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Friday Five: Artists/Bands Overlooked by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

I saw the nomination list yesterday for 2026 induction. The usual good/bad/ridiculous mix of names. The Black CrowesJeff BuckleyMariah CareyPhil CollinsMelissa EtheridgeLauryn HillBilly IdolINXSIron MaidenJoy Division/New OrderNew EditionOasisPinkSadeShakiraLuther VandrossWu-Tang Clan I’m ambivalent about the RRHOF, it was no real meaning to me. In the beginning, it was great to see many early founders of the…

Mike Miller
2–3 minutes
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I saw the nomination list yesterday for 2026 induction. The usual good/bad/ridiculous mix of names.

The Black Crowes
Jeff Buckley
Mariah Carey
Phil Collins
Melissa Etheridge
Lauryn Hill
Billy Idol
INXS
Iron Maiden
Joy Division/New Order
New Edition
Oasis
Pink
Sade
Shakira
Luther Vandross
Wu-Tang Clan

I’m ambivalent about the RRHOF, it was no real meaning to me. In the beginning, it was great to see many early founders of the genre, and contributing pioneers, recognized, some brought back from obscurity.

The focus by many when the selection process begins is why are so many non-rock & roll names on the list, and why are longtime rock & roll names not in the RRHOF?

Here are five names that should be in (admittedly, there are many more deserving names).

Jethro Tull – Formed in the late 1960s, this blues, folk, jazz, electronic and progressive inspired rock band is still going strong despite significant member turnover to play with band leader Ian Anderson. Incorporating flute and other non-rock influences into their musical repertoire, the band has been a thinking man’s eclectic rock and roll show. A mainstay of FM radio in the 1970s, they have released 24 studio albums and nine live recordings, and have sold in the tens of millions of records. Maybe it’s the sight of a grown man wearing a codpiece on stage that scares voters?

King Crimson – Stretching back to 1968, with changing lineups, the constant was Robert Fripp. A driving force in the evolution of progressive rock, branching out into various subgenres. The band is known for mixing classical, jazz and world music into their long instrumental movements. They’ve released 13 studio albums as 26 live albums.

The Monkees – With about 19 million albums sold, and millions more singles, they were a short-lived cultural phenomenon, that has been around for 60 years. Mickey, Davy, Mike and Peter were hired as actors, to sing the songs, and who then became the musical players. Monkees songs continue to be played on the radio and streamed. What may have started as a Marx Brothers type sitcom has evolved into a lasting and enjoyable musical experience.

America – Successful and influential trio that sold more than 11 million albums and numerous top ten chart hits including “Horse With No Name”, “Ventura Highway”, “Tin Man”, “Daisy Jane”,”Sister Golden Hair” and the “Border.” These guys influenced many teens to pick up an acoustic guitar, myself included.

The Carpenters – This duo has never been nominated. This is a shame given their incredible success and dominance in the soft rock/ pop genre. They had three number-one singles and five number-two singles on the Billboard Hot 100 and 15 number-one hits on the Adult Contemporary chart, in addition to 12 top-10 singles. Their record sales are in the 90-100 million range, depending on the source. Who else had a voice like Karen Carpenter?

A few others: Supertramp, The Guess Who, Blue Öyster Cult, Spencer Davis Group, Dick Dale, Three Dog Night, Warren Zevon, Emerson Lake & Palmer, Bread.

4 responses to “Friday Five: Artists/Bands Overlooked by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame”

  1. Aphoristical Avatar
    Aphoristical

    If I was doing it, I probably would have stopped with 30-40 inductees, maybe stopping at Springsteen or something. I can see why they want to keep it going though, so its not fossilized. The US bias is pretty silly, otherwise bands like Jethro Tull would have got in years ago.

    Pink is the only potential inductee that I think is ridiculous though – not much more than a couple of catchy singles IMO.

    Liked by 1 person

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  2. greenpete58 Avatar
    greenpete58

    You undoubtedly know where I stand on the RnRHoF, Mike, so I won’t list all 19 of my objections. I’ll just say the entire concept is a fucking joke (pardon the language). You cite popularity/record sales of Monkees, America, and Carpenters, but do you really think commercial success is a valid criterion? Isn’t this already the domain of the fricking Grammies? If so, why should these acts get in (two of whom were primarily cover artists) before a phenomenally prolific and talented soft-rock composer like Burt Bacharach? Don’t make no sense to me.

    No argument on the first two. The shadowy folks behind RnRHoF have always been prejudiced against British prog and folk-rock, despite a few token acts sneaking in (of course, the most commercially successful).

    Okay, enough ranting. Heading upstairs now to the real RnRHoF. 😆

    Liked by 2 people

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    1. Mike Miller Avatar
      Mike Miller

      I mentioned album sales, not as a criteria, but for those who read my blogs from other countries to have some context that these were popular and influential musical artists. Younger generations didn’t experience what you and I did, so the context can be missing. The Monkees as a cover band were influential, just not in the same way as group-generated material, at least in the beginning. The Carpenters did cover a fair amount of songs written by others, but again, their arrangements (Richard Carpenter) and unique performance (Karen) are certainly worthy. I’ve changed my mind about Three Dog Night, although they wrote little of their own material, but they were great stylizers. Burt Bacharach should be in the RRHOF, which sadly does not include enough writers and producers.
      The RRHOF lost their significance very early on and aren’t relevant anymore. When the nominations are announced, it’s a great time to talk about those pioneers, contributors and performers that aren’t getting their just credit for what they’ve given the genre. Good discussion.

      Liked by 1 person

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      1. greenpete58 Avatar
        greenpete58

        Yes, good discussion Mike, and you as always make some valid points. I was around during the Monkees heyday, watched their show, bought their albums (the first three, then my little brother took up the slack). Wanted to look like Mickey, and actually bought (Mom bought) a paisley shirt and giant belt buckle to look like him. They were incredibly popular, and the TV show was heavily responsible for that. They also pulled me away from the Beatles, unfortunately, and Dolenz and I need to have a long talk about it. I disagree that they were “influential” as a cover band, though. I don’t believe their biggest songs, like “I’m a Believer” and “Pleasant Valley Sunday” ever led anyone to Neil Diamond or Carole King (they certainly didn’t me). And as musicians, let’s be clear, they didn’t even play on their records! (during their most popular period). I don’t mean to slag them, as they gave joy to a lot of folks (like me). Just don’t feel they’re HoF material. I think a lot of this HoF shit is based on nostalgia by the inductors, which is fine, but just don’t tell us its about the music. Ironically, I DO think a good case can be made for Three Dog Night. They had bold taste in who they covered (Argent, Randy Newman, Harry Nilsson, etc) and were closer to heavy rock than the ultra-poppy Monkees. And they didn’t have a hit TV show to promote them.

        But in the end, who cares? Eventually, everybody will be in that museum!

        Liked by 1 person

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