Before Sam Cooke had his breakout success with his smooth R&B Pop style, there was Jesse Belvin who was easily among the most underappreciated artist of his day. Belvin was nicknamed “Mr. Easy”, which was appropriate for the way he could write and sing seemingly without effort. Belvin’s early career saw him perform under pseudonyms and various companies and finding a concrete collection of his early work proves ominous for even the most diligent music historian. By 1958, Belvin’s star seemed to be on the rise as he finally took control of his style and recordings. His career was cut short at age 26 from a car crash and whether he would have had the career that Sam Cooke eventually had will always be open for debate. The debate here is whether the Hall will look at what he could have been as opposed to what he actually got to do. With no current nominations, the Hall’s opinion seems apparent.

Naturally, the bulk of the bands on this list (or in the actual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame) are from the United States. Others on this list were praised for their ability to merge multiple styles. The Blasters were easily in both categories, but the Blasters were focused on blending musical genres that were primarily rooted in America. They called their creation simply “American Music”, which was an eclectic blend of Roots Rock, R&B, Punk and Rockabilly. Although their music was well received, it wasn’t well purchased, and the band that could very well symbolize American music, did not equate into the American wallet. Maybe they weren’t so American after all.

As one of the first Hardcore Punk bands of note, Suicidal Tendencies was an early favorite of the Skate Punk scene. Not one to rest on their laurels, the band always evolved incorporating elements of Thrash, Funk Metal and Progressive Metal in future efforts. Still a favorite among Hardcore Punk and Metal fans, they have no realistic shot at induction for the Hall, but ask their fans if that even matters.

An accomplished Jazz guitarist, Pat Metheny has garnered critical acclaim for his Jazz interpretations. Metheny may very well be one of the more ambitious Jazz performers as his work incorporated far more influences (World, Fusion for example) than most, yet he was able to do so without losing his basic appeal. As such, Metheny has a limitless quality about him as it seems to be little that he can’t do. Having said that, with a list full of accomplished Jazz artists, Metheny could get a surprise look as his music was a little more diverse than other Jazz superstars and he could have a lit more of that “Rock Credibility” than most.