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THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME AUDIT, PT. 6: 2011 – 2013

THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME AUDIT, PT. 6: 2011 – 2013
26 Sep
2013
Not in Hall of Fame

Index



2012: Rectification: Retroactive Induction of Backing Bands

6 Inductees: The Blue Caps, the Comets, the Crickets, the Famous Flames, the Midnighters, the Miracles

Yes: The Crickets, the Famous Flames, the Miracles

Borderline Yes: The Blue Caps, the Comets

No: The Midnighters

In 2012, the Hall of Fame also inducted, retroactively, six backing bands for artists who had been inducted in previous years. United at last with their respective leading figure were the Blue Caps (Gene Vincent), the Comets (Bill Haley), the Crickets (Buddy Holly), the Famous Flames (James Brown), the Midnighters (Hank Ballard), and the Miracles (Smokey Robinson).

Evaluation of the backing bands mirrors each of their leading figures: None of the backing bands change the original evaluation of the leading figure in either a positive or negative manner; in other words, no backing band is deficient enough to degrade the original assessment of the leading figure, nor proficient enough to improve the original assessment of the leading figure, which would be a factor only in the case of Hank Ballard—the addition of the Midnighters isn't enough to change Ballard's status to being worthy of the Hall.

Inducting the backing bands is certainly a laudatory acknowledgement of their contributions to the leading figures' success and credentials for inclusion in the Hall of Fame. After all, making music is overwhelmingly a collaborative effort; more on that below. This of course, though, begs the question for the retroactive inclusion of other backing acts, such as Bob Marley's Wailers, Bob Seger's Silver Bullet Band, and Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band. At what point did the leading figure stand alone as a Hall-worthy talent in the first place?

What about occasional backing acts? For instance, does Crazy Horse get to ride, retroactively, Neil Young's coattails into the Hall? Young has recorded several albums with Crazy Horse, but some of his best-known albums were recorded without Crazy Horse, which had its own largely undistinguished career separate from Young—is that career worthy of enshrinement merely because of the band's association with Young? Speaking of which, the Crickets, for instance, sustained a recording and touring career long after their break from Buddy Holly—does their now-Hall of Fame career reflect that status too?

Now, from another tack, comes the argument that, at least in most cases, these are not really "backing bands" at all—they are the bands whose most famous member had been initially recognized and the rest of the band had been initially ignored. Certainly in the case of the Crickets or the Famous Flames, the two leading figures, Buddy Holly and James Brown, respectively, had collaborated with the rest of the band in a collective manner so that their contribution is intertwined with the others'. But in the case of Brown, does it slight his later solo career to be associated with the Famous Flames? Or does that entail a separate induction?

All of which highlights the complex dynamics that underlie evaluating Hall of Fame talent. Once you begin to tinker with the assessments, will that prompt re-evaluations of previous inductees?

First-Line Support: The Crickets, the Famous Flames, the Miracles

Considering that the front men for these three backing bands—Buddy Holly, James Brown, and Smokey Robinson, respectively—are three of the biggest names that emerged from the first decade of the Rock and Soul Era, their backing bands themselves hardly merit controversy. The hair-splitting comes from deciding just who from each band—the Crickets, the Famous Flames, and the Miracles—was significant enough to be included in the unit that was actually inducted. Those thorny questions are explored below.

The Crickets: Although Buddy Holly's ambition exceeded that of the rest of the Crickets, leading to Holly's break from the group in 1958, the Crickets were unquestionably a vital component of Holly's initial success, and thus they are integral to the development of early rock and roll. In fact, the collaboration showed by the Crickets with Buddy Holly provided the model for subsequent rock bands, not the least the Beatles, who not only ultimately mirrored the two guitars-bass-drums instrumental lineup of the Crickets but chose an insectoid name to honor the Crickets. And although singer-guitarist Sonny Curtis, included in the induction along with drummer Jerry Allison, bassist Joe B. Maudlin, and rhythm guitarist Niki Sullivan, did not technically join the Crickets until after Holly's death—calling into question again just what is entailed by this retroactive recognition—Curtis did write the proto-punk anthem "I Fought the Law" and, endearingly, the theme song to The Mary Tyler Moore Show ("Love Is All Around," later covered by Joan Jett).

The Famous Flames: How many Famous Flames can dance on the head of a pin, and during which time frame? Epitomizing the hornets' nest that gets stirred up by these retroactive admissions, the Famous Flames refers only to the best-known version of the vocal group that initially included James Brown before he quickly became its most prominent member. This does not mean that any of the instrumentalists who played with the Famous Flames at this time are Hall of Famers (officially, that band is the James Brown Orchestra), nor are any of the replacement Famous Flames hired by Brown during disputes with the best-known variant—Bobby Bennett, Bobby Byrd, Lloyd Stallworth, and Johnny Terry—included in the induction, and nor does this explain Brown's status once he finally broke with the Famous Flames for good in 1968, even if Byrd briefly rejoined Brown in 1972. Whew! We need an organizational chart here!

The issue began early, with the release of "Please Please Please" in 1956, and the eventual pressing of the single with the label James Brown and the Famous Flames instead of the initial credit only to the Famous Flames. This appears to be the start of a raft of conflicts, many of them revolving around money owed to whom, that turns this into a soap opera. Suffice to say that without the ensemble vocals and the choreography supplied by the Famous Flames from the mid-1950s through the late 1960s, James Brown would not be the James Brown we know and love, and the "Famous Flames" deserve to be recognized. But what about the JBs, the band with whom Brown helped to pioneer funk in the early 1970s? Uh, oh . . .

The Miracles: Perhaps the one clear-cut case of a "backing unit" getting the initial snub, the Miracles made it possible for Smokey Robinson to have been inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1987 in more ways than one. The first, most obvious way is that the ensemble singing of the Miracles behind Robinson is inextricable from the bounty of timeless gems the group recorded at Motown primarily in the 1960s. But the more technical aspects include these: Robinson's solo career did not begin until 1973, which is well below the 25-year threshold required by the Hall at the time of Robinson's induction, and Robinson's solo efforts, while including some fine moments, are not worthy of the Hall divorced from his association with the Miracles in any case. And if Robinson's induction involved his protean work at Motown as a writer, producer, and A&R man, which are legitimate qualifications, they are nonetheless those of a non-performer. So, this is the least complicated, least controversial of the retroactive inductions: Belated congratulations to Pete Moore, Claudette Rogers Robinson, Bobby Rogers, Marv Tarplin, and Ronald White.

Close-Knit Ties: The Blue Caps, the Comets

Much the same issue that marked the three backing units above pertains to this pair that supported Gene Vincent and Bill Haley, respectively. However, even the full names of their bands makes the association that much stronger.

The Blue Caps: Many sources insist that the proper name of the band is Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps, a proprietary distinction that both subordinates the band to the lead singer and weds singer and band into a unit. Known primarily for the deathless single "Be-Bop-A-Lula," Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps are often considered to be a one-hit wonder; they did chart other singles, and the body of work they created in the 1950s was part of the seedbed from which rock and roll sprang. Lead guitarist Cliff Gallup in particular proved to be an influence on countless guitarists including Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton. Some Blue Caps remained with the band for only a brief time, but Gallup, Tommy Facenda, Dickie Harrell, Bobby Jones, Johnny Meeks, Jack Neal, Paul Peek, and Willie Williams are all inducted. Is it worth arguing at this point? No.

The Comets: Just as many insist that the proper name is Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps, sources too aver that it should be Bill Haley and His Comets. Of course, the number of Comets, "his" and otherwise, has gone into triple digits in the six-plus decades since Haley changed the name of his backing unit from the Saddlemen to the Comets in 1952. But as Haley's heyday was the mid-1950s, only the Comets from that period have been inducted: Joey Ambrose, Franny Beecher, Danny Cedrone, Johnny Grande, Ralph Jones, Marshall Lytle, Rudy Pompilli, Al Rex, Dick Richards, and Billy Williamson. Cedrone, who died in a fall in 1954 at age 33, is an interesting case: Although his involvement with Haley dates back to the Saddlemen days, Cedrone never actually joined either of Haley's bands in a proper, full-time capacity as he opted to do session work while he led his own band. However, it is Cedrone's guitar break on "Rock Around the Clock" that launched him into immortality—even if it is essentially the same break he played on the Saddlemen's "Rock the Joint."

Right Idea, Wrong Decision: The Midnighters

Of the six backing units inducted this year, the Midnighters, united at last with Hank Ballard, inducted in 1990, are in one sense perhaps the most deserving: For most of their relevant career in the 1950s and early 1960s, they were known simply as the Midnighters. It wasn't until their first release of "The Twist" in 1959 that they were credited as Hank Ballard and the Midnighters although Ballard had been the group's lead singer at least since 1953 and their first success on the US R&B charts with "Get It"—and that was officially credited to the Royals, the group's original name, which had been changed by 1954 to the Midnighters to avoid confusion with the "5" Royales. (Scoring only on the R&B charts in its original issue, "The Twist" was re-issued in 1960 and this time it peaked at Number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart—although Chubby Checker built a career on his chart-topping cover version.) The point is that it wasn't until later in the group's career that Hank Ballard was singled out for specific mention; they were simply a collective until then.

None of which matters as the group with or without Ballard, or his name appended to the group's name, rises to the level of the Hall of Fame. The Midnighters introduced a refreshing ribaldry to the early Rock and Soul Era—all three songs in the "Annie" saga ("Work with Me, Annie," "Annie Had a Baby," and "Annie's Aunt Fannie") were banned by the Federal Communications Commission, which didn't stop them from conquering the R&B singles charts—but they should be seen as one of the multitudes that helped to shape the music during its tumultuous inception rather than as a lasting influence. For the record, Henry Booth, Cal Green, Arthur Porter, Lawson Smith, Charles Sutton, Norman Thrasher, and Sonny Woods were all inducted, although the group's founder Alonzo Tucker was mysteriously omitted. Interestingly, four men who were former members of the group or else had some bearing on their career had been inducted separately from the Midnighters: Little Willie John, Johnny Otis, who discovered them in 1953, Levi Stubbs, inducted as the Four Tops' lead singer, and Jackie Wilson.

Last modified on Thursday, 22 March 2018 01:44
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