Although younger readers may only know Kris Kristofferson as the gruff mentor to Blade in the movie trilogy, the bearded legend was consider one of the greatest songwriters of his generation and the amount of musicians who have performed his material is staggering. Kristofferson began singing his own material in the 70’s and although he was popular, he became far more famous for his acting. Kristofferson should be in the Hall for his songwriting contributions, but as a performer alone, he faces a very uphill climb for induction.

They were rude, crude and misogynistic. They had nude women on stage and played straight up Heavy Metal. And they didn’t apologize for any of it! W.A.S.P. was another Metal band form Los Angeles who managed to conquer to the music world in the 80’s. They may not have been deep but to those looking for a fun brand of loud Heavy Metal; this was a damn good choice.

Not every Rock band dreamed of hitting it big, and many musicians did so only for their craft. Pere Ubu couldn’t possibly have dreamt of the commercial aspect of Rock and Roll, and if they ever got close to it, the band would have likely done everything they could have to stop it. Everything about Pere Ubu appeared to be “Anti-Rock and Roll” and did everything they could to disassociate themselves from it. They were (and still are) a very influential Experimental Rock band, but despite hailing from Cleveland, the only way they will get in the Hall would be to buy a ticket.

As one of the most successful R&B singers of the 80’s and 90’s, Luther Vandross dominated the charts and sold out arenas across the United States. Vandross was as creative as he was smooth, and he took more ownership of his music than a lot of R&B stars did at that time. As popular and innovative as Vandross was, the bulk of his music was veering towards Adult Contemporary sounds and though he was revered in multiple circles there are few interpretations of Luther Vandross that screamed out Rock and Roll.