The talent of Steve Vai is unquestionable and it is hard to find those who think he would be out of place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The real question would be in what capacity? Although he did produce a series of albums, only one went of them Gold, nor were they on any critic’s choice list. Vai may be a better entrant as a Side Man, though if one looks at his entire body of work, his chances naturally improve, but that may not necessarily be how the Hall should look.

Although these days Lionel Richie might be best known for being Nicole Richie’s father, it can not be underestimated just how much Lionel Richie dominated the FM dial in the 1980’s. Lionel’s career had a meteoric rise upon leaving the Commodores and his R&B flavored Soft Rock was a favorite among the vinyl buying public. Richie however may not have had enough of a Rock edge about him and frankly anyone who is overshadowed this much by his no talent daughter can easily be overshadowed by other Hall candidates.

Although they were a successful band in the 80’s, Ratt does not seem to get a lot of respect these days. As one of the Pop Metal stars of their day, Ratt was not about singing socially conscious music but rather fun party music. Granted, their look and style is somewhat maligned these days, but as cycles go it is possible that their style of music could get celebrated again.

A chance for Eric Clapton to receive an unprecedented fourth induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame lies in the brief run of his Blues Rock group, Derek and the Dominoes. The band only produced one studio album, but it spawned one of the most known Rock songs of all time in “Layla” which next to “Smoke on the Water” could have the best known guitar riff of Rock history. Though the album was a flop at the time of its released, it has since been considered by many to be the crown jewel of the Clapton library. Throw in the Duane Allman connection and this could be all the perception needed for Derek and the Dominoes to gain Hall induction.