Already in with the Police, Sting had carved a very successful career as a solo artist. Too many fans however, Sting’s solo work went too far down the Adult Contemporary road and lacked a lot of the substance that the Police had. This isn’t to say, that his songwriting as a solo artist was sub par, because it wasn’t. However, it just wasn’t as clever as his previous work, and this is a weird case of being in the shadow of one’s self.

Following the dismantling of the legendary Clash, lead singer Mick Jones formed a band that was designed to push the musical boundaries of the Punk sound by incorporating elements of Funk, Reggae and Hip Hop. The results were a little uneven, and despite some innovative and successful material, Big Audio Dynamite likely never hit the levels (though they were successful) that they should have. With the Clash already inducted, a second induction for Mick Jones doesn’t seem like it is in the works anytime soon.

The talent of Steve Vai is unquestionable and it is hard to find those who think he would be out of place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The real question would be in what capacity? Although he did produce a series of albums, only one went of them Gold, nor were they on any critic’s choice list. Vai may be a better entrant as a Side Man, though if one looks at his entire body of work, his chances naturally improve, but that may not necessarily be how the Hall should look.

Although these days Lionel Richie might be best known for being Nicole Richie’s father, it can not be underestimated just how much Lionel Richie dominated the FM dial in the 1980’s. Lionel’s career had a meteoric rise upon leaving the Commodores and his R&B flavored Soft Rock was a favorite among the vinyl buying public. Richie however may not have had enough of a Rock edge about him and frankly anyone who is overshadowed this much by his no talent daughter can easily be overshadowed by other Hall candidates.