Considered one of the biggest icons of British Blues, John Mayall may be revered far more as a mentor than as a performer. The large string of British Blues Rock stars that were inspired or taught by Mayall is an endless one. John Mayall and his Bluesbreakers certainly recorded a lot of material, but he will likely go down in history for those he discovered rather than his own ability.
Probably symbolizing American Blue Collar Rock and Roll better than anyone else, Eddie Money carved out a very solid career pounding out songs that remain on Classic Rock stations today. With a straight up Rock sound and a subtle sense of humor, he was an “approachable” Rock Star which only helped appeal to the Blue Collar set. Although he was successful, he probably lacked the innovative nature that the Hall looks for.
A California Rock Band that seemed to be able to do it all, Spirit was able to blend multiple Rock influences anywhere from Hard Rock, Psychedelic, R&B, Classical and Folk. Often they would veer from influence to influence and this may have been why they had only modest success as many music fans in that era searched for acts that were more specific as opposed to diverse. Spirit was clearly an influence on Led Zeppelin, and if there are members of the Hall committee who believe that Zeppelin is one of the greatest bands ever (and many fans do), it is possible that Spirit could get a peek.
The enigmatic Scott Walker, who achieved his greatest success in England despite being from the American Heartland. After ironically starting out as a British Invasion type artist, Walker evolved into a deep and morose storyteller influenced by American crooners and European chamber music. Normally being an American helps your induction chances, but it likely won’t here.