The world of Progressive Rock brought forth many successful bands. Gentle Giant did have a devoted group of fans, a wide array of technical skills but for whatever reason never reached the commercial success of bands like Genesis, Yes or ELP. For years they always seemed on the cusp of a breakout and although that didn’t happen, many in Progressive Rock circles have always applauded Gentle Giant for their experimentation and skills. Of course, commercially successful Progressive Rock bands are struggling to crack the Hall, so the chances of Gentle Giant are far from gigantic at all.

Much like the Gang of Four, Orange Juice melded Post Punk with Disco rhythms. The band was dubbed the leaders of the Scottish independent Pop uprising and their complex melodies were catchy. As a Post Punk band, they didn’t really sing of angst and anger but of love and romance. Without that aggression, their sophisticated Pop sound struggled to find an audience though it did help launch a series of successful imitators.

One of the more successful Southern Rock Bands in music history, the Marshall Tucker Band was consistently successful throughout the 70’s and early 80’s and still enjoy a healthy following today. The South Carolina based band flirted a little more with Jazz and pure Country influences than some of the other Rock bands and as a pure “jam” type band, they had little peers. The Rock and Roll Hall does not have a large amount of Southern Rock bands in the Hall and the Marshall Tucker Band has a potential shot to be the next should another of that genre be looked at.

Often compared to current Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Elvis Costello, Graham Parker had a career that was full of recognition but he never seemed to reach the heights he probably should have. His Pub Rock based New Wave probably should have been bigger than it was, but he was always in someone else’s shadow. With Costello in the Hall, the chance is that he will be overshadowed again.

The Bullet Points:

Eligible Since:

2001

Country of Origin:

United Kingdom (London, England)

Nominated In:

Never

NIHOF’s Favorite Album:

Squeezing Out Sparks (1979)

NIHOF’s Favorite Song: