Although the early 1990’s were known for bringing Alternative Music and Gangsta Rap to the forefront, it also ushered in the New Country movement which was a massive success in almost any metric you can think of. Its greatest star was Garth Brooks, and he sold out arenas sold millions of albums and reformatted FM Radio stations across the United States. In terms of the Billboard charts, Brooks did not always transfer over, but he had enough poppish elements to make him palatable to many. He may have revolutionized the Country Music genre, but does that make him a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee? It sure won’t for Chris Gaines!

Although they were initially labelled as a Dinosaur Jr. rip off, Buffalo Tom persevered and my the middle of the 90’s, they were considered one of the more respected Alternative acts in the United States. They altered their sound and it seemed like they were on the verge of a major mainstream breakthrough. This didn’t happen, but they did earn a lot of respect in the alt community and had a decent run; though that won’t lead them to Cleveland.

With music that was pure Texas, ZZ Top’s blend of Blues, Hard Rock, and unique Tex Mex influences made them stars in the 70’s.  The 1983 album, Eliminator brought them international stardom when they altered their sound to crack mainstream radio and MTV; a feat they accomplished without alienating their core audience.

A powerful Blues based Rock band, the Yardbirds may be best known for launching the careers of Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page.  They did have a string of hits in the mid 60’s that was the beginning of taking guitar rock to new levels with their use of feedback and distortion.  Their place in the Hall can not be argued.