With his release of Tubular Bells, the haunting theme from the Exorcist, Mike Oldfield had a surprise number one hit in England on his hands. Oldfield had indirectly ushered in the New Age genre and as such became known as one of the most respected musicians in England. He never reached that level of success but by pushing the Electronic platform he does meet the influence category that the Hall claims to look for.

With a pair of lasting hits from 1972, the very fair skinned Edgar Winter was a star from Texas whose Blues Rock may have inadvertently helped shaped many of the future Rock stars from the Lone Star State. His versatile skills were ironically his biggest enemy, as the very Blues Rock staple songs that made him famous were not necessarily the pattern he would follow in future records. Regardless, Winter had a good career and the hits he did have, have proven to still hold up today.

Strangely, hitting his artistic peak as he hit is arthritic peak, Rufus Thomas had a long and fascinating career. Enjoying a few hits over a twenty year span (including Bear Cat in 1953 and Walking the Dog in 1963) , Thomas hit his high point with Funk related hits in the early 70’s. Rufus Thomas was a key figure in the Memphis R&B scene which in addition to his few hits could be just enough to get him a look from the Hall.

With Nick Cave already on this list, it was originally tempting not to include Cave’s original band, but we couldn’t ignore the Post Punk output of the Birthday Party which was among the most creative music that Australia produced. Their music was inexplicably dark yet rambunctious and was beloved by critics internationally. When they broke up, Cave went on to have a much more successful career, but if the Hall wishes to induct him, they might consider his original band.