In the early 70’s, Cat Stevens established his mark as a brilliant songwriter capable of delivering hits on both sides of the Atlantic. His songs were deep, personal and introspective and to many who were followers of the Singer/Songwriter movement, Cat Stevens was considered a member of its elite. Few could be considered so powerful with such a soft singing voice. Certainly, one to march to his own tune, Stevens turned his back on the music industry, converted to Islam and has until recently has been largely out of the public eye.

Many of the musicians on this list create a polarizing opinion as to their “validity”. In the latter half of the 1960’s, there likely was no group that separated fans as much the Monkees did. Their bubblegum image and status as a corporate creation were labels that they couldn’t shake, and despite the fun solid music they made they were a group that was not considered “cool” at their height.

We at NIHOF were pleasantly surprised by the recent induction of the Ventures to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Although we were happy for them, we couldn’t help but feel that someone else who represented the Surf sound should have gotten in there first.

A few of us remembered at NIHOF when Stevie Ray Vaughan passed away in a tragic helicopter crash.  A running joke that went around was how terrible it was that Stevie Ray was dead and all the New Kids on the Block are still alive.Nearly twenty years later, his fans miss him as much as they did when he was first taken (and are still cranky that all five New Kids are still alive).