Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – What a Shame

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has come out with it’s latest list of nominees. It might be better to say that the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame has come out with a list of those who are deemed hip enough to be in it, as decided by those deemed hip enough to judge.

As far as performance, record sales, and public popularity goes, well that’s a different story. Otherwise both Jon Bon Jovi and his band would have been in long ago, not to mention, Kiss, Deep Purple and Jethro Tull.

"We are thrilled to announce this year's class of inductees, which again represents the broad, compelling and significant definition of rock and roll," Joel Peresman, president and chief executive of the organization, said in a statement.

What a joke. Please explain to me what Donna Summer the “disco queen” has to do with Rock n Roll? Back in the day, wasn’t disco the sworn enemy of rock n roll? So much so that a Chicago disc jockey named Steve Dahl, once blew up a pile of disco records at Comiskey park?

Donna Summer was a great singer and performer but doesn’t belong in the Rock n Roll Hall simply because she wasn’t singing rock n roll.  Randy Newman??  Ask yourself how many rockers you have to name before you get to Donna Summer or Randy Newman. Now of all those that you named, see how many are in the Hall of Fame. I bet you’d be surprised.

My point is, a Hall of Fame, any Hall of Fame, should be based on performance, sales, and achievement, not popularity within the voting. If I’m a singer who aspires to make the Hall grade, not only do I have to be at or near the top of my profession, but I must also please a select group of voters who hold my fate in their hands.

The contributions made by Bon Jovi, Kiss, Deep Purple, Jethro Tull, and Yes among countless others to rock n roll far outweigh many of the other Hall members, but they stay on the outside looking in. If you’re selling out major arenas, years after your peak, you should b in the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame.

Those ticket buyers are obviously getting the message of your music to the point where they are shelling out big bucks to hear it. Isn’t that what rock n roll is all about?

Let’s remember that rock n roll started as music on the outside looking in. A rebellion against the so-called “establishment” which is pretty much what they have become today. Long Live Rock!