturday, 02/13/2021 @ 11:55am

Will N.
Some great points as usual. Maybe, the Committtee is a little frustrated. They have nominated Chic, Rufus, The Meters, The Spinners, WAR, etc in that slot on the ballot and haven't got much traction. It seems the rappers and some of the pop artists are getting inducted. NWA, 2PAC, Biggie, and I think Jay-Z should be next. Kool & The Gang is a group that should be nominated. I think they could earn inducted. They made some classic songs Celebration, Cherish, Fresh, Emergency, Jungle Boogie, Ladies Night, Misled, Tonight, Victory, and several others. I think Bill G. and Roy have made good cases for Kool & The Gang.
I'm interested in how it shakes out. I've read and seen a few places that the voting body has ballooned to 1,000+ voters. Would be interested who are these other 700 or so voters. My guess there's probably 200-300 from the RRHOFers. Some have been dying off in 2018, 2019, and 2020. Dionne Warwick is an interesting case. The Committee makes it difficult for her with Chaka, Carole, Mary J., Tina, all battling for votes. New York Dolls could be the surprise if they get most of the Hard Rock and other 70's and 80's rockers votes. I don't think the Dolls have the resume of some artists but they have Influence. It seems those groups that have plenty of Influence have been inducted lately. EX:Roxy Music, The Cars, T. Rex spring to mind. Agree on Fela Kuti. His nomination and surprise ride to the top of the fan voting has made things interesting. Could be many final combinations. Roy could make 15 or 20 interesting combinations of Inductees. If they add Kraftwerk as an Early Influence and Todd Rundgren as a Musical Excellence, then this could be a special class. KING

Posted by KING on Saturday, 02/13/2021 @ 12:07pm

My predictions for this year's inductees are:

Foo Fighters
The Go-Go's
Jay-Z
Carole King
Rage Against The Machine
Tina Turner

Musical Excellence:

Todd Rundgren

Wild Cards/Dark Horses:

Iron Maiden
New York Dolls
Dionne Warwick

Minimal Chance:

Kate Bush
Chaka Khan
Devo
LL Cool J

Not Likely/No Chance:

Mary J. Blige
Fela Kuti (Why is he even here?. It'll be the same thing that we saw last year with DMB that the fan vote winner doesn't get inducted for the second year in a row)

What do you think?.

Posted by richie on Saturday, 02/13/2021 @ 13:07pm

Richie,

What about Early Influence Kraftwerk? I'm pretty sure it'll happen this year.

Posted by Follower on Saturday, 02/13/2021 @ 13:39pm

Follower,

I think that they'll give Kraftwerk a couple more tries before finally putting them in on their eighth nomination just like Black Sabbath and The Stooges.

Posted by richie on Saturday, 02/13/2021 @ 13:53pm

Thanks KING,
I agree with you on the possibility of the New York Dolls having a chance for induction, if they can fall into and occupy the Roxy Music/ T.Rex slot. I have a funny feeling that slot may be overwhelmed this time around by the competition, and I have them right outside the Top 6, so they have a shot at one of the last slots, but they could also get shut out. Sort of a toss up, I suppose.

I wanted to ask you, KING, what you think on the chances of Iron Maiden for induction? I am predicting that they get inducted, mainly for being the only pre- 90's Heavy Rock act on the bill, so they should accumulate a lot of votes. And they are one of the most well deserving acts out of the nominees, and for the lack of competition in the Hard Rock/ Metal genre definitely works in their favor. They are absolutely by far the Top Rock act in this Class, so I would be interested in your take on Iron Maiden, as I know you are a big fan, and speak very highly of them.
Thanks, - Will N.
___

Posted by Will N. on Saturday, 02/13/2021 @ 14:55pm

Will N.,

Which 5-7 acts do you see being inducted this year for 2021 and Which acts do you have as Wild Cards/Dark Horse picks for 2021 as well?.

Posted by richie on Saturday, 02/13/2021 @ 15:03pm

Priest came in last or near last both times they were nominated. Part of me thinks they nominated Maiden because of both the Kiosk (they are part of the kiosk trio with Styx and blink-182 in that all 3 of them have performed well since it started) and because they come from the same scene.

Posted by Follower on Saturday, 02/13/2021 @ 15:21pm

But because Priest did so poorly I doubt Maiden will do any better.

Posted by Follower on Saturday, 02/13/2021 @ 15:22pm

Donnie posted his reactions!

https://donniesblogwordpresscom.wordpress.com/2021/02/13/my-thoughts-on-the-2021-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-nominees/

Why haven't FLR RT'd this?

Posted by Follower on 02/13/2021 @ 11:55am

TO DONNIE

You've got Carole King listed twice under 1970s

Posted by Roy on Saturday, 02/13/2021 @ 15:23pm

Follower,

But there's one thing that Maiden has that Priest didn't is because they have virtually no competition this year in terms of Classic Rock/Hard Rock/Metal, plus they are much more well-known worldwide so that's why I think they are one of the Wild Cards/Dark Horses for induction this year.

Posted by richie on Saturday, 02/13/2021 @ 15:31pm

Here's who I think will induct who if they get in this year.

Foo Fighters: David Letterman
Tina Turner: Mick Jagger
Devo: Weird Al Yankovic
New York Dolls: Joan Jett
Kate Bush: Peter Gabriel
Dionne Warwick: Burt Bacharach
Mary J. Blige: Alicia Keys
Iron Maiden: Metallica
Fela Kuti: David Byrne
LL Cool J: Eminem
Chaka Khan: Questlove
Jay-Z: Kendrick Lamar
Carole King: Sara Bareilles
Rage Against The Machine: Run the Jewels
The Go-Go's: P!nk
Todd Rundgren: Daryl Hall

And the possibility of ME and Early Influence:

Big Mama Thornton: Brittany Howard
Kraftwerk: Aphex Twin (I hope this won't happen, but you never know)

Posted by Plebian on Saturday, 02/13/2021 @ 17:31pm

Hey Guys,

My predictions for this year's inductees are:

Foo Fighters
The Go-Go's
Jay-Z
Carole King
Rage Against The Machine
Tina Turner

Musical Excellence:

Todd Rundgren

Wild Cards/Dark Horses:

Iron Maiden
New York Dolls
Dionne Warwick

Small/Minimal Chance:

Kate Bush
Chaka Khan
Devo
LL Cool J

Not Likely/No Chance:

Mary J. Blige
Fela Kuti (Why is he even here?. It'll be the same thing that we saw last year with DMB that the fan vote winner doesn't get inducted for the second year in a row)

What do you think?.

Posted by richie on Saturday, 02/13/2021 @ 17:52pm

RG,

When the nominees came out on Wednesday, You said that your predictions for this year's inductees were:

Tina Turner
Jay-Z
Carole King
Todd Rundgren
The Go-Go's
Rage Against The Machine or Foo Fighters

If 7: New York Dolls

Now, Are your predictions for this year's inductees still the same as they were when the nominees came out on Wednesday or have you changed them a little?.

Posted by richie on Saturday, 02/13/2021 @ 18:37pm

Who started the idea that Kraftwerk will be considered EI? They are a strong I, like the #1 I amongst current snubs, but there's nothing E about them.

Anyway, my predictions:

Tina Turner
Carole King
Todd Rundgren
The Go-Go's
Dionne Warwick
If 6: Jay-Z
If 7: Foo Fighters

If there are other awards:

Early Influence: Duke Ellington
Musical Excellence: Brian Eno
Ahmet Ertegun: Rick Rubin

And if they ever go back to inducting session musicians / side performers:

Carol Kaye (not sure anymore where session musicians fit in the current award scheme, but they're getting ignored and that sucks)

Posted by dmg on Saturday, 02/13/2021 @ 18:46pm

Hey FRL regulars....
There have been some significant changes on the site today under the hood, so please leave a comment if you find something broken.
Thanks all.

Posted by FRL on Saturday, 02/13/2021 @ 18:56pm

Can you go back to printing the name of the day the comments are posted?

It used to be:

"Posted by .... on _day, date @ time"

Now it's just date @ time

It was easier to determine how old a post was that way, at least for me.

Posted by joker on Saturday, 02/13/2021 @ 19:12pm

http://www.acclaimedmusic.net/top_artists/t0.htm

Jay-Z is at #36
Kate Bush is at #91
Foo Fighters are at #195
Carole King is at #227
Rage Against The Machine are at #239
LL Cool J is at #289
Iron Maiden are at #296
Todd Rundgren is at #309
New York Dolls are at #311
Devo are at #356
Mary J. Blige is at #410
Fela Kuti is at #498
Dionne Warwick is at #537
Tina Turner is at #682
The Go-Go's are at #769
Chaka Khan is at #1265

What do you think?.

Posted by richie on Saturday, 02/13/2021 @ 19:26pm

Hey FRL admins!

As long as you are making site changes; how about changing the comment sorting on the threads so the new comments show up at the top of the thread? That way we don't have to spend so much time scrolling down to the bottom!

Posted by Shrek on Saturday, 02/13/2021 @ 20:24pm

Thanks, man!

Cool

Posted by joker on Saturday, 02/13/2021 @ 20:37pm

@Shrek... not opposed to that. As far as the scrolling, so you use the "post your own" link (that jumps to the bottom) at the top of the comments?

Posted by FRL on Saturday, 02/13/2021 @ 20:46pm

I absolutely love The Go-Go's (Belinda Carlisle, Charlotte Caffey, Jane Wiedlin, Kathy Valentine and Gina Schock), they are the band/artists I give my heart and my vote to.

Posted by Michael Holloway on Saturday, 02/13/2021 @ 22:25pm

Not gonna lie, but compared to other Hall of Fame Watcher communities like Sports and Movies, we tend to be the most toxic. Why is that? Seriously I look at other Sports or Movie Hall of Fame forums and they seem to be the most chill people out there whereas when I check the Rock Hall forums it's always the same complaints over and over again.

Posted by Plebian on Saturday, 02/13/2021 @ 22:41pm

My predictions for this year's inductees are:

Foo Fighters
The Go-Go's
Jay-Z
Carole King
Rage Against The Machine
Todd Rundgren
Tina Turner

Wild Cards/Dark Horses:

Iron Maiden
New York Dolls
Dionne Warwick

Small/Minimal Chance:

Kate Bush
Chaka Khan
Devo
LL Cool J

Not Likely/No Chance:

Mary J. Blige
Fela Kuti (Why is he even here?. It'll be the same thing that we saw last year with DMB that the fan vote winner doesn't get inducted for the second year in a row)

What do you think?.

Posted by richie on Saturday, 02/13/2021 @ 23:12pm

WILL N.
Thanks for your post. KING must have dozed off. I like Iron Maiden's chances. Remember a few years ago. They gave The Zombies little direct competition on the ballot. The Zombies earned Induction. I hope a similar situation happens for Iron Maiden. That goes to the question: Who would Vote for Iron Maiden? My guess the usual suspects: AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Guns N' Roses, KISS, Metallica, Rush, Van Halen, etc. Groups usually have 4+ members. That's when the votes add up. Most of these hard rock and metal bands have toured together on concert tours or festivals. I would say friendships and respect develop on the road. There appears to be a strong hard rock and metal community. The British block of voters have been strong last few years. Def Leppard, Dire Straits, Roxy Music, T. Rex, The Cure etc have been voted in recent years. It hasn't helped Judas Priest though. I think Iron Maiden might receive some votes from unexpected voters. What I mean by that...You sometimes hear people say I don't like metal in general but I like Iron Maiden. They will need those type of voters to insure their induction.
Somebody mentioned about Kraftwerk as EI. That was brought up by a few Committee members. It's now 2021. The late 1960's and early 1970's is now 50+ years ago. It could be used as a way to backdoor a group like Kraftwerk into the RRHOF. As I said before, 8-10 years from now, most people won't remember how a group was inducted. They will know they are in the Rock & Roll HOF. KING

Posted by KING on Saturday, 02/13/2021 @ 23:55pm

Kraftwerk as EI is the single most embarrassing thing i've read in years, despite all of the ideological nonsens. This really should not happen. Sorry for my harsh words.

Posted by MichaelEU on Sunday, 02/14/2021 @ 00:13am

Will there be special categories this year?

Posted by Garrus on Sunday, 02/14/2021 @ 00:16am

Will N.,
I agree it's somewhat obvious that Fela Kuti was nominated as a Wild Card, out of left field, under the radar artist. I think that the Committee knew he would gain a whole lot of support, and really stir things up. I have an African friend at work. And it appears that is precisely what is happening right out of the gate. This friend is from Burkina Faso, I believe it's near Nigeria. I asked him about Fela Kuti. The African friend says it's one of his favorite stars in music. He only came to America 2 years ago. So while we may not know a lot about him that certainly very popular in Africa. He is a left field here in America. I don't think he will get inducted this year but he may get close. I just wanted to throw in that I asked about a friend about Fela Kuti. I don't scorn hid appearance on the ballot.
I do agree a lot of these mid tier acts will cancel eachother out. You make some excellent points. Always good to see you on here. I think the class will be mostly major top artists but the last possible slot will go to the New York Dolls. It's a toss up. I definitely think Iron Maiden are getting inducted. They are the only 80s Metal band on the ballot. They have no competition. That's my view on Iron Maiden. They are the Top Rock act on this ballot. I am not the big fan that you and King are but I know them well enough. They were one of the top Heavy metal acts back in the 80s. I think they will get lots of votes.
My question what the hell happens to the Guess Who? There is a question for us to ponder. They could easily have been nominated this year. I look forward to hearing from ya. Talk to ya soon

Posted by Ben on Sunday, 02/14/2021 @ 06:53am

I've made a deal about the biggest singles and albums acts over the most recent classes, but what I want to know is:

Who is the biggest singles act in the entire HoF?
Who is the biggest singles act not in the HoF?
Who is the biggest albums act by sales in the HoF?
Who is the biggest albums act by sales not in the HoF?
Who is the biggest albums act by charts in the HoF?
Who is the biggest albums act by charts not in the HoF?

Posted by Follower on Sunday, 02/14/2021 @ 15:36pm

Elvis is the top singles artist ever on the charts. Biggest not in the Hall is Mariah Carey.

Beatles are the top albums act on the charts. Dave Matthews Band are the most successful albums act under the rock umbrella not in the Hall of Fame.

If you scroll up, you'll see I posted a few days ago the rankings from the 2015 Singles and 2016 Albums books from Joel Whitburn for rock-related artists.

Posted by Casper on Sunday, 02/14/2021 @ 16:00pm

Which 5-7 acts do you think should get in this year, Which 5-7 acts do you think will get in this year and Which acts do you have as Wild Cards/Dark Horse picks for 2021?.

Posted by richie on Sunday, 02/14/2021 @ 17:09pm

Will they do singles again this year?

Posted by Garrus on Sunday, 02/14/2021 @ 17:22pm

Casper,

What if we go outside the Rock Umbrella? And what about Album Sales? Charts =/=Sales, as last year Whitney was the biggest albums act by sales but DMB was the biggest by charts.

Posted by Follower on Sunday, 02/14/2021 @ 17:22pm

This is a great ballot! I would love to see Carole King, Tina Turner and Dionne Warwick get in. Iron Maiden deserves to be inducted as well. Judas Priest should have been nominated. Heavy metal bands deserve more consideration.

Posted by Chris on Sunday, 02/14/2021 @ 18:13pm

YouTubers React!

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2021 Nominees: Analysis with Jason Hanley
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rn9XyzVPSY

'Rock Shot' (2021 ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAME NOMINEES)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fzAPM0lcWE

We Discuss The 2021 Rock Hall Of Fame Nominees
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGoPLkBV1JM

2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Nominees Who Should (And Will) Get Inducted - "If You Have to...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ez5W08aC6O0

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2021 Nominations! REACTION & PREDICTIONS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRP9-HpYWYQ

RANT- The 2021 Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame Nominations Are...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMUyRTUuA64

SAY WHAT? 2021 Rock Hall of Fame Nominees
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYcrzX9Vv14

RANT Rock And Roll Hall of Fame 2021 nominations!!!!!! Foo Fighters Iron Maiden vinyl community
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPXG1kSRA8s

ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME 2021. Picks, Pics, Controversy, and Devo!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqZqcjsdFHk

Rock Hall of Fame Nominee 2021 Reaction
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0fZ7FsCzMU

2021 Rock and Roll Hall of Shame! Rant Video and My 5 Picks | Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82piidRXiR8

rock and roll hall of fame nominees my thoughts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nmw1_D1uBUQ

Posted by Roy on Sunday, 02/14/2021 @ 18:17pm

Which 5-7 acts do you guys think should get in this year, Which 5-7 acts do you guys think will get in this year and Which acts do you guys have as Wild Cards/Dark Horse picks this year for 2021?.

Posted by richie on Sunday, 02/14/2021 @ 18:25pm

SAMPSON OF DIGITAL DREAM DOOR
RATES THE 2021 ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME NOMINEES

https://digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/best_hall-of-fame-nom-2021.html

10 - Jay-Z
9 - Mary J. Blige
8 - LL Cool J
7 - Carole King
7 - Tina Turner
7 - Chaka Khan
7 - Iron Maiden
7 - Foo Fighters
7 - The Go-Go's
6 - Fela Kuti
6 - Rage Against The Machine
5 - Dionne Warwick
5 - Todd Rundgren
5 - New York Dolls
5 - Kate Bush
5 - Devo

Critiques and Ratings (12 pages)

150 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Candidates by Sampson of Digital Dream Door

https://digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/best_halloffame_x1.html

THE CURRENT ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME QUALIFICATION SCALE
BY SAMPSON OF DIGITAL DREAM DOOR

10 - The Immortals
9 - Deserves To Be A First Ballot Lock
8 - Should Be Guaranteed An Induction
7 - An Eventual Induction Is Likely
6 - Should Be Nominated At Some Point
5 - Worthy Of At Least A Debate For A Nomination
4 - Not Insignificant, But Shouldn't Be Nominated
3 - No Business Being Debated By Committee
2 - No Business Being Even Mentioned
1 - No Business Visiting The Hall Of Fame Without a Ticket

THE OLD ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME QUALIFICATION SCALE
BY SAMPSON OF DIGITAL DREAM DOOR

1 - Non-existant
2 - Mostly Insignificant
3 - Recognizable, But Minor Credentials
4 - Modest Accomplishments
5 - Worth Examining, But Will Often Fall Short
6 - Strong Case To Be Made
7 - Solid Choice
8 - Unquestioned Credentials
9 - Dominant Artist
10 - The Immortals

Click the link above to read the critiques and ratings (12 pages)

• Candidates A-C
• Candidates C-F
• Candidates G-K
• Candidates L-P
• Candidates P-S
• Candidates T-Z
• Unlikely Candidates
• Sidemen Candidates
• Early Influences
• Outside Genre
• Non-Performers
• Inductees 1986-Present

Posted by Roy on Sunday, 02/14/2021 @ 18:53pm

Which 5-7 acts do you guys think should get in this year, Which 5-7 acts do you guys think will get in this year and Which acts do you guys have as Wild Cards/Dark Horse picks this year for 2021?.

Posted by richie on Sunday, 02/14/2021 @ 18:25pm

THE 2021 ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

1. Carole King
2. Tina Turner
3. Dionne Warwick
4. Chaka Khan
5. Kate Bush
6. Mary J. Blige
7. The Go-Go's

OR

1. Carole King
2. Tina Turner
3. Dionne Warwick
4. Chaka Khan
5. Todd Rundgren
6. Mary J. Blige
7. Jay-Z

OR

1. Carole King
2. Tina Turner
3. Dionne Warwick
4. Chaka Khan
5. Todd Rundgren
6. Iron Maiden
7. Foo Fighters

Posted by Roy on Sunday, 02/14/2021 @ 19:01pm

FRL - The reason for the sort order change I asked for is specifically related to hot topics like this one, that wind up long.

If I go away for a few days and want to catch up on the discussion here; when I click into this topic, the first thing I have to do is start scrolling down to find where I left off before. And as the topic gets longer, that gets tiresome, especially when I'm reading in my iPhone.

If the sort order were reversed, I'd be at the most recent comment and not have to scroll through comments I'd already seen. It would always just be the comments since I last stopped by.

I can't be the only person who has ever thought this would be a useful change?

Posted by Shrek on Sunday, 02/14/2021 @ 19:42pm

RG, Plebian, Casper, Ben, Will N., Michael W, remy10, KING, Shrek, Nick and others,

Please don't predict Fela Kuti to get in this year, The fan vote doesn't really matter anymore, It really doesn't, I think that Fela will become the second fan vote winner to not get inducted following Dave Matthews Band (aka DMB) last year, It'll be the same thing that we saw last year with DMB that the fan vote winner doesn't get inducted for the second year in a row.

What do you think?.

Posted by richie on Sunday, 02/14/2021 @ 19:57pm

RG, Plebian, Casper, Ben, Will N., Michael W, remy10, KING, Greg F, Shrek, Nick, John R.C. and others,

Please don't predict Fela Kuti to get in this year, The fan vote doesn't really matter anymore, It really doesn't, I think that Fela will become the second fan vote winner to not get inducted following Dave Matthews Band (aka DMB) last year, It'll be the same thing that we saw last year with DMB that the fan vote winner doesn't get inducted for the second year in a row.

What do you think?.

Posted by richie on Sunday, 02/14/2021 @ 20:08pm

Now I really want to predict Fela Kuti even more for the class of 2021. It's plausible for all the reasons I've already stated over the last few days.

I will release my next blog on the 2021 Nominees later tonight or more likely tomorrow morning.

Posted by Nick on Sunday, 02/14/2021 @ 20:14pm

Nick,

Please don't predict him to get in this year, The fan vote doesn't really matter anymore, It really doesn't, I think that Fela will become the second fan vote winner to not get inducted following Dave Matthews Band (aka DMB) last year, It'll be the same thing we saw last year with DMB that the fan vote winner doesn't get inducted for the second year in a row.

What do you think?.

Posted by richie on Sunday, 02/14/2021 @ 20:21pm

Richie

What do you have against Fela Kuti? Since the announcement, you mostly posting that Fela Kuti is unworthy for not just induction, but also for induction because you don't know him or his music. Even if we provided information why Fela Kuti is one of the most important artists in the last 50 years, you still weren't convinced. By your logic, maybe LaVern Baker and Del Shannon are unworthy for induction because I don't know much about them.

Again, doing research and listening to their music is a better way to understand an artist instead of not knowing.

Posted by John R.C. on Sunday, 02/14/2021 @ 20:28pm

John R.C.

The reason why I think Fela Kuti is not worthy for induction is because of two things:

1. There are too many other better-known acts on the ballot this year

2. I think he deserves induction, but I think it should be as an Early Influence or as a Musical Excellence recipient rather than as a Performer.

What do you think?.

Posted by richie on Sunday, 02/14/2021 @ 20:32pm

Ritchie,
Did you copy and paste your initial post as a reply to my comment? I think it's word-for-word the same thing. Anyway, please listen to Fela's music before you say he's not worthy of induction. He's an incredible musician and one of the most influential musicians of the last half-century. Check out YouTube or Spotify for a sampling of his greatest works. Also, there's an Alex Gibney documentary "Finding Fela" (2014) that is streaming online (including Kanopy, which is for free through your public or academic library card).

Posted by Nick on Sunday, 02/14/2021 @ 20:39pm

Sorry, Richie I forgot there's no "t" in your name.

Posted by Nick on Sunday, 02/14/2021 @ 20:45pm

Hey Ben,
Thanks. Good to here from you. I was expecting some response from you on the nominations. I've broke it down somewhat and put in my two cents a little bit.. More on that later..
Yeah, so much for the Guess Who.. maybe next year. And all of the other numerous predictions that everyone had posted.. I believe most all who predicted hit on about 4 or 5 nominees on average, including FRL. More on that later as well..
You and especially Nick were right about Tina Turner.. I thought she would get the cold shoulder again, but hopefully her long overdue induction will come..

Posted by Will N. on Sunday, 02/14/2021 @ 21:05pm

Richie,
You inquired again on my induction predictions, which I had responded to you with some detail about 3 days ago.
Recapping, in my own ranking order, I posted:

#1. Tina Turner
#2. Iron Maiden
#3. Jay-Z
#4. The Go-Go's
#5. Carole King
#6. Foo Fighters -(could replace with RATM)- possible
--and if 7
#7. LL Cool J or New York Dolls

Wild Cards/ Dark Horse -- Kate Bush, or Fela Kuti

___

Posted by Will N. on Sunday, 02/14/2021 @ 21:13pm

From my recent "Top 100 Rock Hall Prospects Project," 12 of the selected artists made the 2021 ballot (including half in the top-ten!):
#1: Tina Turner
#5: LL Cool J
#7: Kate Bush
#8: Rage Against the Machine
#10: Carole King
#12: Chaka Khan (with Rufus; but I'm counting it)
#27: Iron Maiden
#34: The Go-Go's
#36: Dionne Warwick
#43: Devo
#55: New York Dolls
#66: Mary J. Blige

Jay-Z and Foo Fighters weren't considered because they weren't eligible (or snubbed yet; but that's unlikely to happen). Todd Rundgren should be considered more for the Non-Performers category for his producing credits (mention that in my "Introduction"). So technically Fela Kuti is the only artist I didn't rank on the list nominated this year. Not bad at all.

Posted by Nick on Sunday, 02/14/2021 @ 21:33pm

I think that if Fela Kuti gets in this year, It will be either as an Early Influence or as a Musical Excellence recipient, rather than as a Performer.

What do you think?.

Posted by richie on Sunday, 02/14/2021 @ 21:38pm

Richie,

You just reinforced everyone to vote for Fela Kuti even more. I seriously think you should try listening to him with a no bias look.


RG, Will N., and KING,

Is it possible that Rage could upset Foo Fighters?

And another thing...
What is with the Rage hate lately? Is it their politics again or that people just in general can't stand them? What gives?

Posted by Plebian on Sunday, 02/14/2021 @ 21:41pm

RG, Plebian, Casper, Ben, Will N., Michael W, remy10, KING, Greg F, Shrek, Nick, John R.C.

My predictions for this year's inductees are:

Foo Fighters
The Go-Go's
Jay-Z
Carole King
Tina Turner
Rage Against The Machine (If 6)
Todd Rundgren (If 7)

Wild Cards/Dark Horses:

Iron Maiden
New York Dolls
Dionne Warwick

Small/Minimal Chance:

Kate Bush
Chaka Khan
Devo
LL Cool J

Not Likely/No Chance:

Mary J. Blige
Fela Kuti (Why is he even here?. It'll be the same thing that we saw last year with DMB that the fan vote winner doesn't get inducted for the second year in a row, besides I think he belongs more in either as an Early Influence or as a Musical Excellence recipient rather than as a Performer)

What do you think?.

Posted by richie on Sunday, 02/14/2021 @ 21:49pm

I think Fela Kuti has the votes to get inducted. They won't put him the early influence or musical excellence. I have a strong feeling he's gonna get in as a performer. Don't be surprised if he does the votes are there.

Posted by Greg F on Sunday, 02/14/2021 @ 21:51pm

Greg F,

But you're wrong, I really think that they will put him in either as an Early Influence or as a Musical Excellence recipient, rather than as a Performer.

What do you think?.

Posted by richie on Sunday, 02/14/2021 @ 21:55pm

The votes are there. He's well respected by critics and musicians. I really think he could have the most votes. Again don't be surprised if he gets in.

Posted by Greg F on Sunday, 02/14/2021 @ 22:02pm

Please stick to compiling lists of people's predictions Richie. You seem very passionate about the Rock Hall, but it's painful to read the same things over and over again.

Posted by Ryan on Sunday, 02/14/2021 @ 22:10pm

Greg F,

As I've said it before, I really think that you're wrong, I really think that he'll end up more like John Prine than Miles Davis, Joan Baez and Nina Simone, I just think that he's way too obscure to get an induction this year over bigger and more well-known names on the ballot, It'll be the same thing that we saw last year with DMB that the fan vote winner doesn't get inducted for the second year in a row, I really think that if he gets in this year, It'll be either as an Early Influence or as a Musical Excellence recipient, rather than as a Performer.

What do you think?.

Posted by richie on Sunday, 02/14/2021 @ 22:12pm

Plebian,

I haven't been seeing any RATM hate recently, so I'm really not sure what you're referring to.

As for them vs. Foo Fighters, I think it's highly possible! My current prediction is that one will definitely get in, but not both. I totally take your point about them being distinct enough to both be inducted, but I think with such a stacked and Rock-light ballot, they will compete for votes just by virtue of being the only two post-1990 Rock acts on the ballot.

I think the thing about the two bands is that the Foo Fighters are more popular and widely liked in the broad sense, while Rage has a much more specific sense of critical acclaim, innovation, and social/political relevance. Both are valid and important arguments for induction, and will net each band plenty of votes, but it's difficult to say which will win out. I will say this, the sense of inevitability that people feel about the Foo Fighters this year feels, to me, very similar to the sense of inevitability that people felt about Pat Benatar last year.

Posted by RG on Sunday, 02/14/2021 @ 22:16pm

Ryan,

Thank you for the comment, I am very passionate about the Rock Hall and yes, I'll stick to compiling lists of people's predictions and I promise that I won't do the same thing over and over again.

Posted by richie on Sunday, 02/14/2021 @ 22:20pm

RG,

Which 5-7 acts do you see being inducted this year for 2021?.

Posted by richie on Sunday, 02/14/2021 @ 22:23pm

Interestingly, RATM has been very silent on their 3rd nomination and I haven't heard of any backlash thrown at them. Interestingly, they kinda feel like an afterthought in the wake of the nomination announcement last Wednesday. Kate Bush, of course, didn't make a statement either but that's not all that surprising.

Now thinking....has Jay-Z and Mary J. Blige publicly commented on his nomination? For some reason, I don't think so yet.

Posted by Nick on Sunday, 02/14/2021 @ 22:31pm

^ I think everyone else or the families of deceased musicians (e.g. Fela Kuti) has commented on their nominations since the announcement.

Posted by Nick on Sunday, 02/14/2021 @ 22:35pm

Nick,

Yeah, that is what I observed with Rage on their Twitter. I guess they are wanting to play fairly with the others competing because Tom is part of the committee and it would come off as insider baseball. On the other hand, they probably treat their nomination like NIN or Depeche Mode when they got nominations and their reactions were basically, "Go vote for us...I guess" and move on. Strange that Mary J. Blige and Jay-Z have not commented on theirs. Kate Bush is not surprising, she is an extremely private person despite her very showy persona.

Posted by Plebian on Sunday, 02/14/2021 @ 23:03pm

Last year: The Hard Rock Ballot where all the hard rock acts aside from NIN got left out.
This year: The Pandering Ballot. The class may just be all white guys aside from probably Tina.

Posted by Follower on Monday, 02/15/2021 @ 00:33am

Felt Kuto will make a statement. The statement they can't seem to do with Kraftwerk. They do want to prove that rock n roll is more than a transatlantic trend. He will get in, I predict

Posted by K-Dawg on Monday, 02/15/2021 @ 00:34am

Thats Fela Kuti. Stupid autocorrect

Posted by K-Dawg on Monday, 02/15/2021 @ 00:35am

K-Dawg,

But he won't, Not as a Performer, maybe as an Early Influence or as a Musical Excellence recipient, I just think that he's way too obscure to get inducted this year over bigger and more well-known names on the ballot, I think that Fela will become the second fan vote winner to not get inducted following Dave Matthews Band (aka DMB) last year, It'll be the same thing that we saw last year with DMB that the fan vote winner doesn't get inducted for the second year in a row.

What do you think?.

Posted by richie on Monday, 02/15/2021 @ 00:51am

ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAME FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES NOMINEES FOR 2021 INDUCTION

NEW YORK (February 10, 2021) — The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation announced today the following Nominees for 2021 Induction:

Inductees will be announced in May 2021. April 30 is the last day to vote.

https://www.rockhall.com/nominees-announced-2021-induction

Dionne Warwick
https://www.rockhall.com/2021-nominee-dionne-warwick

Tina Turner
https://www.rockhall.com/2021-nominee-tina-turner

Carole King
https://www.rockhall.com/2021-nominee-carole-king

Chaka Khan
https://www.rockhall.com/2021-nominee-chaka-khan

Kate Bush
https://www.rockhall.com/2021-nominee-kate-bush

Todd Rundgren
https://www.rockhall.com/2021-nominee-todd-rundgren

Fela Kuti
https://www.rockhall.com/2021-nominee-fela-kuti

Iron Maiden
https://www.rockhall.com/2021-nominee-iron-maiden

New York Dolls
https://www.rockhall.com/2021-nominee-new-york-dolls

Devo
https://www.rockhall.com/2021-nominee-devo

The Go-Go's
https://www.rockhall.com/2021-nominees-the-go-gos

Rage Against The Machine
https://www.rockhall.com/2021-nominee-rage-against-the-machine

Foo Fighters
https://www.rockhall.com/2021-nominee-foo-fighters

LL Cool J
https://www.rockhall.com/2021-nominee-ll-cool-j

Jay-Z
https://www.rockhall.com/2021-nominee-jay-z

Mary J. Blige
https://www.rockhall.com/2021-nominee-mary-j-blige

Posted by Roy on Monday, 02/15/2021 @ 00:54am

Thank you Roy for providing the links to the nominees page.

Having just read Fela Kuti's page, I'm more convinced that Fela Kuti deserves to be inducted, and in the Performer category.

Posted by John R.C. on Monday, 02/15/2021 @ 01:12am

If Burt Bacharach is inducted in the non-performers category, he can't be the presenter for Dionne Warwick.

Posted by Roy on Monday, 02/15/2021 @ 04:00am

'Felt Kuto' would be a good band name :-)

Prog rock or something like that...

Posted by Paul in KY on Monday, 02/15/2021 @ 06:41am

Will N,.
I am disappointed like you to some extent. In fact Fela Kuti brings excitement to the mix. You mentioned how it's not really diverse with music. If the Hall had included Pat Benatar, the Guess Who, Jethro Tull, Kraftwerk, Herbie Hancock and Kool and the Gang. Also the Commodores, the Pointer Sisters and the Spinners could have been on this ballot. Then that would have made it diverse for music. I highly support a nomination of Kool & the Gang. They had from Jazzy tunes like Summer Madness, an early hit Jungle Boogie. And then they went on to huge pop hits like Lady's Night and Celebration. I know them rather well. I think the ones above as examples would have made this ballot more diverse. It should be noted I did not just list White Rock guys left out. Kool & the Gang would have been great on the ballot. Roy listed Kool & the Gang or the Commodores not being nominated and are snubs again. I totally agree. Would these names I just said have made the ballot more diverse? What are your thoughts Will?
Heyy Keep in mind i just mentioned Herbie Hancock too. He is a Jazz fusion master. RIP Chick Corea. He was a jazz fusion master too. He just died. But Herbie Hancock I think could be on a ballot first.
But Ok this is the ballot. Now as far as Fela Kuti. In America, yes, he's not a household name but globally he's a superstar. It's not just anyone voting in these elections, it's musicians, historians and critics who all probably have some knowledge of Fela Kuti.
Hey in 2010 Jimmy Cliff was inducted. He is not Rock and not huge in America. So I do not hold scorn to Fela Kuti. I'm not sure Fela Kuti will be inducted but he's a cool nomination. I will do research and listening to Fela Kuti. I agree somewhat with Nick.
I think Mary J. Blige is on the ballot as part of overcompensating for a lack of females in the past. I don't think Mary J. Blige will be inducted either due to the competition of those like Tina Turner.
I was indeed right about Tina Turner. I held out with Tina and kept her on my final predictions for this year. She is 81 I believe and is long overdue. I think she is a slam dunk to be inducted. She has worked with a lot of artists already inducted. I know for a fact Tina worked with David Bowie and Eric Clapton. I think her long overdue induction will be this year. That's it for Now

Posted by Ben on Monday, 02/15/2021 @ 08:31am

I think that Fela Kuti will end up more like John Prine and not Miles Davis, Joan Baez and Nina Simone in that a non-Rock act that is well-respected by critics and fellow musicians doesn't get in, As I've said it before, The fan vote doesn't really matter anymore, It really doesn't, Last year showed us that with Dave Matthews Band and It'll be a repeat of that this year, I think that Fela will become the second fan vote winner to not get inducted following DMB last year, It'll be the same thing that we saw last year with DMB that the fan vote winner doesn't get inducted for the second year in a row.

What do you think?.

Posted by richie on Monday, 02/15/2021 @ 11:18am

Nick,

My mom wants to help me explain to you why I feel the nomination of Fela Kuti is not right at this time, I'm sorry I did not explain sooner, but I struggle sometimes to express myself properly, so Mom is helping me with this, I am sure that man was very talented, but I do believe and so does my Mom that this push to get him to #1 on the fan vote is more politically motivated as his history as a political activist and not so much for his music, I believe the greatest push comes from the BLM movement, I am sure he was very talented, but there are so many artists and groups that are deserving and have waited for many, many years to get into the Hall of Fame, I hope I have not offended you by my stance on this situation, I value your opinion greatly and I hope you understand mine, Stay safe and Have a great day.

Posted by richie on Monday, 02/15/2021 @ 13:03pm

Richie,
No hard feelings from me at all and no reason to apologize. All I ask is for everyone to have an open mind when it comes to the artists on this year's ballot and explore their music if they're not familiar with it.

Posted by Nick on Monday, 02/15/2021 @ 13:46pm

Wow. You read the Chaka Khan bio and it's left open-ended enough where she could be inducted and, ugh, Rufus with Chaka Khan could just be on the ballot the very next year.

Let's not kid ourselves, she does not have a strong enough case/discography without counting her time with Rufus. This solo nomination IS clearly meant to cover everything, yet I could see Questlove continuing his foolhardy mission even after she gets in.

Posted by Casper on Monday, 02/15/2021 @ 14:16pm

Nick,
Guess what l checked out Fela Kuti this morning. That guy can jam. I don't recall hearing him before. But hey even before I listened I did NOT agree with richie. Richie is very nice but he is wrong about Fela Kuti. I won't go so far as saying he is inducted but it seemed to me there must be a reason he is Nominated. It's the same manner in which Leonard Cohen, Jimmy Cliff and Los Lobos were Nominated. Leonard Cohen and Jimmy Cliff were inducted. Not Los Lobos. True. So it can go either way with left field Wild cards. Thumbs up for Fela Kuti

Posted by Ben on Monday, 02/15/2021 @ 14:55pm

Caspar,

I got a question for you. Out of everyone on the ballot and be honest, who do you think is really the one in your eyes that fits the bill as someone worthy of the Hall? Another is longevity part of your criteria? And one last thing, when you mean peak do you mean they were one of the biggest things in music at the time or had more highs that overshadow the lows?

Posted by Plebian on Monday, 02/15/2021 @ 15:28pm

Will they induct songs again this year?

Posted by Garrus on Monday, 02/15/2021 @ 16:57pm

Of course they will. Even though the fans hate it, the Singles category is here to stay. At least for quite some time.

Posted by Follower on Monday, 02/15/2021 @ 18:14pm

Apologies once again but my 'reaction blog' to the 2021 Class will be on my site tomorrow. It's been a chaotic few days and had to delay finishing it up. Hopefully it'll be worth it.

Posted by Nick on Monday, 02/15/2021 @ 18:29pm

Nick,

Are you still planning on making a followup post talking about your snub list? No worries if not.

Posted by RG on Monday, 02/15/2021 @ 19:12pm

RG,

Which 5-7 acts do you see being inducted this year for 2021?.

Posted by richie on Monday, 02/15/2021 @ 19:16pm

Do the people really hate the Singles category?

Posted by Garrus on Monday, 02/15/2021 @ 20:31pm

YES!!!

Posted by Mr. XFL on Monday, 02/15/2021 @ 21:22pm

Fela Kuti!!!
He has to be a lock, right!
I'll never forget waiting for his next album to come out and getting it and listening to it with my friends over and over.
I'll never forget camping out for tickets when his concert tickets were going on sale.
I'll never forget dancing to our favorite Fela Kuti song at my wedding!
Ummmmmmmmmmmm. No. Who is Fela Kuti? Stop it HOF. Stop it.

Posted by Classic Rock on Monday, 02/15/2021 @ 22:30pm

Garrus, I hope this answers your question and thensome:


http://rockhallmonitors.blogspot.com/2019/01/singled-out-consolation-prizes.html?m=1

Posted by Philip on Monday, 02/15/2021 @ 22:33pm

most pleased:
Foo Fighters
Iron Maiden
New York Dolls
Devo
Fela

most disappointed:
Jay-Z
LL Cool J
The Go Go's
Mary J Blige
Tina Turner

Posted by Garrus on Monday, 02/15/2021 @ 23:46pm

How about we list the number of acts on the ballot that we are actually a fan of? For me, it involves liking a studio album or compilation enough to add to my library.

Therefore, I consider myself a fan of these 7 acts:

Kate Bush
Devo
Foo Fighters
Jay-Z
Carole King
New York Dolls
Fela Kuti

I like Tina Turner but am not into her solo career whatsoever (which is what's being debated with her nomination).

Posted by Casper on Monday, 02/15/2021 @ 23:58pm

Acts I REALLY like on the 2021 ballot:

Devo
New York Dolls
Foo Fighters
Rage Against The Machine
Iron Maiden
Fela Kuti
Kate Bush

Posted by Plebian on Tuesday, 02/16/2021 @ 00:36am

Which 5-7 acts do you think should get in this year for 2021, Which 5-7 acts do you think will get in this year for 2021 and Which acts do you have as Wild Cards/Dark Horse picks for 2021?.

Posted by richie on Tuesday, 02/16/2021 @ 00:55am

Favorite song from all the artists on the 2021 ballot:

Devo-Girl U Want
New York Dolls-Personality Crisis
Foo Fighters-Everlong
Todd Rundgren-Hello It's Me
The Go-Go's-Vacation
Dionne Warwick-The World Needs Love
Rage Against The Machine-Wake Up
LL Cool J-Mama Said Knock You Out
Jay-Z-99 Problems
Iron Maiden-The Trooper
Carole King-It's Too Late
Tina Turner-Goldeneye
Chaka Khan-I'm Every Woman
Mary J. Blige-IDK her well enough
Kate Bush-Weathering Heights
Fela Kuti-Water Got No Enemy

Posted by Plebian on Tuesday, 02/16/2021 @ 00:58am

Will N,.
So I'm interested if you agree that acts like the Guess Who, Jethro Tull, Herbie Hancock, Kraftwerk, Kool & the Gang and the Commodores would have made it more diverse. I think that's the point you were trying to make. And addition have ones like Iron Maiden, Fela Kuti and Tina Turner. I'd like to get your thoughts on this. Then we move on. Those are all deserving acts.
Fela Kuti came out of nowhere. I listened to him yesterday for the first time. Some of his stuff sounded like Jazz fusion with an African beat. It sounded very cool to me. I'll check out Fela Kuti more deeply on Spotify. I had heard of him but certainly not enough to predict him..
I also want to know what happened to B52s and Duran Duran. I guess they wanted the Go-Gos first. It's all good. I like the Go-Gos slightly better. actually. I love the Go-Go's I am very sure the Go-Go's will be inducted. I owned a few of their albums long ago. But the main focus here is the names above that were not nominated. Heyyy Herbie Hancock is great Jazz fusion. As we know he started with Regular straight Jazz and then became a master of Jazz fusion. Hear from ya soon

Posted by Ben on Tuesday, 02/16/2021 @ 04:03am

Will N,.
So I'm interested if you agree that acts like the Guess Who, Jethro Tull, Herbie Hancock, Kraftwerk, Kool & the Gang and the Commodores would have made it more diverse. I think that's the point you were trying to make. And addition have ones like Iron Maiden, Fela Kuti and Tina Turner. I'd like to get your thoughts on this. Then we move on. Those are all deserving acts.
Fela Kuti came out of nowhere. I listened to him yesterday for the first time. Some of his stuff sounded like Jazz fusion with an African beat. It sounded very cool to me. I'll check out Fela Kuti more deeply on Spotify. I had heard of him but certainly not enough to predict him..
I also want to know what happened to B52s and Duran Duran. I guess they wanted the Go-Gos first. It's all good. I like the Go-Gos slightly better. actually. I love the Go-Go's I am very sure the Go-Go's will be inducted. I owned a few of their albums long ago. But the main focus here is the names above that were not nominated. Heyyy Herbie Hancock is great Jazz fusion. As we know he started with Regular straight Jazz and then became a master of Jazz fusion. Hear from ya soon

Posted by Ben on Tuesday, 02/16/2021 @ 04:03am

Unfortunately, my Rock Hall nominees' list had only 4 of the present nominees on it (Tina Turner, Carole King, The Go-Gos and Jay-Z), which means that it this list is definitely not stellar by any stretch of the imagination. I am hugely disappointed that neither Sade, nor Carly Simon, nor The Bangles, nor Duran Duran, nor Jethro Tull are on this list. Although, I appreciate Tom Morello and Dave Grohl, my sincere hope is that neither Foo Fighters, nor Rage Against The Machine get inducted this year. I also hope that Jay-Z and LL Cool J, cancel each other out. In my honest opinion, I would also like to see Devo and The New York Dolls cancel each other out, also. So who does that leave- Todd Rundgren, Iron Maiden, Fela Kuti, Chaka Khan, Mary J. Blige, Dionne Warwick, Carole King, The Go-Gos, Kate Bush and Tina Turner?

Out of those 10, these are the artists who I think deserve induction in 2021:

1. Tina Turner
2. Kate Bush
3. The Go-Gos
4. Carole King
5. Dionne Warwick
6. Either Chaka Khan, or Mary J. Blige

The end result- an all female class!

Musical excellence awards for Fela Kuti and Todd Rundgren.

Well, what do you think?

Posted by Enigmaticus on Tuesday, 02/16/2021 @ 05:32am

Unfortunately, my Rock Hall nominees' list had only 4 of the present nominees on it (Tina Turner, Carole King, The Go-Gos and Jay-Z), which means that this list is definitely not stellar by any stretch of the imagination. I am hugely disappointed that neither Sade, nor Carly Simon, nor The Bangles, nor Duran Duran, nor Jethro Tull are on this list. Although, I appreciate Tom Morello and Dave Grohl, my sincere hope is that neither Foo Fighters, nor Rage Against The Machine get inducted this year. I also hope that Jay-Z and LL Cool J, cancel each other out. In my honest opinion, I would also like to see Devo and The New York Dolls cancel each other out, also. So who does that leave- Todd Rundgren, Iron Maiden, Fela Kuti, Chaka Khan, Mary J. Blige, Dionne Warwick, Carole King, The Go-Gos, Kate Bush and Tina Turner?

Out of those 10, these are the artists who I think most deserve induction in 2021:

1. Tina Turner
2. Kate Bush
3. The Go-Gos
4. Carole King
5. Dionne Warwick
6. Either Chaka Khan, or Mary J. Blige

The end result- an all female performer class!

If 7- Iron Maiden

There should also be Musical excellence awards for Fela Kuti and Todd Rundgren.

Well, what do you think?

Posted by Enigmaticus on Tuesday, 02/16/2021 @ 05:38am

Casper,

For me, this group of nominees doesn't really do it for me. I respect these artists and think that they are all deserving of nominations, but there's not much on this list that I listen to with any regularity.

Acts I love:
None

Acts I like a lot:
Foo Fighters
LL Cool J
Jay-Z

Acts I like a little:
Carole King
The Go-Go's
Mary J. Blige

Acts that have one or two songs on my playlist, but otherwise I don't listen to:
Rage Against The Machine
Kate Bush

Acts I tolerate or am indifferent to:
Chaka Khan
Todd Rundgren
Fela Kuti
Iron Maiden
Tina Turner (though I really like her work with Ike)
Devo
Dionne Warwick

Acts I dislike:
New York Dolls

Acts I despise with the heat of a thousand suns:
None

I think that's a big reason why this group of nominees is so meh for me. They just didn't hit my tastes this time. I'm still voting for Tina Turner and Iron Maiden even though I'm not really a fan because I think they're very deserving, but there's no one here I'm going to be heartbroken about if they don't get in like I was when Radiohead missed the first time, for example. Maybe LL Cool J, but that would be it.

Contrast this year to last year. I really liked the inductees and was actually going to go to the induction ceremony before it got COVIDed away. I was much more passionate about last year's nominees than this year. Oh well.

Posted by Michael W on Tuesday, 02/16/2021 @ 07:13am

I own as least one album from all of the acts nominated except two: Fela Kuti and Rage Against the Machine. I have at least two albums from all of the others except Devo and Mary J. Blige ( I am counting two Rufus albums as part of Chaka Khan.)

I would rank my preferences as..

Love
Carole King
Foo Fighters
The Go-Gos
Iron Maiden
Kate Bush (favorite act on the ballot)
New York Dolls (third favorite act on the ballot)
Todd Rundgren (second favorite act on the ballot)

Like/Okay
Chaka Khan
Dionne Warwick
LL Cool J
Mary J. Blige

Indifferent
Devo
Fela Kuti (know very little of his music)
Jay-Z
Tina Turner (much bigger fan of her music with Ike)

Dislike
Rage Against the Machine (not a fan, but accept their credentials to the hall)

Posted by remy10 on Tuesday, 02/16/2021 @ 09:19am

RG, Plebian, Casper, Ben, Will N., Michael W, remy10, KING, Greg F, Shrek, Steve Z, Nick, John R.C., dmg and others,

Which 5-7 acts do you think should get in this year, Which 5-7 acts do you think will get in this year and Which acts do you have as Wild Cards/Dark Horse picks?.

Posted by richie on Tuesday, 02/16/2021 @ 10:53am

This ballot isn't all that heavy with acts I listen to regularly but I'm fine with the list .

I love Devo and Fela Kuti. Devo was the first concert I went to without my parents. I got into Fela Kuti through my love of Talking Heads, he was a big influence on their use of African polyrhythms; and he aligns well with my love of jam bands - a genre in which he also has a certain amount of influence.

I love the hits of The Go-Gos, but their deep cuts aren't really all that compelling.

I love Carole King's Tapestry album, that was on constant rotation in my childhood home since my Mother was a big fan. I respect King's writing talent, but haven't found any of her other albums nearly as good as that famous one.

I like Rage ATM ok. Their first album was eye opening and their follow ups all gave some good stuff; though I seldom really am in the mood now as a relatively content middle aged man for all that angry energy.

Tina Turner solo and Chaka Khan are kind of hit and miss for me, as is Todd Rundgren.

Kate Bush is interesting to watch, she has fabulously inventive performing ideas; but I often dislike her vocal style.

I love punk and 70s glam, but I think the NY Dolls basically sucked.

I respect Iron Maiden but just have little affinity for the operatic singing style in Metal music. I much prefer the less shrill approach of Metallica.

I've grown to kind of like the early minimalist sound of LL Cool J but don't really ever listen to Rap in general.

I respect the vocal talent of smart J Blige and Dionne Warwick; but have little affinity for their musical styles.

I find Foo-Fighters consistently boring and I hate the production

The only Jay-Z songs I've ever liked were due to the featured singers, such as Alicia Keys on "Empire State Of Mind". I find his rapping to be completely uninteresting.

Posted by Shrek on Tuesday, 02/16/2021 @ 13:02pm

Continuing on the 2021 ballot

The artists that I am indifferent to, but respect are:

LL Cool J
Jay-Z
Tina Turner
Chaka Khan
Todd Rundgren
Carole King

Do not know enough:
Mary J. Blige

Don't really like:
The Go-Go's- I see them in the same veins as The Bangles (have hits, but not really inspiring) and the ShowTime documentary did not convince me on their case
Dionne Warwick- Her stuff is like Barbra Streisand more than anything. Talented, but even I side with the rock purists that she is almost far away from the genre

Posted by Plebian on Tuesday, 02/16/2021 @ 13:22pm

Michael W.,

Kind of funny that the super Rock-heavy ballot last year with little to no diversity ended up becoming WAY more interesting than the progressive and diverse genre ballot that the Rock Hall bloggers have begged for months. Seriously, this ballot gave everyone a mute response compared to last year. I don't see it as talked about as much either.

Posted by Plebian on Tuesday, 02/16/2021 @ 13:36pm

Yeah I feel like there's a sweet spot somewhere between last year's ballot and this year's that would end up being the most satisfying. Or maybe if they added a couple more nominees this year and then tried to induct 7 acts.

Posted by Michael W on Tuesday, 02/16/2021 @ 14:02pm

There are no all-black groups on the ballot this year, unless you count Rage Against The Machine as sort of an all-black group.

Posted by Roy on Tuesday, 02/16/2021 @ 14:04pm

Fela's lead over Tina Turner is slipping by 1,000 votes about every six hours from the looks of it (which means Tina would catch him in about a week or less).

It's possible that the initial Burna Boy shoutout-fueled surge is fizzling out.

Turner, by far, has the most dedicated online fanbase that will turn out daily until this is over with.

Posted by Casper on Tuesday, 02/16/2021 @ 14:10pm

There is no real "replacement" for The Doobie Brothers on the ballot this year.

Posted by Roy on Tuesday, 02/16/2021 @ 14:32pm

Roy,

Who would consider Rage Against the Machine to be an all black group? Two of the four members are white lmao

Posted by RG on Tuesday, 02/16/2021 @ 15:52pm

Here's my latest blog "Reflecting on the Rock Hall's 2021 Nominees"

https://www.audiovisualrepository.com/blog/reflectingontherockhall2021nominees

Btw RG, I will be writing a conclusion to the Prospects Project that I'll publish sometime next week. I was gonna write it last week but the nominations announcement put it on the backburner. But I will definitely get it out there very soon.

Posted by Nick on Tuesday, 02/16/2021 @ 15:56pm

Nick,

Thanks for answering! No rush at all.

Posted by RG on Tuesday, 02/16/2021 @ 16:42pm

Who I think will get in:

Tina Turner
Foo Fighters
Jay-Z
The Go-Go's
Carole King

...and maybe, Mary J. Blige and Dionne Warwick. (All of the above mainly by name recognition.)

Who I think should get in (by personal preference only)

Carole King
Foo Fighters
The Go-Go's
Tina Turner
Todd Rundgren

Okay, everyone, watch me get one of five, if the fates are generous. (Notice that the fan poll, on rockhall.com, is currently led by Fela Kuti.)

Posted by Joe on Tuesday, 02/16/2021 @ 18:00pm

Joe,

They should seriously start considering 6-7 inductees now. 5 ain't gonna cut it no more when the snubs list is as long as a college essay.

Posted by Plebian on Tuesday, 02/16/2021 @ 18:32pm

They had 7 inductees in 2019. They'll have 7 inductees for 2021 because the ballot is stacked with 10 solo acts and only 6 bands.

Posted by Roy on Tuesday, 02/16/2021 @ 19:12pm

If it's 7:
Foo Fighters
Iron Maiden
New York Dolls
Devo
Fela
Kate Bush
Todd Rundgren

Posted by Garrus on Tuesday, 02/16/2021 @ 19:39pm

Lol Hall Watchers podcast saying whoever says this ballot is boring are meaningless and stupid sort of a dumb rebuttal. The people don't hate anyone on this list, they acknowledge their accomplishments, but this list does not really get people too hyped as much as they think. I feel this ballot was specifically geared towards the outspoken Rock Hall Bloggers and the critics of the Rock Hall now that I think about it. And another thing, Todd Rundgren has a right to be angry. If Steve Miller can get angry at the Hall and we let it slide like he is on our side, then so does Todd and the rest of the acts that have criticized the Hall. Sorry everyone I just needed some venting on these particular subjects.

Posted by Plebian on Tuesday, 02/16/2021 @ 19:55pm

Due to Greg Harris' comments, I've backed off my prediction that only 5 acts would be inducted to make room for performances by last year's living inductees.

I now expect six inductees due to Alan Light citing that as this year's target.

It here are four nominees I will be personally shocked if they aren't inducted: Jay-Z, Tina Turner, Foo-Fighters, and Carole King. The other two are harder calls. I can make arguments for and against many on the list based on conflicting recent voting trends. I'm leaning toward Rundgren at #5, since "third time is the charm" for many acts that seem like obvious ideal candidates but didn't get in on their first try. I'm going with a guess of Fela at #6 but feel like I'm letting my preference for him influence me (I've also been happy with the fan vote surprise, though that is essentially meaningless in the end results). I go back and forth with he and a bunch of others so am just going to stick with him as my sixth prediction.

I could totally see Dionne Warwick slipping in on the same route as Joan Baez- just as a hugely respected singer from the Rock era who really has nothing to do with Rock music. I don't even really consider her Soul music. Her easy listening style and Tin Pan Alley songbook is more in line with the pre-Rock traditional pop. But I also know the HOF voters can be a bit leery of easy listening pop.

I could see the Go-Go's riding the wave of media publicity from their documentary; but have a hard time understanding them going in on their first nomination if the deeper catalog of hits and superior vocal talent from their contemporary artist Pat Benatar couldn't do so.

Though the HOF has been stand-of fish toward Metal; the low number of traditional guitar bands could help Iron Maiden slip in on this ballot. I could also see NY Dolls getting in due to that same argument.

LL Cool J could finally slip in on Jay-Z's coattails if people decide to vote for both together.

Rage is in that "third time is the charm" territory I used to predict Rundgren getting in so it could play in their favor.

Chaka Khan could get in on the pure argument of "okay fine, just put her in already" so the annual ballot space can be opened up.

Which only leaves Blige and Bush as the two artists I would truly be totally shocked to see her inducted. Just too much competition on the ballot from other notable women for the vote to have room for them this year.

Posted by Shrek on Tuesday, 02/16/2021 @ 20:06pm

Some guesses for possible inductors:
Foo Fighters: John Paul Jones
Tina Turner: Adrienne Warren
Devo: Rivers Cuomo
New York Dolls: Slash
Kate Bush: Florence Welch
Dionne Warwick: Elton John
Mary J. Blige: Kamala Harris
Iron Maiden: Scott Ian
Fela Kuti: Chris Franz and Tina Weymouth
LL Cool J: Chuck D
Chaka Khan: Questlove
Jay-Z: Barack Obama
Carole King: Taylor Swift
Rage Against The Machine: B-Real (or Chuck D if LL Cool J isn't also inducted)
The Go-Go's: Haim
Todd Rundgren: Meat Loaf

Posted by Shrek on Tuesday, 02/16/2021 @ 21:12pm

Excellent writeup, Nick! Thanks for sharing it.

Posted by Paul in KY on Wednesday, 02/17/2021 @ 06:39am

Plebian,

I haven't listened to the most recent Hall Watchers and I usually like them, but if that's what they really said, then I'm in agreement with you. Really poor argument on their part.

Posted by Steve Z on Wednesday, 02/17/2021 @ 09:22am

Hey Guys,

I think there are 3 acts that I would be truly shocked if they don't get inducted this year and they are Jay-Z, Carole King and Tina Turner. Those 3 are the safest bets for getting in this year.

Foo Fighters are at #4 because I'm not as confident about them as I am with the other three because of the fact that Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nine Inch Nails, Radiohead and Rage Against The Machine didn't get inducted FYE, but I still think that they're getting inducted FYE just because they're too big to ignore and Dave Grohl is so beloved in the industry and he is also on the nominating committee, so yeah, I think that they're getting inducted FYE even though I'm not as confident about them than I am about Jay-Z, Carole and Tina.

The other 2 (3 if we're lucky) spots will go to either The Go-Go's, LL Cool J (if the Hall decides to put two Rap/Hip-Hop acts in together for the first time ever), Rage Against The Machine and Todd Rundgren, Those ones I believe have the best chance of getting in based on voting trends in the past 10-15 years, The Go-Go's represent 80's New Wave/Alternative which has had success in the last few years with The Cars, The Cure and Depeche Mode all getting inducted, so I think that they have a very good chance of getting in this year FYN, LL Cool J (like Jay-Z) also represents Rap/Hip-Hop and this could be the year that the Hall finally decides to put in two Rap/Hip-Hop acts at the same time, so I think that he's got a good chance to finally get in, Rage Against The Machine (like Foo Fighters) represent 90's Alternative and Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails both got inducted the last two years and like Dave Grohl, Tom Morello is also on the Nominating Committee so I think that could help them to get in on their third try and Todd Rundgren represents the 70's Classic Rock era and like Carole King, also represents the 70's Singer-Songwriter era as well, so I think that could help them to get in on his third try.

Dionne Warwick should get in, but I wonder the Rock Hall voters will view her as too Adult Contemporary/Easy Listening Pop, plus the 60's haven't doing well too lately with only The Zombies getting in on their fourth try after three previous nominations, Iron Maiden should get in, but the Rock Hall voters hate Metal more than anything, with Judas Priest and Motorhead both failing to get in, Still, the lack of Classic Rock and Hard Rock/Metal acts on this year's ballot could help them to get in and break the door more wide open for more Metal acts to get in, New York Dolls should get in especially after the inductions of Roxy Music and T. Rex the last two years as they also fall into the 70's Glam Rock era, but they're also proto-punk and the voters have rejected MC5 five times now, so I wonder about their chances, Kate Bush should get in especially now since the Rock Hall is finally starting to look at artists who were huge in the UK but weren't big successes in America with the inductions of Roxy Music and T. Rex the last two years, but the amount of women on this year's ballot plus the fact that she's dead last in the fan vote will hurt her chances of getting in this year, Devo should get in especially with The Cars, The Cure and Depeche Mode all getting in the last few years, but The Go-Go's are also on the ballot and I think that they're more likely to get inducted because they've had more hits than them, but the ceremony's in Cleveland this year (if it all goes well) and they're from Ohio, so they could get in simply because of that, who knows?.

Chaka Khan could finally get in because the voters might be sick and tired of seeing her name on the ballot every year, but I think that it's unlikely because I think that she will split votes with Mary J. Blige and therefore, both will cancel each other out this year.

Finally, I don't see either Mary J. Blige or Fela Kuti getting inducted this year, Mary J. Blige because it's just too soon for her and there's too many women on the ballot this year and she's competing up against Tina Turner, Dionne Warwick and Chaka Khan, all much older and much more deserving at this point than Mary, especially Tina Turner. Mary J. Blige will get in at some point, but just not this year. I just don't see Fela Kuti being inducted this year (let alone ever), simply because he just doesn't have the name recognition that the other nominees this year have, It'll be the same thing that we saw last year with DMB that the fan vote winner doesn't get inducted for the second year in a row.

What do you think?.

Posted by richie on Wednesday, 02/17/2021 @ 15:09pm

Devo and Foo Fighters are the only top vote getters on Future Rock Legends that made the official 2021 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame ballot.

https://futurerocklegends.com/statistics.php

Devo has a combined YES and NO total 10,223 votes on Future Rock Legends and they are # 4 overall.

Devo is # 2 in YES votes on Future Rock Legends with 7925.

Foo Fighters is # 8 in YES votes on Future Rock Legends with 4122.

Posted by Roy on Wednesday, 02/17/2021 @ 15:16pm

Maybe the Dionne Warwick nomination was a test for adult contemporary acts. If Dionne Warwick can get in this year it could open a tributary for others like Carpenters.

Posted by Greg F on Wednesday, 02/17/2021 @ 15:19pm

Dionne Warwick is not in the same boat as the Carpenters, or Barry Manilow, or Olivia Newton-John for that matter. Dionne Warwick is a lock. She's going in in 2021. This year's Joan Baez and Nina Simone.

Posted by Roy on Wednesday, 02/17/2021 @ 15:44pm

Greg F- The Carpenters aren't EVER getting in the Hall! Just not gonna happen...

Roy- I agree that Dionne is a cut above ON-J and The Carpenters (and SEVERAL above Manilow!), but she's no lock for this year, given she's up against the more likely Tina Turner and Carole King, as well as Chaka, the Go- Go's and even Kate Bush...

Posted by EDS on Wednesday, 02/17/2021 @ 15:57pm

Dionne Warwick, Tina Turner, Carole King are all going in in 2021. They have tons of support. I repeat, friends in high places, voting.

There's no rule that says voters have to vote for one solo male, on solo female, one rapper, one band. People can vote for whom ever they want. I don't understand when some say having more than one artist of a certain genre, causes them to cancel each other out. That makes no sense.

Don't be surprised if we get 7 solo inductees this year.

Posted by Roy on Wednesday, 02/17/2021 @ 16:14pm

Greg F,

I agree with you that Dionne Warwick's nomination this year following Whitney Houston's induction last year and Neil Diamond's induction in 2011 is a test for more Adult Contemporary/Easy Listening Pop acts to get nominated like The Carpenters, Gloria Estefan and of course, Mariah Carey and Celine Dion. I think that if Dionne gets in this year, Don't be surprised to see The Carpenters, Gloria, Mariah and Celine all in the mix for nominations in the next few years.

What do you think?.

Posted by richie on Wednesday, 02/17/2021 @ 16:45pm

I seriously doubt we will get 7 inductees. We don't go by without one Early Influence every three years and a musical excellence to accompany it. And I also doubt all the inductees will be solo. Plus Roy I see them moving pass 50s and 60s acts regardless of your bias.

My thoughts:

Jay-Z-LOCK
Carole King-LOCK
Tina Turner-LOCK
Foo Fighters-LOCK

Dark Horses:
Todd Rundgren-"Three times the charm"
Rage Against The Machine-"Three times the charm"
Devo- Has hometown advantage to them because of Ohio. At first I was hesistant, but the New Wave train is going strong and they may benefit from additional support from Depeche Mode and NIN
The Go-Go's-Still have the momentum and can be a good PR move for the Hall
Iron Maiden-No competition, but Priest had no competition the first time they were nominated, so I doubt that Maiden can break the curse
New York Dolls-Fit as the next and last Glam Rock band to be enshrined for the Hall. They are monstrously influential, but lack of discography hurts them unlike previous inductees Roxy Music and T.Rex
Fela Kuti-If his fans continue the momentum, he can be a potential spoiler

Longshots:
Dionne Warwick-Crowded ballot full of other black female artists
Mary J. Blige-See Warwick
Chaka Khan-I see some people think she will get in if the voters are tired of seeing her, but I think they would not deliberately do that
LL Cool J-Some say he should have come first, but voters might pass him on again as Jay-Z overshadows him and as I one stated, even without competition, he still struggles to see eye to eye with voters
Kate Bush-Very niche and seems way down the line; Does not help that she is in last place on the fan vote (useless I know, but still worth checking)

If I were to guess number 5 and 6:

Fela Kuti
Devo

That is my updated analysis.

Posted by Plebian on Wednesday, 02/17/2021 @ 17:57pm

7 inductees in the performers category.

Posted by Roy on Wednesday, 02/17/2021 @ 18:14pm

My thoughts:

Jay-Z-LOCK
Carole King-LOCK
Tina Turner-LOCK
Foo Fighters-LOCK

Dark Horses:

Todd Rundgren-"Three times the charm"
Rage Against The Machine-"Three times the charm"
Devo-Has hometown advantage to them because of Ohio. At first I was hesitant, but the New Wave train is going strong and they may have benefit from additional support from Depeche Mode and NIN.
The Go-Go's-Still have the momentum and can be a good PR move for the Hall.
Iron Maiden- No competition, but Priest had not competition the first time they were nominated, so I doubt that Maiden can break the curse.
New York Dolls-Fit as the next and last Glam Rock band to be enshrined for the Hall. They are monstrously influential, but lack of discography hurts them unlike previous inductees Roxy Music and T. Rex.
LL Cool J- If there ever was a time that two Rap/Hip-Hop acts got inducted in the same year, It's this year with Jay-Z and LL, He's been nominated 6 times now, so he could shock everyone and sneak in in addition to Jay-Z.
Dionne Warwick-The 60s are huge favorites for the voting body, but I wonder that she might be too Adult Contemporary/Easy-Listening Pop for the voting body, plus also, Crowded ballot full of other black female artists.

Longshots:

Mary J. Blige- Crowded ballot full of other black female artists.
Chaka Khan-I see some people think she will get in if the voters are tired of seeing her, but I think they would deliberately not do that.
Kate Bush-Very niche and seems way down the line; Does not help that she is in last place on the fan vote (useless I know, but still worth checking).
Fela Kuti-Fan vote or not, I just don't see it, He just doesn't have the name recognition that the other nominees this year have, It'll be the same thing that we saw last year with DMB that the fan vote winner doesn't get inducted for the second year in a row.

That is my analysis.

Posted by richie on Wednesday, 02/17/2021 @ 19:34pm

Fela Kuti is pretty unlikely to win the fan vote unless the Afrobeat artists and fans keep promoting him on Twitter. Is lead over Tina Turner is shortening by the thousands each day, and if this were to keep up, he would be at risk of not even making Top Five.

When the attention is on him, he gets a lot of votes. When it's not, he gets virtually no votes.

Posted by Casper on Wednesday, 02/17/2021 @ 20:53pm

Could you guys please give us the likelihood of all 16 acts getting in this year from #1 (most likely) to #16 (least likely)?.

Posted by richie on Wednesday, 02/17/2021 @ 22:22pm

A Devo-New York Dolls-Iron Maiden-Fela Kuti would be the deadist class in this history of the hall. 1987 has that record now (8), and this makes 9 dead performers!

But that's not going to happen.

Posted by Follower on Thursday, 02/18/2021 @ 01:48am

Richie, did you just repost my thoughts man?

Posted by Plebian on Thursday, 02/18/2021 @ 04:17am

Plebian,

I think you've got it wrong. You clearly PRE-posted Richie's thoughts. Impressive.

Posted by Michael W on Thursday, 02/18/2021 @ 06:05am

Mostly agree with Roy's comments on Dionne Warwick. Much bigger star than Manilow or Olivia Newton-John. The Carpenters (to me) are close to her stardom. Probably have more hits than she does, but not as much in public eye as M s. Warwick was back in her heyday.

I hope Roy is right about her being a lock!

Posted by Paul in KY on Thursday, 02/18/2021 @ 06:25am

Man, Richie never resposts my comments...(kicks wall & mopes)!!

Posted by Paul in KY on Thursday, 02/18/2021 @ 06:29am

Richie,

Here are my revised chances of induction for this year:

1. Tina Turner - 95% - She seems to be the consensus favorite. People will look at her name and not believe she's not already inducted.
2. Jay-Z - 93% - Another all-time great rapper getting in on the first ballot, following Tupac and Biggie.
3. Carole King - 88% - Much like Tina, people won't believe she's not already in.
4. Foo Fighters - 79% - Often heralded as the last great rock band and many voters are probably aware of that.
5. The Go-Go's - 70% - We know Stewart Copeland will be voting for them. They're the best way for people to increase the number of female inductees.
6. Rage Against The Machine - 63% - Their message resonates with a lot of people right now and that could carry them in.
7. Fela Kuti - 50% - I clearly underestimated his chances early on. I have no idea what voters will do with him now, hence the 50/50 shot.
8. Todd Rundgren - 48% - He seems to be just missing induction each year, which keeps earning him a ticket back onto the ballot.
9. Chaka Khan - 47% - She just can't quite get over the hump to earn induction.
10. Iron Maiden - 43% - Totally deserving but we just can't ever predict a metal band getting in with any confidence.
11. Dionne Warwick - 41% - She's got a shot, but ultimately she may be too adult contemporary for some people.
12. LL Cool J - 40% - My personal #1 snub, but unfortunately I think he misses again. I'd be happy to be wrong about this one.
13. Devo - 38% - They have a core that will vote for them, but for many they're seen as a novelty act.
14. New York Dolls - 33% - Probably not enough recognizable songs for people to get behind them.
15. Kate Bush - 15% - I actually think she'd do better on a ballot with fewer women nominated, but on this one voters can skip her and still have plenty of female representation.
16. Mary J. Blige - 12% - She'll get in one day, but this year just seems too soon, especially with some of her influences being nominated alongside her.

Posted by Michael W on Thursday, 02/18/2021 @ 06:48am

I don't see Dionne Warwick as a lock as long as Carole King and Tina Turner are on the ballot. Chaka Khan would need a miracle too. She couldn't be inducted on stronger ballots or weaker ballots. Lossed straight up to Whitney Houston last year. Now Chaka up against Carole King, Dionne Warwick, Kate Bush, Mary J. Blige etc. Good luck with that. Chaka could become the next Chic.
I see The Go-Go's earning Induction. See them receiving votes from all different sources. Rock Voters, Women Voters, and Younger Voters. They are outstanding in their concerts and shows. They don't have a large discography but probably at the right time.
Todd Rundgren had a good surge his 1st nomination in the Fan Vote. Likely to receive Induction. Then, he started saying negative things and disinterested by the Hall nominations and turning people off.
I don't know why LL Cool J can't earn Induction. He has some good hit songs and 1 of rap's 1st Superstars. He's still in the public eye acting too. Don't see him earning Induction. Especially with Jay-Z on the ballot. Iron Maiden should practically sweep all of the votes from the hard rock and metal inductees. AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Guns & Roses, Metallica, Van Halen, etc. That's plenty of votes. Here's my 6 Inductees as of February 18.
1. Jay-Z
2. Foo Fighters
3. Tina Turner
4. Carole King
5. Iron Maiden
6. The Go-Go's
Early Influence-Kraftwerk
Musical Excellence-Todd Rundgren.
I think the Hall will just place Kraftwerk in the Hall. They want them inducted but just not earning the votes. At some point, this has to end. They could do something creative with Dionne Warwick. It does seem strange she's nominated finally but against an incredible class of women. Carole King, Chaka Khan, Kate Bush, Mary J. Blige etc. Some poster made a salient point about the Hall not nominating Mariah Carey. She might have overshadowed some of the other women Nominees. I think that's why Mary J. Blige was decided instead. New York Dolls could be the sleeper here. There's just plenty of old influential rocker types who liked them or were influenced by them. They don't have the depth of discography Roxy Music or T. Rex had but I'm intrigued by them. DEVO and RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE could be 2 groups to watch as well. KING

Posted by KING on Thursday, 02/18/2021 @ 07:25am

My predictions for this year's inductees are:

1. Foo Fighters - LOCK
2. The Go-Go's - Clear path, they will take much of the new wave/80's pop-rock vote.
3. Jay-Z - LOCK
4. Carole King - LOCK
5. Rage Against The Machine - Their message resonates with a lot of people right now and plus also, "Three times the charm"
6. Todd Rundgren - Clear path, he will consolidate a lot of the traditional classic rock vote, plus also like RATM, "Three times the charm"
7. Tina Turner - LOCK

If they go with 7 inductees again this year just like they did in 2019, then these will be the inductees.

What do you think?.

Posted by richie on Thursday, 02/18/2021 @ 09:38am

My prediction is the same as Michael W's for five, but I don't know who the sixth will be. It'll probably be Fela. He's winning the fan poll, and even though DMB didn't get in, I'm willing to write that off as an accident. It's only 1 out of 8!

Posted by Follower on Thursday, 02/18/2021 @ 10:22am

My predictions for this year's inductees are:

Foo Fighters - LOCK
The Go-Go's - Clear path, they will take much of the new wave/80's pop-rock vote.
Jay-Z - LOCK
Carole King - LOCK
Rage Against The Machine - Their message resonates with a lot of people right now and plus also, "Three times the charm"
Todd Rundgren - Clear path, he will consolidate a lot of the traditional classic rock vote, plus also like RATM, "Three times the charm"
Tina Turner - LOCK

I know that they did 6 inductees last year in 2020, but if they go with 7 inductees again this year just like they did 2 years ago in 2019, then these will be the inductees.

What do you think?.

Posted by richie on Thursday, 02/18/2021 @ 12:10pm

I really think the number of Performer inductees will depend on two issues.

The first involves the possibility of inducting Fela Kuti and/or Chaka Khan and/or Todd Rundgren in the Musical Excellence category which would then likely lead to just 5 or 6 Performer inductees instead of 6 or 7. But in return, we're inducting someone else on the ballot, so...

The other revolves around whether or not the would-be 6th Performer inductee and/or would-be 7th Performer inductee is black and/or female. I think the institution is more likely to lower the bar and have more Performer inductees if it means helping solve the diversity problem a little. So a result where Mary J Blige and LL Cool J are 6th/7th is likely to lead to 6/7 inductees more often than if Iron Maiden and Devo are in those slots.

Posted by Casper on Thursday, 02/18/2021 @ 13:19pm

I am 100% certain that more than five names from the ballot are inducted this year, even if it means some of them are Musical Excellence inductions.

Posted by Casper on Thursday, 02/18/2021 @ 13:21pm

In order of likelihood:

1. Jay-Z
2. Carole King
3. Tina Turner
4. Foo Fighters

(95%+ chance for all four above)

5. Iron Maiden

6. Devo OR Fela Kuti ME induction

7. Devo OR Mary J Blige (if Devo already in) OR ela Kuti ME induction OR Todd Rundgren ME induction

8. Devo OR Mary J Blige (if Devo already in) OR Todd Rundgren (either category) OR Fela Kuti ME induction OR Chaka Khan ME induction (if Fela already inducted via ME)


I rank the ME chances as such:

1. Fela Kuti - Unlikelihood of getting in via Performer ballot plus interesting fan vote surge makes him the top ME candidate

2. Todd Rundgen - Fits the category extremely well but also is increasingly likely to be inducted instead as a Performer if more and more Performers get inducted (5+)

3. Chaka Khan - Questlove's stubbornness at insisting she be a Performer inductee probably makes this far less likely. After all, what was the point of it all if she could have just been backdoored a decade ago?

Posted by Casper on Thursday, 02/18/2021 @ 13:28pm

I will Now make my predictions for this year's inductees, I took a few days to think about this. I will give some detail at a later time.
My predictions for this year's inductees are:

Foo Fighters
The Go-Gos
Iron Maiden
Jay-Z
Carole King
New York Dolls
Tina Turner

I want to be clear that while I'm not predicting Fela Kuti all out. Nick makes a good case for them. I mentioned that an African friend at work knows Fela Kuti very well. The friend is from Burkina Faso. I think it's near Nigeria. I think he may miss due to all the competition. I will predict Fela Kuti as a Wild Card. I think Fela Kuti has better chance than Kate Bush. He may actually be a bigger star around the world. Not that big in America and Europe but in the rest of the world.
Also Foo Fighters could be replaced with Rage Against TM. But Foo Fighters is slightly more known with the whole Voting body. The Go-Gos will grab the New Wave vote this year. They also have a Documentary to help them. I will have much more details on my predictions at a later time.

Posted by Ben on Thursday, 02/18/2021 @ 13:45pm

I will Now make my predictions for this year's inductees, I took a few days to think about this. I will give some detail at a later time.
My predictions for this year's inductees are:

Foo Fighters
The Go-Gos
Iron Maiden
Jay-Z
Carole King
New York Dolls
Tina Turner

I want to be clear that while I'm not predicting Fela Kuti all out. Nick makes a good case for them. I mentioned that an African friend at work knows Fela Kuti very well. The friend is from Burkina Faso. I think it's near Nigeria. I think he may miss due to all the competition. I will predict Fela Kuti as a Wild Card. I think Fela Kuti has better chance than Kate Bush. He may actually be a bigger star around the world. Not that big in America and Europe but in the rest of the world.
Also Foo Fighters could be replaced with Rage Against TM. But Foo Fighters is slightly more known with the whole Voting body. The Go-Gos will grab the New Wave vote this year. They also have a Documentary to help them. I will have much more details on my predictions at a later time.

Posted by Ben on Thursday, 02/18/2021 @ 13:45pm

I think Madonna was the first woman to win the fan poll on Future Rock Legends in 2008. The Rock Hall didn't have a poll that year. It started in 2013. Tina Turner will be the second woman to win on FRL.

Posted by Roy on Thursday, 02/18/2021 @ 16:52pm

I was wondering FRL Community. Now that Dionne Warwick, Iron Maiden, and Tina Turner have finally been nominated, who do you believe is the BIGGEST snub as far as a group or singer that has not even been nominated? A: Alice In Chains, Bad Company, and Duran Duran spring to mind.
KING

Posted by KING on Thursday, 02/18/2021 @ 17:24pm

KING,

I know he's not super high on a lot of people's lists, but for me it's Joe Cocker. I'm truly stunned he's never received a nomination. Duran Duran and The B-52's also come to mind.

Posted by Michael W on Thursday, 02/18/2021 @ 17:29pm

KING,

For me it's The B-52's, Bad Company, Joe Cocker, The Commodores, Tommy James & The Shondells, Jethro Tull, The Monkees, Pixies, Sonic Youth and Barry White. All of these acts have been previously considered so I really think that they will all appear on the ballot in the next few years.

Posted by richie on Thursday, 02/18/2021 @ 17:41pm

If Tommy James were on a different record label, he'd be in the Hall. Then again, if Tommy James were on a different record label, he wouldn't be as famous. -Seymour Stein (I think), "Who Cares About The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame"

Posted by Follower on Thursday, 02/18/2021 @ 23:42pm

AOC vs Kamala Harris (Perhaps a preview of the 2024 or 2028 primaries)


The "AOC" Ballot: Progressive, forward thinking, groundbreaking and highly interesting:

Devo
Carole King
Kate Bush
New York Dolls
Rage Against The Machine

The "Kamala Ballot": Bland identity politics and corporatism:

Chaka Khan
Dionne Warwick
Jay-Z (Corporate sellout to the max)
Ll Cool J
Mary J Blige

Posted by Casper on Friday, 02/19/2021 @ 02:16am

Casper,

When are you going to continue your brutally honest review of the inductees with the Contenders and Hopeless that you started earlier?

Posted by Follower on Friday, 02/19/2021 @ 02:17am

Pat Benatar didn't get in last year, the Go-Go's are not getting in this year!

Posted by Roy on Friday, 02/19/2021 @ 03:35am

THE 2021 ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

1. Carole King
2. Tina Turner
3. Dionne Warwick
4. Chaka Khan
5. Todd Rundgren
6. Fela Kuti
7. Jay-Z

OR

1. Carole King
2. Tina Turner
3. Dionne Warwick
4. Chaka Khan
5. Todd Rundgren
6. Kate Bush
7. Iron Maiden

OR

1. Carole King
2. Tina Turner
3. Dionne Warwick
4. Iron Maiden
5. Foo Fighters
6. Rage Against The Machine
7. Jay-Z

OR

1. Carole King
2. Tina Turner
3. Dionne Warwick
4. Chaka Khan
5. Kate Bush
6. Mary J. Blige
7. The Go-Go's

OR

1. Carole King
2. Tina Turner
3. Dionne Warwick
4. Chaka Khan
5. Todd Rundgren
6. Mary J. Blige
7. Jay-Z

OR

1. Carole King
2. Tina Turner
3. Dionne Warwick
4. Chaka Khan
5. Todd Rundgren
6. Iron Maiden
7. Foo Fighters

Posted by Roy on Friday, 02/19/2021 @ 03:49am

King,
For me the biggest snubs now are the B52s, The Guess Who, Jethro Tull, Soundgarden and the Commodores. These remain huge snubs. They should be placed on a ballot. Hopefully in the Next few years these will appear on the ballot.

Posted by Ben on Friday, 02/19/2021 @ 05:36am

THE NOMINATED MEMBERS OF THE BANDS NOMINATED
FOR THE 2021 ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME

New York Dolls

1. David Johansen (1971-1976: Vocals; Harmonica)
2. Sylvain  Sylvain (1971-1976: Guitar; Bass; Piano)
3. Johnny Thunders (1971-1975: Guitar; Vocals)
4. Arthur Kane (1971-1975: Bass)
5. Billy Murcia (1971-1972: Drums)
6. Jerry Nolan (1972-1975: Drums)
 
Iron Maiden

1. Steve Harris (1979-Present: Bass)
2. Dave Murray (1979-Present: Guitar)
3. Adrian Smith (1979-1990; 1999-Present: Guitar)
4. Clive Burr (1979-1982: Drums)
5. Paul  Di'Anno (1979-1981: Vocals)
6. Dennis Stratton (1979-1980: Guitar)
7. Bruce Dickinson (1981-1993; 1999-Present: Vocals)
8. Nicko  McBrain (1982-Present: Drums)
9. Janick  Gers (1990-Present: Guitar)

Devo

1. Bob Casale (1978-2014: Guitar; Keyboards)
2. Gerald Casale (1978-Present: Vocals; Bass; Synthesizers)
3. Bob Mothersbaugh (1978-Present: Vocals; Guitar)
4. Mark Mothersbaugh (1978-Present: Vocals; Guitar; Keyboards)
5. Alan Myers (1978-1986: Drums)

The Go-Go's

1. Belinda Carlisle (1981-Present: Lead Vocals)
2. Charlotte Caffey (1981-Present: Guitar; Keyboards; Backing Vocals)
3. Kathy Valentine (1981-Present: Bass; Backing Vocals)
4. Jane  Wiedlin (1981-Present: Guitar; Backing Vocals)
5. Gina  Schock (1981-Present: Drums; Backing Vocals)

Rage Against The Machine

1. Tom Morello (1992-Present: Guitar)
2. Zack de la Rocha (1992-Present: Vocals)
3. Tim Commerford (1992-Present: Bass)
4. Brad Wilk (1992-Present: Drums)

Foo Fighters

1. Dave Grohl (Vocals; Guitar: 1995-Present)
2. Nate Mendel (Bass: 1995-Present)
3. Pat Smear (Guitar: 1995-1997, 2010-Present)
4. Taylor Hawkins (Drums: 1997-Present)
5. Chris Shiflett (Guitar: 2000-Present)
6. Rami Jaffee (Keyboards: 2017-Present)

Posted by Roy on Friday, 02/19/2021 @ 06:43am

Could it happen this time around? Could we possibly have an all female inductee class in 2021?

Personally, since the Rock Hall Nominating list had come out- I have been voting for an all female class and I hope that many of my peers will do the same.

Instead of voting for Iron Maiden, who I think is still very deserving, I have been alternating between voting for either Mary J. Blige, or Dionne Warwick.

The remainder of my votes are going to: Tina Turner, Carole King, The Go-Gos and Kate Bush.


Unfortunately, my Rock Hall nominees' list had only 4 of the present nominees on it (Tina Turner, Carole King, The Go-Gos and Jay-Z), which means that this list is definitely not stellar by any stretch of the imagination. I am hugely disappointed that neither Sade, nor Carly Simon, nor The Bangles, nor Duran Duran, nor Jethro Tull, nor Pat Benatar are on this list. Although, I appreciate Tom Morello and Dave Grohl, my sincere hope is that neither Foo Fighters, nor Rage Against The Machine get inducted this year. I also hope that Jay-Z and LL Cool J, cancel each other out. In my honest opinion, I would also like to see Devo and The New York Dolls cancel each other out, also. So who does that leave- Todd Rundgren, Iron Maiden, Fela Kuti, Chaka Khan, Mary J. Blige, Dionne Warwick, Carole King, The Go-Gos, Kate Bush and Tina Turner?

Out of those 10, these are the artists who I think most deserve induction in 2021:

1. Tina Turner
2. Kate Bush
3. The Go-Gos
4. Carole King
5. Dionne Warwick
6. Either Chaka Khan, or Mary J. Blige

The end result- an all female performer class!

If 7- Chaka Khan

There should also be Musical excellence awards for Fela Kuti and Todd Rundgren.

Well, what do you think?

Posted by Enigmaticus on Friday, 02/19/2021 @ 08:56am

Roy,

I thought Belinda Carlisle left the Go-Go's for awhile & went solo? Was she always still a member of band when releasing solo albums?

Posted by Paul in KY on Friday, 02/19/2021 @ 09:27am

Roy gave the "Reader's Digest" version of The Go-Go's lineup. All five of the nominated members appear on all the band's albums. Belinda and Jane were founding members in 1978 with non-nominated bass and drum players. By the time the band began recording, Gina was on drums, Kathy was on bass, and Jane had switched to from lead to rhythm guitar so the band could bring in Charlotte on lead.

They did three albums with that lineup. Jane left the band after the third album and was replaced on tour by Paula Jean Brown until the band broke up when Belinda went solo.

The band didn't ever exist without Belinda. They broke up in 1985, had brief reunions in 1990 and 1994 with Jane back in the band. The main five reunited in 2000 and released a new album in 2001. Bass player Kathy left the band from 2012-2018 and was replaced on the band's tours by Abby Travis. Kathy is currently back in the band and expected to play with them if they are inducted; she participated in recording the new single they released in conjunction with their documentary.

Posted by Shrek on Friday, 02/19/2021 @ 11:45am

My predictions for the 2021 inductees are:

Foo Fighters - LOCK
The Go-Go's - Clear path, they will take much of the new wave/80's pop-rock vote.
Jay-Z - LOCK
Carole King - LOCK
Rage Against The Machine - Their message resonates with a lot of people right now and plus also, "Three times the charm"
Todd Rundgren - Clear path, he will consolidate a lot of the traditional classic rock vote, plus also like RATM, "Three times the charm"
Tina Turner - LOCK

I know that they did 6 inductees last year in 2020, but if they go with 7 inductees again this year just like they did 2 years ago in 2019, then these will be the inductees this year for 2021.

What do you think?.

Posted by richie on Friday, 02/19/2021 @ 12:06pm

Carole King - LOCK
Tina Turner - LOCK
Dionne Warwick - LOCK

We are in a pandemic. Voters don't care about a big-ass ceremony!

Posted by Roy on Friday, 02/19/2021 @ 12:28pm

Roy,

Dionne Warwick is not a lock, I think that the crowded ballot full of other black female artists will hurt her, plus she might be too adult contemporary/easy-listening pop for the voters, Also, I think that the 60's are done for, except for The Monkees when they finally get nominated, With this much competition, she won't make it, the 60's are a sunken ship when it comes to the HOF. I doubt we'll ever see another 60's inductee again except for The Monkees. So yeah, Dionne won't make it this year.

Posted by richie on Friday, 02/19/2021 @ 12:40pm

Dionne Warwick was still making albums in the 70s-80s-90s. She is not strictly 60s.

Posted by Roy on Friday, 02/19/2021 @ 12:50pm

Roy,

but Dionne's greatest successes came in the 60's, Even though she was still making music in the 70's and 80's with hits like Then Came You with The Spinners, I'll Never Love This Way Again, Deja Vu, Heartbreaker and of course, the all-time classic That's What Friends Are For, Her greatest decade of success was without a doubt, the 60's and as I've said it before, I think the 60's are done for as far as inductees in the Performer category go, except for The Monkees when they finally get nominated, With this much competition, I think that the crowded ballot full of other black female artists this year will hurt her and she won't make it this year, plus the fact that she might be too adult contemporary/easy-listening pop for the voters will also hurt her as well, Even though she's more than deserving of induction, I think that the 60's are a sunken ship when it comes to the HOF. I doubt we'll ever see another 60's inductee in the Performer category again except for The Monkees. So yeah, Dionne won't make it this year even though she's more than deserving of the honor.

What do you think?.

Posted by richie on Friday, 02/19/2021 @ 13:07pm

Thank you, Shrek, for your breakdown of The Go-Gos personnel.

Posted by Paul in KY on Friday, 02/19/2021 @ 13:24pm

richie, I doubt The Monkees will ever be nominated. Pretty sure they'll never be inducted. Too much help & too little to show for all that help, IMO.

Posted by Paul in KY on Friday, 02/19/2021 @ 13:26pm

Paul in KY,

Because John Sykes is now the head of the Rock Hall and he helped founded MTV (which helped revive interest in The Monkees with reruns of their TV show back in the 80's), I do think that The Monkees will get a nomination in the next few years and they would absolutely win the fan vote and get inducted on their first try, I'd say that they're the last 60's act that will get inducted in the Performer category though.

What do you think?.

Posted by richie on Friday, 02/19/2021 @ 13:34pm

Tina Turner turns 82 in November
Dionne Warwick turns 81 in December
Carole King turned 79 in February
Todd Rundgren turns 73 in June
Chaka Khan turns 68 in March
Kate Bush turns 63 in July

Posted by Roy on Friday, 02/19/2021 @ 14:32pm

My predictions for the 2021 inductees are:

Foo Fighters - LOCK
The Go-Go's - Clear path, they will take much of the new wave/80's pop-rock vote.
Jay-Z - LOCK
Carole King - LOCK
Rage Against The Machine - Their message resonates with a lot of people right now and plus also, "Three times the charm"
Todd Rundgren - Clear path, he will consolidate a lot of the traditional classic rock vote, plus also like RATM, "Three times the charm"
Tina Turner - LOCK

I know that they did 6 inductees last year in 2020, but if they go with 7 inductees again this year just like they did 2 years ago in 2019, then these will be the inductees this year for 2021.

What do you think?.

Posted by richie on Friday, 02/19/2021 @ 15:34pm

Richie,

That class seems reasonable enough, but I don' know if they'll go with 7. I think they went with 7 because the vote between #6 and #7 was close (that's usually the reason why there is six. If only we knew who came in sixth in 2016 or 2018.), and I doubt that will happen again.

Of course, it also could have happened because Irving Azzoff always gets what he wants. (Does he manage anyone on this ballot other than the Go-Go's?)

Posted by Follower on Friday, 02/19/2021 @ 19:57pm

Follower,

The reason why that I chose 7 inductees as my predictions for the 2021 inductees is because I just have a gut feeling and I could be wrong, but something is telling me that they're gonna do 7 inductees this year instead of the usual 5 or 6 just like they did 2 years ago in 2019.

Posted by richie on Friday, 02/19/2021 @ 20:03pm

Richie,

I don't blame you. This ballot is too good to pass up. Like that one guy said, half of these people should have been inducted years ago.

Posted by Follower on Friday, 02/19/2021 @ 20:11pm

Yeah, I'm not getting my hopes too high but with a ballot like this I'll be pretty disappointed if it's not 7 inductees.

Posted by RG on Friday, 02/19/2021 @ 20:16pm

Could it happen this time around? Could we possibly have an all female inductee class in 2021?

Personally, since the Rock Hall Nominating list had come out- I have been voting for an all female class and I hope that many of my peers will do the same.

Instead of voting for Iron Maiden, who I still think is still very deserving, I have been alternating between voting for either Mary J. Blige, or Dionne Warwick.

The remainder of my votes are going to: Tina Turner, Carole King, The Go-Gos and Kate Bush.


Unfortunately, my Rock Hall nominees' list had only 4 of the present nominees on it (Tina Turner, Carole King, The Go-Gos and Jay-Z), which means that this list is definitely not stellar by any stretch of the imagination. I am hugely disappointed that neither Sade, nor Carly Simon, nor The Bangles, nor Duran Duran, nor Jethro Tull, nor Pat Benatar/Neil Giraldo are on this list. Although, I appreciate Tom Morello and Dave Grohl, my sincere hope is that neither Foo Fighters, nor Rage Against The Machine get inducted this year. I also hope that Jay-Z and LL Cool J, cancel each other out. In my honest opinion, I would also like to see Devo and The New York Dolls cancel each other out, also. So who does that leave- Todd Rundgren, Iron Maiden, Fela Kuti, Chaka Khan, Mary J. Blige, Dionne Warwick, Carole King, The Go-Gos, Kate Bush and Tina Turner?

Out of those 10, these are the artists who I think most deserve induction in 2021:

1. Tina Turner
2. Kate Bush
3. The Go-Gos
4. Carole King
5. Dionne Warwick
6. Either Chaka Khan, or Mary J. Blige

The end result- an all female performer class!

If 7- Chaka Khan

There should also be Musical excellence awards for Fela Kuti and Todd Rundgren.

Well, what do you think?

Posted by Enigmaticus on Friday, 02/19/2021 @ 21:20pm

An all-female class would be interesting, but not likely. Remember, Alan Light was pushing for Early Influence Kraftwerk. I predict that will happen since they weren't nominated this year.

Posted by Follower on Friday, 02/19/2021 @ 22:50pm

Follower,

I don't think that there will be an Early Influence inductee this year, As far as Kraftwerk go, I think that they'll nominate them two more times before finally inducting them on their 8th nomination just like Black Sabbath and The Stooges.

What do you think?.

Posted by richie on Friday, 02/19/2021 @ 22:55pm

An all female one would probably work, but in my opinion, wouldn't that be also pretty sexist towards all the guy acts? Like shouldn't the class be reflective of all genres of rock music regardless of race and gender? Aren't they all treated equally on the ballot as many other music acts? Another thing, it would be pretty pandering as not many people don't respond well when diversity quota like that is mentioned.

Posted by Plebian on Friday, 02/19/2021 @ 23:36pm

Your guess is as good as mine.

Posted by Follower on Friday, 02/19/2021 @ 23:37pm

Attention! SCIENCE and MATH have proven the most hated bands of all time!
https://bestlifeonline.com/most-hated-rock-band-news/?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link&ICID=ref_fark


And they are:


1. Nickelback

2. Limp Bizkit

3. Creed

4. U2*

5. Mumford & Sons

6. Bob Dylan*

7. Phish

8. Radiohead*

9. KISS*

10. Dave Matthews Band

11. Coldplay

12. Green Day*

13. The Doors*

14. Metallica*

15. Korn

16. Oasis

17. Pearl Jam*

18. Rush*

19. Nirvana*

20. Spin Doctors

21. Linkin Park

* indicates band is in the Hall. So the most hated act in the Hall is U2.

Posted by Follower on Saturday, 02/20/2021 @ 00:02am

Plebian,

I mean... no, it would not. All of the women on the ballot have just as solid of a case for induction as the men, if not better in many cases. You can easily make a deserving all female induction class out of this ballot, though I don't think it's likely to happen this year. Also, why is it that 30+ years of almost entirely male (if not entirely male) classes is totally fine and just "treating all music equally", but just one all-female class would automatically be pandering and sexist against men?

Posted by RG on Saturday, 02/20/2021 @ 00:18am

RG,

Idk I guess this statement was my foot in my mouth. I was thinking of the Hall's core audience more than anything. It is still heavily boomer, white, and RAWKIST mentality and people don't like pandering politics contaminating their entertainment. Maybe one day we will get a female one, though with a stacked ballot as this I'm expecting half and half.

Posted by Plebian on Saturday, 02/20/2021 @ 00:56am

Forgot men mostly men.

Posted by Plebian on Saturday, 02/20/2021 @ 01:29am

If they decide to start using "early influence" to induct important influential acts that the voters are too ignorant to induct; they really need to use it first to get Link Wray in.

Posted by Shrek on Saturday, 02/20/2021 @ 01:49am

Link Wray seems perfectly fit for the Early Influence category. Maybe Early Influence can be used for those that were relevant before the 50s all the way to the tipping of said 50s?

Posted by Plebian on Saturday, 02/20/2021 @ 02:09am

I disagree, richie. I think the musicians in Hall that had to struggle at start of their careers look at all the help The Monkees received and just disregard them as major studio-created entities.

Posted by Paul in KY on Saturday, 02/20/2021 @ 07:11am

Plebian,

If anything, I would argue that it would be much more pandering to insist on inducting artists specifically to appease an audience that already has their taste represented by 80%+ of the inducted artists.

I don't think there is anything pandering about the inclusion of women and people of color on the ballot, I think they're just finally letting more voices be heard in a process that has been typically dominated by just one perspective.

Posted by RG on Saturday, 02/20/2021 @ 08:16am

Follower,

I am really not surprised at all by this list actually. It is undoubtedly a list created by morons and meant to cater to idiots and imbeciles.

Well, what do you think?

Posted by Enigmaticus on Saturday, 02/20/2021 @ 11:15am

Re: The most hated bands list.

Follower,

I am really not surprised at all by this list actually. It is undoubtedly a list created by morons and dull normals and was meant to cater to both idiots and imbeciles.

Well, what do you think?

Posted by Enigmaticus on Saturday, 02/20/2021 @ 11:19am

My predictions for the 2021 inductees are:

Foo Fighters - LOCK
The Go-Go's - Clear path, they will take much of the new wave/80's pop-rock vote.
Jay-Z - LOCK
Carole King - LOCK
Rage Against The Machine - Their message resonates with a lot of people right now and plus also, "Three times the charm"
Todd Rundgren - Clear path, he will consolidate a lot of the traditional classic rock vote, plus also like RATM, "Three times the charm"
Tina Turner - LOCK

I know that they did 6 inductees last year in 2020, but if they go with 7 inductees again this year just like they did 2 years ago in 2019, then these will be the inductees this year for 2021.

What do you think?.

Posted by richie on Saturday, 02/20/2021 @ 11:24am

Although, I am extremely disappointed in this list of 2021 Nominees, I still think that a great induction class could come out of it. The key to that, as far as I am concerned, is to vote for an entirely female ballot. Now, I will give my assessment and ranking of all 16 nominees from least favorite to most favorite:

16. Devo- I only know 'Whip It' from their entire catalog. I also know Gerald Casale for directing the video for 'Mystic Rhythms,' my sixth favorite Rush song.
15. Rage Against The Machine- Tom Morello is an important member of the Nominating Committee.
14. Foo Fighters- Dave Grohl is considered to be one of the nicest men in rock, also an influential member of the Nominating Committee.
13. New York Dolls- I actually know the sole surviving member David Johansen more for the work of his alter ego- Buster Poindexter.
12. Iron Maiden- combining "prog" with heavy metal was actually a great idea.
11. Todd Rundgren- in my honest opinion, His work as a producer, absolutely outshines his work with Utopia and as a solo artist. Therefore Todd deserves the Musical Excellence award.
10. Fela Kuti- the so-called father of afrobeat, should be acknowledged with a Musical Excellence award, instead.
09. LL Cool J- he is extremely important to hip hop and has been nominated multiple times.
08. Jay-Z- finally a non gangsta rap artist, other than LL Cool J, gets a nomination.
07. Chaka Khan- at this point, whether or not she receives a nomination as Rufus with Chaka Khan, or Chaka Khan, she should probably be in.
06. Mary J. Blige- what a great soulful voice she has. I can see her being designated as the queen of hip-hop soul.
05. Dionne Warwick- her interpretation of the catalog of songs written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David was nothing short of exemplary, soulful and astonishing. .
04. The Go-Gos- their importance has already been noted by their most recent documentary. Will Belinda Carlisle get a nomination as a solo artist, in the not too distant future?
03. Carole King- one of the greatest songwriters of all time and as a performer, she deserves induction for her solo work for Tapestry.
02. Tina Turner- as a solo artist, she is long, long overdue for this honor.
01. Kate Bush- our biggest "prog" representative this year. She had most recently appeared on the cover of PROG Issue #114 which features a disc with Wobbler's 'Five Rooms' on it. Will her induction, lead to a nomination for Renaissance, Bjork, or Tori Amos?

Well, what do you think?

Posted by Enigmaticus on Saturday, 02/20/2021 @ 12:24pm

So the artists left on from Rolling Stones The Immortals list now are:

Lee 'Scratch' Perry ('95 version)
Gram Parsons
Eminem (eligible 2022)
Dr. Dre

Tina Turner and Jay-Z will obviously get in this year that is why I did not put them in.

Posted by Plebian on Saturday, 02/20/2021 @ 20:10pm

one thing that should not be required by the inductees is a concert

Posted by Garrus on Saturday, 02/20/2021 @ 23:56pm

But if we go by VH-1's lists, once again assuming Jay-Z, Carole King, and Tina Turner will get in, we still need:

Sting (Nominated)
John Coltrane (Has nothing to do with Rock and Roll, so Early Influence it is!)
Devo (could slip through the cracks this year)
Iggy Pop (The Stooges are in, but does he really deserve to be a double inductee?)
Rage Against The Machine (Another potential inductee)
Sade (Never nominated yet)
Beyonce (Not old enough)
Justin Timberlake (Also not old enough)
Coldplay (Not old enough)
Judas Priest (Nominated twice, came in near last both times)
Eminem (Old enough next year!)
Mary J. Blige (Unlikely, but possible)
George Michael (Never Nominated, but he has a diamond album so it could happen)
LL Cool J (Nominated many times, needs to get in soon enough, could ride on Jay-Z's coattails this year.)
Mariah Carey (One of two artists to have hits in 4 different decades not in the Hall. It'll happen eventually.)
Outkast (Never nominated, but deserve a look.)
Alicia Keys (Not sure if she's old enough, but it's possible)

Posted by Follower on Sunday, 02/21/2021 @ 02:54am

Enig,
I have some thoughts on the most hated bands list. I agree it's a list created by morons, There is No nice way to put it. I like a whole bunch of bands on this list. I like some U2 and I like Rush. And sooo this is a good time to mention that in the near future I expect to bring back the reviews of older classes. The forum has reached a dead end with the Most Hated list. There is nothing positive about a list like that. I try hard to be positive.
I was thinking of bringing back my reviews of older classes anyway. I was waiting for Nick to finish his Top 100 Prospects list. I didn't want to conflict with that. Also now there is soo much Repetitive debate about Fela Kuti. Just to be clear I think it was a great idea nominating Fela Kuti. I can appreciate some African music and also he deserves the nomination. Richie is a very nice guy but he has spent a lot of time debating about Fela Kuti. Fela Kuti is fine.
Also a lot of us have predicted the inductees for 2021. Soo just like last year, I think it's a great idea to bring back the reviews of older classes. I think I stopped with 2016. But I will review 2016 again. That class was rather good with Deep Purple, Steve Miller, Chicago and Cheap Trick. They could have waited on NWA. I support the inclusion of Public Enemy in 2013. I agree with that. I know and support certain rap acts. I am not a rap expert at all. So I will leave a rap discussion to others. Just to be fair they could have and should have had the Spinners instead of NWA. The Spinners is certainly Not all out rock. This way 2016 would have still had 4 rock acts and also the Spinners. Yes should have been inducted in 2016 instead of Cheap Trick.
Some may not agree with my opinions here. But at least it's Not the repetition of 2021 discussions. Also I think the 2017 class was perfect with ELO, Joan Baez, Yes, Tupac Shakur, Journey and Pearl Jam. I think that was the order for 2017. You can say this is a trailer for My reviews of older classes. You should enjoy when I do this. There are some Prog acts inducted, There is certainly a lack of prog lately. So this is a trailer. I know Nick was a big fan of my reviews. It will bring variety to discussions. It was a hit last year. I went all the way from 1994 to about 2016. I expect to do this in March. Not yet. Stay tuned. In the meantime I will give my reviews of the current nominees soon.

Posted by Ben on Sunday, 02/21/2021 @ 06:56am

can you please tell me or show where my comment about Neil Sedaka is located on your site.

Posted by william cochran on Sunday, 02/21/2021 @ 11:04am

Hi William,

Your comment about Neil Sedaka is on the Neil Sedaka page.

Posted by Steve Z on Sunday, 02/21/2021 @ 11:15am

Steve Z,

Which 5-7 acts do you think will get in this year and Which acts do you have as Wild Cards/Dark Horse picks as well?.

Posted by richie on Sunday, 02/21/2021 @ 11:21am

Here's some things to ponder FRL Regulars. With all the women on the ballot 2021, it reminded me what Male Solo Artists we could see on the ballot the next 5-10 years. Some spring to mind. Many would be 2x Inductees. 1. Phil Collins 2. Sting 3. Don Henley 4. Ben E. King 5. Steve Winwood 6. Morrissey 7. LL Cool J. Can you think of any more?
JOKER
Agree on the 90's female music artists. Country had several as Faith Hill "Let's Go To Vegas" "This Kiss" and Shania Twain "Who's Bed Have Your Boots Been Under? and "No One Needs To Know" rocked the 90's with monster hits and model looks. Jewel had a good 90's run "You Were Meant For Me" and "Hands" jump to mind. Sheryl Crow was 1 of my FAV. The Globe Sessions is 1 of my FAV CD's. My Favorite Mistake 1 of my FAV songs off The Globe Sessions. The CD before it was also excellent. It had "If It Makes You Happy" "Every Day Is A Winding Road" on it. I think Sheryl Crow is a HOF. Remember presenting my case for Sheryl Crow HOF 4 or 5 years ago. I didn't listen to Tori Amos that much or Sarah McLaughlin. I also noticed many of the 90's women music artists showed a strong empowerment and spirit in their songs. Lifting women up and women they deserved better treatment from men in their careers and relationships. Speaking of another great 1990's woman, Jennifer has selected 2 songs that resonated with me "I'll Be" and "Meet Virginia" by Train. I remember hearing "Meet Virginia" for the 1st time. It was on a local radio station. I loved it immediately. Said to myself that would be a hit. I bought the Train CD with "Meet Virginia" on it. Thought "I'll Be" was a wonderful song but never knew who sang it. I just never researched who sang the song. Think Jennifer can get 1 or both songs inducted this time. KING

Posted by KING on Sunday, 02/21/2021 @ 11:29am

KING,

Justin Timberlake

Plenty popular with the masses and even Pitchfork likes him.

Posted by joker on Sunday, 02/21/2021 @ 12:09pm

Why May? Why not March? Why so long a wait?

Posted by Garrus on Sunday, 02/21/2021 @ 12:16pm

They need to give the voters time to submit they're ballots.

Posted by Greg F on Sunday, 02/21/2021 @ 13:11pm

Meet The Rock Hall Nominees - Spotify Playlist

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0QOKjsK94vZsAF52yhdvYP?si=2e802431d8f74b21&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=listen&utm_content=2021_nominee_playlist&utm_source=salesforce&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=&nd=1

Posted by Roxy on Sunday, 02/21/2021 @ 13:37pm

It's called the "Rock n Roll" Hall of Fame, so why are several non-rockers inducted? They should name it something like "Musical Artist's Hall of Fame." That way Everyone could Fairly be included. The ONLY one I vote for everyday is TODD RUNDGREN!!! Second & Third choice would be: Tina Turner & Carol King. These 3 have been around since the 1960's, unlike most of the other nominees. Their music contributions have been Enormous for over 50 years!
I have a HUGE issue with Fela Kuti (who is #1 in the voting). He had absolutely Nothing to do with Rock n Roll! I am both angry & astounded! He is dead, from Nigeria, and played Afro-Beat music. WHY, Just WHY??? I would eliminate him in a Heartbeat. As for other non-rocker's: Jay-Z, LL Cool-J, Mary J Blige, Dionne Warwick, Kate Bush...put them into another type of Hall of Fame! The Go Go's were just So So for me...candy coated & fluffy. I liked The Runaways & The Bangles better...and of course Vixen formed in 1970 (I was the original Bassist/Singer).

Posted by Gayle DeMatoff on Sunday, 02/21/2021 @ 15:44pm

Another person not understanding what rock and roll means...

Posted by K-Dawg on Sunday, 02/21/2021 @ 18:12pm

Hold on, people! Sirius XM DJ Carol Miller hinted that INXS may just be a secret seventeenth nominee. (Isn't it funny how they always play "What You Need" before they talk about inductions?) Yeah, she played "What You Need" before talking about the nominations. I do believe Miller works at the Rock Hall, so this does lead me to believe that there are secret nominees on the shelves that have not been brought up yet.

Posted by Living Stone on Sunday, 02/21/2021 @ 19:02pm

Living Stone,

I don't believe you.

Posted by RG on Sunday, 02/21/2021 @ 20:09pm

I'm ok with INXS.

Posted by Garrus on Sunday, 02/21/2021 @ 21:30pm

Gayle (original bassist & lead for Vixen), Iron Maiden is not rock enough for you?

Posted by Paul in KY on Monday, 02/22/2021 @ 06:51am

My predictions for the 2021 inductees are:

Foo Fighters - LOCK
The Go-Go's - Clear path, they will take much of the new wave/80's pop-rock vote.
Jay-Z - LOCK
Carole King - LOCK
Rage Against The Machine - Their message resonates with a lot of people right now and plus also, "Three times the charm"
Todd Rundgren - Clear path, he will consolidate a lot of the traditional classic rock vote, plus also like RATM, "Three times the charm"
Tina Turner - LOCK

I know that they did 6 inductees last year in 2020, but if they go with 7 inductees again this year just like they did 2 years ago in 2019, then these will be the inductees this year for 2021.

What do you think?.

Posted by richie on Monday, 02/22/2021 @ 11:53am

Daft Punk is no more do you guys see them getting in sometime?

Maybe after Kraftwerk if they eventually get in?

1993-2021

Posted by Plebian on Monday, 02/22/2021 @ 13:27pm

THE NOMINEES FOR THE 2021 ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME

THE 8 RETURNING NOMINEES

1. Carole King
2. Chaka Khan
3. Todd Rundgren
4. Kate Bush
5. LL Cool J
6. Rage Against The Machine
7. New York Dolls
8. Devo

THE 8 NEW NOMINEES

1. Tina Turner
2. Dionne Warwick
3. Fela Kuti
4. Iron Maiden
5. The Go-Go's
6. Foo Fighters
7. Mary J. Blige
8. Jay-Z

Posted by Roy on Monday, 02/22/2021 @ 13:34pm

I placed Daft Punk at #75 on my recent Rock Hall Prospects Project:

Despite its popularity worldwide, the Rock Hall has yet to induct a pure electronic artist in the performers category. Kraftwerk has been nominated 6 times to no avail, even when their predecessors Depeche Mode and Nine Inch Nails get inducted first. One of the genre's most recent and biggest names Daft Punk should absolutely be considered for induction. They became eligible last year but their importance to the popularization of electronic dance music (EDM) cannot be overstated. The group consists of Parisians Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter who don helmets to conceal their physical identities and rarely grant interviews. They became arguably the definitive House act who maintained their anonymity and controlled their artistic vision for nearly a quarter-century. Their blend of electronic, funk, disco and rock helped them create one of EDM's most influential and ubiquitous sounds. They painstakingly focus on the smallest details in their productions which often leads them to working on a single album for several years at a time. But they are completely in control of their music and image, something very few artists possess in the music industry. Ever since the release of their debut album Homework (1997), Daft Punk have been at the forefront of EDM and became one of many electronic artists that popularize the genre to a global audience. They had hits such as "Around the World" and "One More Time," but their biggest commercial success came with the release of Random Access Memories (2013). Spearheaded by the Nile Rodgers-Pharrell Williams collaboration "Get Lucky," the song became a monster smash and Daft Punk swept the following year's Grammys: winning 5 including the awards for Album and Record of the Year. It was recently ranked at #295 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums list. They continued their success with a string of collaborations with The Weeknd including the #1 hit "Starboy." Acts with as much longevity as Daft Punk should be considered locks for induction into the Rock Hall someday. Beyond commercial success, Daft Punk are well-liked by critics who praised their futuristic and adventurous studio recordings, much of which laid the blueprints for modern EDM. Their song "One More Time" appears on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs list (#307) and would serve as an incredible all-star jam. It's hard to believe, but Daft Punk became eligible for the Rock Hall last year alongside the likes of Weezer, Oasis and the newly-inducted Notorious B.I.G. Daft Punk will have to wait until after Kraftwerk gets inducted (seriously will that ever happen?), but they are probably the only other sure-fire electronic artist who gets in the Rock Hall someday. A live performance alone could sell me on a Daft Punk induction. Given the big names they worked with over the years, they could recruit some of the industry's biggest names for an incredible set. Remember their highly-memorable performance at Coachella from 2006? The LCD-lit pyramid set would be an incredible way for the Rock Hall to cement Daft Punk's legacy.

https://www.audiovisualrepository.com/blog/top100rockhallprospectsproject80-71

Posted by Nick on Monday, 02/22/2021 @ 13:55pm

Plebian,

I can definitely see Daft Punk getting inducted at some time in the future, though probably not any time soon as we all know how slowly the Hall is moving on electronic music. They're as successful as anyone within that genre though and should eventually receive consideration. Possibly an ME induction at some point if not as a performer.

Posted by Michael W on Monday, 02/22/2021 @ 14:08pm

Michael W.,

Nah that feels wrong, Daft Punk is bigger than that. Almost as a worst case to put Kraftwerk in EI and Gram Parsons in ME. Daft Punk was one of the first music stars of the 2000s as much as Jay-Z (He is 2000s, Follower) and Eminem. They are also one of those universally beloved acts where it's hard to hate them. Even those Rock Purists love Daft Punk.

Nick,

I hope we get to electronic music someday. Kraftwerk getting in will blow the gate for that genre and we may get the likes of Daft Punk, The Chemical Brothers, Aphex Twin, etc.... Maybe next year we can rally a Twitter campaign just like this year to finally get them in?

Posted by Plebian on Monday, 02/22/2021 @ 14:22pm

As for the list of most-hated artists, I wouldn't put too much stock in who's on that list. Outside of the low-hanging fruit that is Nickelback/Limp Bizkit/Creed, the rest of the acts are immensely big bands and that is exactly what you'd expect on a list like this. There aren't going to be a ton of people who hate Men Without Hats because they didn't leave enough of a mark for people to hate them. It's hard to hate music you haven't heard very much.

Also, bands with rabid fan bases also tend to make people hate them. The fans themselves can get so obsessive that other people become very annoyed and transfer that hate to the band itself. Hence, the appearances of KISS, Rush, DMB, etc. (Full disclosure: KISS is pretty high on my most hated band list too.)

It's just like in sports. The Yankees, Cowboys, and Lakers are always among the most hated teams simply because everyone knows them. No one hates the Pirates, Jaguars, or Pelicans because they don't make enough of an impact to be hated.

The weird one on that list for me is Spin Doctors. How do enough people remember them, let alone care enough about them, to hate them? And besides Pocket Full of Kryptonite is a pretty fun album!

Posted by Michael W on Monday, 02/22/2021 @ 14:38pm

Aw, sad to hear about Daft Punk. I really hope that they get considered one day, and I think there's a good chance they will. They've always seemed to have more of a significant and enduring cultural profile than some of their contemporaries like The Chemical Brothers, and they've got some great music to back it up (Instant Crush is probably in my top 20 favorite songs of all time). I think that in kind of an ironic way, their anonymity and robot personas enabled them to have more of an iconic personality than most EDM producers. I don't think that Kraftwerk getting in will necessarily open the floodgates for a whole bunch of other purely electronic acts, but I think and hope that Daft Punk will be considered sometime soon.

Posted by RG on Monday, 02/22/2021 @ 15:47pm

Which 5-7 acts do you think will get in this year and Which acts do you have as Wild Cards/Dark Horse picks as well?.

Posted by richie on Monday, 02/22/2021 @ 19:01pm

Here's another little list project I've been working on - I like to use the Spotify "Fans Also Like" tab on each artist to find connections between current and possible future Hall of Famers, and I figure I would do so for the current nominee class. This helps us keep track of which artists have similar listener bases, and who could be considered in the future if the nominated artist is inducted. Each artist connects to 20 others through the tab, and I will also include the current Hall of Famers that connect to the nominated artists through their pages (marked with an asterisk).

Carole King: *Cat Stevens, *Crosby, Stills & Nash, *Elton John, *Jackson Browne, *James Taylor, *Joni Mitchell, *Linda Ronstadt, *Paul Simon, *Simon & Garfunkel, *Van Morrison, America, Art Garfunkel, Boz Scaggs, Carly Simon, Dan Fogelberg, Don McLean, Gordon Lightfoot, Janis Ian, Jim Croce, Joan Armatrading, Judy Collins, Loggins & Messina, Peter, Paul & Mary, Seals and Crofts

Chaka Khan: *Earth, Wind, & Fire, *The Jackson 5, *Prince, Anita Baker, Ashford & Simpson, Cheryl Lynn, DeBarge, Deniece Williams, The Emotions, Evelyn "Champagne" King, Heatwave, Minnie Riperton, Loose Ends, Patrice Rushen, Patti LaBelle, Phyllis Hyman, Rose Royce, Rufus, Shalamar, The S.O.S. Band, Stephanie Mills, Teena Marie, The Whispers

DEVO: *Blondie, *The Clash, *Talking Heads, The B-52's, Buzzcocks, The Fall, Gang of Four, Gary Numan, Magazine, Minutemen, Mission of Burma, The Modern Lovers, Oingo Boingo, Pere Ubu, Public Image Ltd., Sparks, Suicide, Television, Tubeway Army, Wall of Voodoo, Wire, X, XTC

Dionne Warwick: *Bee Gees, *Dusty Springfield, *Gladys Knight & The Pips, *Rod Stewart, The 5th Dimension, Andy Gibb, Barbra Streisand, Barry Manilow, Burt Bacharach, Carly Simon, Captain & Tennille, Diana Ross, James Ingram, Melissa Manchester, Natalie Cole, Patti Austin, Peabo Bryson, Petula Clark, Randy Crawford, Roberta Flack, Shirley Bassey, The Stylistics

Fela Kuti: Ali Farka Toure, Alice Coltrane, Antibalas, The Budos Band, Ebo Taylor, Femi Kuti, Francis Bebey, The Funkees, Hailu Mergia, Hugh Masekela, King Sunny Ade, Lijadu Sisters, Manu Dibango, Mulatu Astatke, Orchestra Baobab, Seun Kuti, The Souljazz Orchestra, Tony Allen, William Onyeabor

Foo Fighters: *Nirvana, *Pearl Jam, *Red Hot Chili Peppers, Alice in Chains, Audioslave, Blind Melon, Bush, Chris Cornell, Everclear, Faith No More, Incubus, Jane's Addiction, Queens of the Stone Age, Rage Against the Machine, Silverchair, Smashing Pumpkins, Soundgarden, Stone Temple Pilots, Temple of the Dog, Them Crooked Vultures, Velvet Revolver, Wolfmother

The Go-Go's: *Blondie, *The Cars, *Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, *Pretenders, *Stevie Nicks, Adam Ant, The B-52's, Bananarama, The Bangles, Berlin, Bow Wow Wow, The Fixx, General Public, Howard Jones, Missing Persons, The Motels, Naked Eyes, Oingo Boingo, Pat Benatar, The Power Station, The Romantics, Thompson Twins, Til Tuesday, Wang Chung

Iron Maiden: *AC/DC, *Black Sabbath, *Metallica, Accept, Black Guardian, Black Label Society, Blind Guardian, Bruce Dickinson, Dio, Halford, Helloween, Iced Earth, Judas Priest, King Diamond, Manowar, Megadeth, Motorhead, Ozzy Osbourne, Rainbow, Saxon, Testament, Twisted Sister, W.A.S.P.

Jay-Z: *Notorious B.I.G., Beanie Sigel, Big Pun, Busta Rhymes, Cam'ron, The Carters, Diddy, DMX, Eminem, Fabolous, Fat Joe, Foxy Brown, Jadakiss, Kanye West, The LOX, Memphis Bleek, Method Man, Mobb Depp, Nas, Rick Ross

Kate Bush: *Patti Smith, *Roxy Music, Bat For Lashes, Bjork, Cocteau Twins, Fiona Apple, Goldfrapp, Grace Jones, Japan, Nico, PJ Harvey, Prefab Sprout, Roisin Murphy, Siouxsie & the Banshees, Sinead O'Connor, The Sugarcubes, Suzanne Vega, Talk Talk, This Mortal Coil, Tori Amos

LL Cool J: *Notorious B.I.G., *Run-D.M.C., Big Daddy Kane, Biz Markie, Boogie Down Productions, Craig Mack, Da Brat, Digital Underground, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, EPMD, Eric B & Rakim, Foxy Brown, Heavy D & The Boys, Ice-T, Kool Moe Dee, Lost Boyz, Mase, MC Lyte, Naughty by Nature, Slick Rick, Whodini

Mary J Blige: *Janet Jackson, *Whitney Houston, Amerie, Brandy, Case, Dru Hill, Faith Evans, Fantasia, Jodeci, Jon B., Jill Scott, Kelly Price, Keyshia Cole, Mint Condition, Monica, Mya, SWV, Tamar Braxton, Tamia, Tony! Toni! Tone!, Total, Xscape

New York Dolls: *The Clash, *Lou Reed, *Patti Smith, *Ramones, *Sex Pistols, *The Stooges, *T. Rex, The Adverts, Buzzcocks, The Damned, Dead Boys, The Dictators, Generation X, Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers, MC5, The Modern Lovers, The Only Ones, Radio Birdman, The Rezillos, Richard Hell, The Saints, Stiv Bators, The Undertones, The Vibrators, X, X-Ray Spex

Rage Against the Machine: *Nirvana, *Red Hot Chili Peppers, 311, Alice in Chains, Audioslave, Bush, Deftones, Faith No More, Helmet, Incubus, Jane's Addiction, Korn, Mudvayne, A Perfect Circle, Primus, Prophets of Rage, Queens of the Stone Age, Soundgarden, Stone Temple Pilots, Them Crooked Vultures, Tool, White Zombie

Tina Turner: *ABBA, *Madonna, *Whitney Houston, Alison Moyet, Annie Lennox, The Bangles, Belinda Carlisle, Bette Midler, Billy Ocean, Bonnie Tyler, Cher, Culture Club, Cyndi Lauper, Eurythmics, George Michael, Irene Cara, Lionel Richie, Lisa Stansfield, M People, Paul Young, The Pointer Sisters, Simply Red, Wham! (Interestingly enough, Ike & Tina Turner didn't make the list)

Todd Rundgren: *Elvis Costello, *John Lennon, *Laura Nyro, *Paul McCartney, *Steely Dan, Ambrosia, Badfinger, Big Star, Blood Sweat & Tears, Brian Wilson, Dave Mason, Dennis Wilson, Donald Fagen, Emmitt Rhodes, Harry Nilsson, Jefferson Starship, Marshall Crenshaw, Nick Lowe, Pete Townshend, Raspberries, Seals and Crofts, The Tubes, Utopia, XTC

Let me know what you think!

Posted by RG on Monday, 02/22/2021 @ 19:47pm

A proposal I came up with as a reboot for the Hall of Fame. Sorry. I don't know where else to put it.

Rock Music Hall of Fame

The election committee will be comprised entirely of rock musicians

The preliminary ballot, quarterfinalists, semifinalists, finalists, and inductees will be made public

The results of each ballot will be made public

The Hall will focus on music universally considered to be rock

Still headquartered in Cleveland

The complete act will be emphasized

Concerts will not be required

Owned by people who are involved in the music industry

The induction ceremonies will be globally televised
Categories:

Performer (Elvis Presley, The Beatles, etc.)

Contributor (BB King, Johnny Cash, etc.)

Early influence (Robert Johnson, Louis Armstrong, etc.)

Nonperformer (Berry Gordy, Jerry Moss, etc.)

Posted by Garrus on Monday, 02/22/2021 @ 20:48pm

Garrus,

You are very determined to erase an established history of Rock N' Roll with a very self-insert lens of what you think and Rock purists believe is Rock aren't you?

Posted by Plebian on Monday, 02/22/2021 @ 21:16pm

"The Hall will focus on music universally considered to be rock"

That's where you've lost me, Garrus. Genre isn't binary, where every artist is easily sortable into "rock" and "not rock" boxes. It is an always changing spectrum of different influences, trends, and developing branches. Even what we consider rock music in 2021 sounds completely different from the way it sounded in 1961, and even 1991. And there are so many grey areas. Are James Brown and Ray Charles rock, or are they R&B? How about Joni Mitchell and Paul Simon, are they rock or folk? You might have an answer, but other people may disagree. And do we really want a Rock Hall that's excluding seminal figures like these four?

That's why I think a "big tent" approach is superior, we have to acknowledge that genres aren't monolithic and unchangeable. Rock and Roll contains multitudes, and as long as the style of an artist can be traced back to the 1950s forerunners of the genre, as Rock, R&B, Hip Hop, Metal, and most modern Pop, along with many subgenres and fusion genres can, it deserves to be recognized.

Posted by RG on Monday, 02/22/2021 @ 21:47pm

It's comical how some want to pigeonhole the rrhof. The angry rock purists forever can't wrap their heads around the fact that rock and roll evolved from a multitude of other styles that their precious rock music is a very small part of. I have never met a person who said Chuck Berry wasn't rock and roll, but it seems he spawned the Beatles and no one else and the rest is history to some. Their myopic view will not be stifled no matter how reason is applied

Posted by K-Dawg on Monday, 02/22/2021 @ 21:56pm

RG,

Very Interesting man on many artists that may be considered in the future!

K-Dawg,

For the time being why don't we make our own dream classes of the future Rock Hall Inductees? Here's how we will go:

-5-7 "inductees" of your choice, nominated or not (of course they have to be at least 25 years or older)

-Musical Excellence and Early Influence are done every year so no waiting

-Can be realistic or it can be what you want (It is of course your decision)

-Class of 2021-2029 only

-At the end, choose just ONE inductee you would personally do the speech for


Why don't start first? :)

Posted by Plebian on Monday, 02/22/2021 @ 23:40pm

James Brown, Ray Charles, Paul Simon, and Joni Mitchell would go into the Contributor category.

Posted by Garrus on Tuesday, 02/23/2021 @ 00:39am

Upon doing some research, Ray Charles is actual rock and roll as it was in the 50s. So he is a performer.

Posted by Garrus on Tuesday, 02/23/2021 @ 00:41am

James Brown started in 1958, I believe.

Plebian,

Great idea. I'll get around to it tomorrow

Posted by K-Dawg on Tuesday, 02/23/2021 @ 01:20am

RG,

Nice list. It should help Philip out when he does his "Who would they pave the way for" bit in his predictions".

Speaking of Philip, he really needs to get the 2020 Songs of Proof up. But he's probably trying to find one for Jay-Z, since most of his hits are or have featured spots and one of Philips rules is that Z must be the only credited artist.

Posted by Follower on Tuesday, 02/23/2021 @ 01:58am

Follower,

Easy. 99 Problems lol

Posted by K Dawg on Tuesday, 02/23/2021 @ 03:51am

Nick,
I want to ask you how you feel about me bringing back the reviews of old classes. I spanned 1994-2015 or 2016 last year. I want to see if there is support for bringing it back. I would start with 2016. In case I didn't cover that one too much. 2016 class had Deep Purple, Steve Miller, N.W.A., Chicago and Cheap Trick. I was waiting for your awesome rock prospects to finish. I was open minded in my reviews. I reviewed the acts I felt deserved induction the most. For instance when I reviewed 2013 I think I reviewed them all. That class had Randy Newman, Albert King, Public Enemy, Donna Summer, Heart and Rush. They made it 6 inductees. I just want to make sure there would be response to it. You were a big fan of these reviews the first time.
I will do an assessment soon of the current nominees in the meantime. The ballot is a bit disappointing but a very good induction class can still come from it. I have to put my thoughts together on this. Tell me your thoughts on bringing back reviews of the old classes. It's getting kind of repetitious on here. Hear from ya.

Posted by Ben on Tuesday, 02/23/2021 @ 05:31am

Nick,
I want to ask you how you feel about me bringing back the reviews of old classes. I spanned 1994-2015 or 2016 last year. I want to see if there is support for bringing it back. I would start with 2016. In case I didn't cover that one too much. 2016 class had Deep Purple, Steve Miller, N.W.A., Chicago and Cheap Trick. I was waiting for your awesome rock prospects to finish. I was open minded in my reviews. I reviewed the acts I felt deserved induction the most. For instance when I reviewed 2013 I think I reviewed them all. That class had Randy Newman, Albert King, Public Enemy, Donna Summer, Heart and Rush. They made it 6 inductees. I just want to make sure there would be response to it. You were a big fan of these reviews the first time.
I will do an assessment soon of the current nominees in the meantime. The ballot is a bit disappointing but a very good induction class can still come from it. I have to put my thoughts together on this. Tell me your thoughts on bringing back reviews of the old classes. It's getting kind of repetitious on here. Hear from ya.

Posted by Ben on Tuesday, 02/23/2021 @ 05:31am

Ben,

Yes, by all means please detail the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame classes from 2016 until 2020; it will be like a breath of fresh air!

Thank you.

Well, what do you think?

Posted by Enigmaticus on Tuesday, 02/23/2021 @ 09:24am

Enig,

That's what I say. I've observed that like other years there is a lot of repetition. Fela Kuti has been discussed plenty. I support his nomination. Others don't. There has also been debate about many others like The Go-Gos, Carole King, Todd Rundgren and Dionne Warwick. Detailing past classes 2016-2020 will certainly be a breath of Fresh Air. I may cover acts you don't like much such as Cheap Trick and Bon Jovi. But hey it will mix it up a bit. May is a long way off for the official Inductees announcement.

Posted by Ben on Tuesday, 02/23/2021 @ 09:54am

Here is a breakdown of my predictions for Inductees as well as the other Nominees.
I often break this up into parts.
2021 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees

Foo Fighters-Dave Grohl is considered to be very polite, also an influential member of the Nominating Committee. I think they are too big to ignore. I say they are a Lock
The Go-Gos- They were a very important band in the 80s. A documentary helps them a lot. They were huge for awhile in the 80s. They may do better than Pat Benatar because they are more associated with New Wave which does well in recent years. They are not quite a lock, But they have a clear path.
Iron Maiden- They were a key Heavy Metal band in the 80s. There is no competition with 80's Metal this year. There is a much larger amount of Heavy Rock voters than there used to be.
Jay-Z- This is not Gangsta Rap. He is extremely popular. He is a Lock. There's no doubt about it.
Carole King- She is Music royalty. She is already as a songwriter. This corrects the mistake of her Not inducted as a solo act. She is a Lock. No doubt about it again
New York Dolls-New York Dolls could be the surprise if they get most of Rock votes. I don't think the Dolls have the contributions of some artists but they have Influence. It seems those groups that have plenty of Influence have been inducted lately. The Cars, Roxy Music and T. Rex all spring to mind.
Tina Turner-She is Rock and music royalty. She should have been inducted years back as a solo act. She is Very known everywhere for years. She has friends in high places. Committee members and tons of past inductees will vote for her. And a few hundred critics love her. As a solo artist she is very long overdue for this honor.

Some of the Other Nominees

Kate Bush-I think she will eventually be inducted but Not Now
Devo-I know a few songs. Not just Whip It. But they have very little chance because of so many other choices. They are sort of an Electronic choice this year.
Chaka Khan- She will eventually get inducted one way or another. But not this year. She should probably be in But Not this year.
Fela Kuti-He has been called the father of Afro Beat. I considered him as an inductee. But he misses because of lot of other choices. I feel he is worthy of a nomination. Hey people forget that acts like Leonard Cohen and Laura Nyro have been inducted. But alas there is others to consider this year. Fela Kuti is Fine though. and if he is Inducted that's just fine with me.
I will continue this later on. That's it for now

Posted by Ben on Tuesday, 02/23/2021 @ 12:52pm

My dream classes

2021:

Carole King
Kate Bush
Tina Turner
Kraftwerk
LL Cool J
Outkast
The Go-Go's

EI: Big Mama Thornton
ME: Carol Kaye

2022:

Carly Simon
Diana Ross
Jay-Z
Connie Francis
Judas Priest
Sparks
Pat Benatar

EI: Memphis Minnie
ME: Gram Parsons

2023:

Daft Punk
Kool and The Gang
PJ Harvey
Sonic Youth
The Runaways
Missy Elliott
Salt-N-Pepa

EI: Mammie Smith
ME: Todd Rundgren


2024:

The White Stripes
Big Star
Commodores
LaBelle
Mariah Carey
De La Soul
Iron Maiden

EI: The Clovers
ME: The Revolution

2025:

Sade
A Tribe Called Quest
Cyndi Lauper
The B-52s
The Chemical Brothers
The Smiths
Joy Division/New Order

EI: The Dominos
ME: Crazy Horse

2026:

No Doubt
Aphex Twin
Tori Amos
Peter Tosh
INXS
Tangerine Dream
The Pointer Sisters

EI: Roy Brown
ME: Jaco Pastorious

2027:

Can
Mary J. Blige
Afrika Bammbaataa
Dan Fogelberg
Dionne Warwick
The Monkees
Rufus featuring Chaka Khan

EI: Wynonnie Harris
ME: The Wailers

2028:

Orbital
Bad Brains
Black Flag
X
XTC
Ohio Players
Joan Armatrading

EI: The Jubalaires
ME: Ronnie James Dio

2029:

Fiona Apple
Robyn
Anita Baker
Slayer
Motorhead
Eminem
Tracy Chapman

EI: Mississippi John Hurt
ME: Randy Rhodes

I would choose to do a speech for Kate Bush. She's my favorite artist that's not in yet.

Posted by Greg F on Tuesday, 02/23/2021 @ 13:40pm

That's awesome Greg F! I really love it!

Here's mine!:

2021:
Jay-Z
Kate Bush
Iron Maiden
Foo Fighters
Tina Turner
Carole King

Early Influence: Big Mama Thornton
Musical Excellence: Todd Rundgren

2022:
Eminem
Soundgarden
New York Dolls
Emmylou Harris
Pat Benatar
Jane's Addiction

Early Influence: Ella Fitzgerald
Musical Excellence: Carole Kaye

2023:
Smashing Pumpkins
Jethro Tull
Bjork
LL Cool J
B-52's
Big Star

Early Influence: Wynonie Harris
Musical Excellence: Rick Rubin

2024:
Beck
Rage Against The Machine
Judas Priest
Link Wray (Final 50s act to get in for me to go through the original process)
Tori Amos
Mary J Blige
Chaka Khan

Early Influence: The Dominoes
Musical Excellence: Ashford and Simpson

2025:
The White Stripes
Weezer
Missy Elliot
PJ Harvey
The Guess Who
The Marvelettes


Early Influence: Mississippi John Hurt
Musical Excellence: Diane Warren

2026:
The Smiths
Daft Punk
Sonic Youth
Motörhead
Mariah Carey
Chic

Early Influence:The Clovers
Musical Excellence: Patty Smyth

2027:
Joy Division/New Order
OutKast
Eurythmics
Diana Ross
Toots and the Maytals

Early Influence: Johnny Ace
Musical Excellence: Gregg Alexander

2028:
Blur
Oasis
Coldplay
Gram Parsons
TLC
Salt-N-Pepa

Early Influence: Chuck Willis
Musical Excellence: Sheila E

2029:
Kanye West
Beyoncé
Gorillaz
Arcade Fire
King Crimson
Faith No More
Dave Matthews Band

Early Influence:The Chantels
Musical Excellence: 'Mutt' Lange


K-Dawg, RG, Greg F, etc...

I would do The Smashing Pumpkins induction speech. Number one on my list of most snubbed

What are your thoughts?