With all due respect to Edith Piaf, there are many who have proclaimed the enigmatic Serge Gainsbourg as the most important musician to come from France. Gainsbourg was always looking ahead, as regardless of what style of music he tackled (and there was many), there was a progressive slant to it all. His use of World influences is certainly legendary and should there ever be a “World Music Hall of Fame”, Gainsbourg would be on the first ballot. As legendary as he was in France, his music only occasionally flirted with traditional Rock styles and he literally didn’t translate into North America.

From Scotland, the Incredible String Band was a Folk band who helped push the boundaries of Psychedelic Folk (Some have said they invented it). Through their use of traditional instruments helped to broaden the scope of World Music much of which is still felt today. The Incredible String Band became a successful in creating music of the future by looking at the past; though an induction for them seems unlikely in any future we can think of.

With her quiet subdued voice and poetic lyrics, Suzanne Vega neither looked nor sounded like a Rock star, yet there she was. Vega helped usher in a new series of female Singer/Songwriters and showed record companies that not only were they culturally relevant, they could be commercially viable. As much as her first big hot, Luka was a surprise hit seemingly out of left field, her Hall of Fame induction could come out of the same place.

An AM staple, Poco was often in the shadows of fellow Country Rockers, the Eagles. Throughout the 70’s Poco quietly amassed a series of minor hits that reached the Pop, Country, and Adult Contemporary Charts. Their melodic Soft Pop gained a lot of respect as it was deeper than other AM offerings at the time, and though carved out a nice career chances are it won’t be enough to gain then a nomination.