Great article, it reminded me that the R&R HOF was actually kind of exciting at the beginning, when there were so many obvious giants to be inducted that no one could really disagree with. As you write there was some obvious nepotism right from the start, but who can argue with Big Joe Turner and Aretha, right? R.I.P. Ahmet.
The disharmony among bands & artists is always sad and it seems to be such a standard trope in the history of rock & roll - money, bad management, dishonest record labels & businessmen - so many factors contributed to this in so many bands. Sad.
Also sad is how the HOF is viewed today - I agree with AbbyWrites, its validity has suffered greatly with questionable choices and unfathomable omissions, especially in recent years. If it was called the Pop Music HOF I might feel differently, but what's going there now sure ain't rock & roll to me.
It was exciting, especially if one's newspaper office was a few blocks from the Waldorf-Astoria. The current management of the Rock Hall is trying to compensate for those who were left behind because of the biases of the founders. Now I hardly notice who is nominated; I say to myself, do I want to spend a column on this? Some years I do, lately I don't. I was never a voter; for two years I got the long list, but was never part of the "critics" votes who counted in the final round. Don't care, never will.
With the continued dis of rock groups who should've made it it years ago, and the inclusion of rock band so undeserving of the honor, there's a question why Dolly P., Jay Z, and others not connected to the category or growth of rock and roll are included. This leave the big question of how valid is the RrHOF today? Classic artist withing the rock and roll genre who contributed to the industry should have entry before any outside who did not. With that said....awesome piece, WR, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
I take a very broad view of "rock n roll," not just the music that influenced it, but the music it continues to influence. I don't think much of the entries and nominees in many recent years; the voters skew younger, more female, and more people of color who grew up with hip-hop. There's now a TV commercial about how HR people and insurance sellers and real estate agents at the top of their fields are called "rock stars." And some old rock star stops them cold. That said, Dolly Parton will always be a Rock Star to me.
I see your point(s), however, the majority of responses that I received when asking the bands/artist I interviewed about their influences included Kate Bush, not Dolly! Just sayin'. And, that said, I thank my dad for turning me on to Dolly P. (Coat of Many Colors) and Mahalia Jackson (The Power and the Glory).
This is just incredible, Wayne. There's so much to think about that I'm gonna have to read it again in a little while. Thank you for putting it out there. I'm curious about what you think about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame these days. Every time there are new inductees, it seems there are folks who are still overlooked. At least that's how I see it. But I'm no rock critic.
Thank you again, Karen, for your support. I try to keep my distance from the Rock Hall, as its known in Cleveland. Occasionally there will be a column idea if the nominees and/or oversights are really strange. At this point, they've admitted way too many artists, some quite marginal.
That's an excellent example. The untimely death of Lowell George certainly cost them. But as I noted in other comments, I've never been involved with the nomination or voting process, even in my peak years at Newsday/NY Newsday. I stay out of the way.
Great article, it reminded me that the R&R HOF was actually kind of exciting at the beginning, when there were so many obvious giants to be inducted that no one could really disagree with. As you write there was some obvious nepotism right from the start, but who can argue with Big Joe Turner and Aretha, right? R.I.P. Ahmet.
The disharmony among bands & artists is always sad and it seems to be such a standard trope in the history of rock & roll - money, bad management, dishonest record labels & businessmen - so many factors contributed to this in so many bands. Sad.
Also sad is how the HOF is viewed today - I agree with AbbyWrites, its validity has suffered greatly with questionable choices and unfathomable omissions, especially in recent years. If it was called the Pop Music HOF I might feel differently, but what's going there now sure ain't rock & roll to me.
It was exciting, especially if one's newspaper office was a few blocks from the Waldorf-Astoria. The current management of the Rock Hall is trying to compensate for those who were left behind because of the biases of the founders. Now I hardly notice who is nominated; I say to myself, do I want to spend a column on this? Some years I do, lately I don't. I was never a voter; for two years I got the long list, but was never part of the "critics" votes who counted in the final round. Don't care, never will.
With the continued dis of rock groups who should've made it it years ago, and the inclusion of rock band so undeserving of the honor, there's a question why Dolly P., Jay Z, and others not connected to the category or growth of rock and roll are included. This leave the big question of how valid is the RrHOF today? Classic artist withing the rock and roll genre who contributed to the industry should have entry before any outside who did not. With that said....awesome piece, WR, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
I take a very broad view of "rock n roll," not just the music that influenced it, but the music it continues to influence. I don't think much of the entries and nominees in many recent years; the voters skew younger, more female, and more people of color who grew up with hip-hop. There's now a TV commercial about how HR people and insurance sellers and real estate agents at the top of their fields are called "rock stars." And some old rock star stops them cold. That said, Dolly Parton will always be a Rock Star to me.
I see your point(s), however, the majority of responses that I received when asking the bands/artist I interviewed about their influences included Kate Bush, not Dolly! Just sayin'. And, that said, I thank my dad for turning me on to Dolly P. (Coat of Many Colors) and Mahalia Jackson (The Power and the Glory).
This is just incredible, Wayne. There's so much to think about that I'm gonna have to read it again in a little while. Thank you for putting it out there. I'm curious about what you think about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame these days. Every time there are new inductees, it seems there are folks who are still overlooked. At least that's how I see it. But I'm no rock critic.
Thank you again, Karen, for your support. I try to keep my distance from the Rock Hall, as its known in Cleveland. Occasionally there will be a column idea if the nominees and/or oversights are really strange. At this point, they've admitted way too many artists, some quite marginal.
But not Little Feat, just sayin’. 🤦♀️
That's an excellent example. The untimely death of Lowell George certainly cost them. But as I noted in other comments, I've never been involved with the nomination or voting process, even in my peak years at Newsday/NY Newsday. I stay out of the way.