The 1970’s may have been full of Singer/Songwriters but the decade that followed saw that genre dry up quickly. That made the success of Tracy Chapman that much more unlikely. She didn’t exactly have MTV good looks; she sang in a style against her racial stereotype and was not even attempting to be “cool”. Despite all of that, Chapman had a major debut, and though her career cooled off, she did enjoy solid success in the mid 90’s. Two big hits may not necessarily make a Hall of Fame career, but her uniqueness may grant her a look that she may not have received otherwise.

There are a million paragraphs that we could write about Nirvana, on top of the million that have already been written. Here is what we will say to keep this as simple as possible: Whether you loved Nirvana, or whether you though they were overrated, the fact is that this is the band that changed the musical landscape.

With the music world looking for Alternative superstars, the table was set for the Offspring’s brand of Punk, Pop, and Metal to be a hit. They came across like overnight sensations (they weren’t) and their 1994 album, Smash, remains the best-selling independent album in history. They would become known for their sarcastic and fun lyrics and always rooted their themes that were easily identifiable. This made them very accessible for a band that was still labeled as Alternative. The question that the Hall of Fame voters will pose is was this band “serious” enough for them to be included.

Like many successful Jam bands, Phish enjoys a devoted fan base, and like any top improvisational group, the genres they draw from are quite diverse. Each Phish concert can count on Rock, Jazz, Progressive Rock, Bluegrass, Reggae, Country and Blues infusions throughout the sets, and they always seem to draw a crowd as unique as their music. As such, comparisons to the Grateful Dead are commonplace and if any band could come close to drawing any kind of accurate comparison (in terms of culture, though not necessarily in terms of musical style) it would be Phish). Although they do have a massive following, a Phish catalogue does not have any traditional “hits” and there might be an incorrect assumption that the “Jam Band” category is filled in Cleveland.