As much as we openly criticize the lack of transparency of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the day that announce their newest members is like Christmas morning to us.  We openly said that this year’s list of nominees is one of the best in the last twenty years, and it was poised to be a great class no matter who was selected.

Having said that, it is a large class, with six performers, three early influences, three Musical Excellence inductees and one Ahmet Excellent Award recipient.  

While we appreciate the wide breadth of inductees, the crowbarring of certain inductees is obvious.

The six members inducted through the traditional method were:

Carole King:  King is already in as a writer (with Gerry Goffin), but her singing career is worthy in its own right.  This was her second nomination, with her first coming all the way back in 1989.

Foo Fighters:  Dave Grohl is now a two-time inductee (with Nirvana), and in both cases, entered on the first year of eligibility.  

The Go-Gos:  The all-girl band finally were nominated this year, and they enter on their first try.

Jay-Z:  One half of the biggest power couples in music, enters on his first year of eligibility.   Jay-Z is one of the most successful artists regardless of genre, and his expansion into other fields is a blueprint for other musicians to follow.

Tina Turner:  Turner was already in with her ex-husband, Ike, but Her ascension in the 80’s as rock’s top solo female act while in her 40s, bordered on miraculous.  She also won the Fan Vote.

Todd Rundgren:  Rundgren is a rare dual-threat, as he is equally lauded as a producer as he is as performer.  Had he not gotten in, we thought that he might receive the Musical Excellence Award, but as we will see later, they went a different route.

The Early Influence Award Inductees are:

Kraftewerk:  The German synth pioneers had been nominated six times before, but not this year.  This is long overdue.

Charley Patton:  Patton was the father of the Delta Blues, and is the definition of “Early Influence”.

Gil Scott-Heron:  The master of the spoken word, and forefather of rap enters in a politically charged year.  We love this induction.  Scott-Heron had never been nominated.

The Musical Excellence Award Inductees are:

LL Cool J:  The hip hop star was nominated for the fifth time this year, but the inevitable comparison to Jay-Z did him no favors on this ballot.  Clearly, the Hall wanted him in, but this is a strange way to do it.

Billy Preston:  Preston is a great choice as his combined solo and sideman work.  We suspect he has been a name tossed around for years.

Randy Rhoads:  Rhoads was a legendary axeman who was huge in the development of Heavy Metal.

The Ahmet Ertegun Award winner is:

Clarence Avant: Known as the “Black Godfather” managed and produced many African-American artists, and would later form his own record label and radio stations.

Those not chosen:

Chaka Khan:  The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame committee really wants the Chicago diva in, as she has been nominated both as a solo, and with Rufus multiple times.  We can guarantee, they will nominate her again next year.

Devo:  This was Devo’s second nomination, but until Kraftwerk gets in, it might be a tough road for induction.

Dionne Warwick:  With all due respect, Warwick has the least rock credibility, but she has the most hits.  

Fela Kuti:  The nomination of Kuti was a surprise to many, but the pioneering African is arguably the most influential nominee if we look at music globally.

Iron Maiden:  Heavy Metal remains underrepresented in Cleveland, and had the British legends got the nod, they were unlikely to attend anyway.

Kate Bush:  Bush was a darling of the alternative crowd in the 80s, and her catalogue is unique, but with so many other strong women on the ballot, “running up that hill” proved too hard for her.  This was her second nomination.

Mary J. Blige:  Blige was a bit of a surprise as a nominee, but once you get nominated, you are entrenched on their radar…unless you are Mary Wells.

New York Dolls:  The Dolls were a huge part of proto-punk and were wildly influential.  This was their first nomination since 2001.

Rage Against the Machine:  RATM was the 90s alternative selection this year, and in this politically charged year, this was arguably their best shot of the three times they have been nominated.  They will likely be nominated again next year.

With this announcement, we will begin work on revising our Notinhalloffame.com list of those to consider for the Rock Hall.  Look for that next month.

We would like to congratulate the newest members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Tramon Williams was an undrafted player from Louisiana Tech, and after a brief time in the Houston Texans pre-season camp, he found a spot on the practice squad of the Green Bay Packers.  He made the team in 2007, and he remained in Green Bay for the next eight years.

Williams became a starting Cornerback in 2008, and made the Pro Bowl in 2010, the same year that the Packers won Super Bowl XLV.  Staying with the Packers until 2014, he bounced around the NFL after with stints in Cleveland, Arizona, again with Green Bay and Baltimore before retiring after the 2020 season with 34 career Interceptions.

Thomas Davis was drafted as a Safety in 2005, but the former First Rounder was also learning the role of Linebacker, which would be the position that he would stick within the NFL.  Davis would become a good Linebacker but missed the entire 2010 season due to injury and saw limited action in 2011. The Panthers never game upon him, and in his early 30s, Davis would put together three straight Pro Bowl seasons (2015-17) the first of which where he was named a First Team All-Pro.  Davis remained with the team until he signed with the Los Angeles Chargers as a Free Agent after the 2018 campaign.

Davis played one year in L.A., and a final one with the Washington Football Team before retiring with 1,216 career Tackles and 29 Sacks.

Sean Lee arrived in Dallas as a Second Round Pick from Penn State in 2010 and was their starting Middle Linebacker as a sophomore.  Lee would lead the NFL in Interception Return Yards (174) in 2013, but a torn ACL took him out of the entire 2014 Season.

Despite the setback, Lee returned to the Cowboys, and put forth the best back-to-back campaigns of his professional career.  Lee went to the Pro Bowl with a 128-Tackle year, and in 2016, he improved it to 145 with an Approximate Value of 19.  He was so impressive, that he was chosen to be a First Team All-Pro.

Lee played four more seasons, but injury after injury compounded, and he retired after the 2020 Season.