Seemingly, the equivalent to a baseball player getting in on his last year of eligibility, it was almost a surprise when the Hall remembered the Soul/Gospel fusion of Bobby Womack.  Many were on the fence as to whether he should have been inducted, but a case could be made either way.

A star who melded Gospel and Soul, Bobby “Blue” Bland was a staple on the R&B charts for decades.  His vocal delivery inspired many, though he never really did crack mainstream America.  Had he tried, he probably would not have been the revered artist is he is today.

He sang about “Old Time Rock and Roll” and there are many who thinks that Bob Seger epitomizes the Rock and Roll feel better than anyone.  It took him a long time to get famous but he didn’t have to wait that long to get inducted once eligible.

The first real Heavy Metal band in the Hall could very well be the most important.  Sabbath took music to dark pounding places and they helped to propel the genre to new heights.  Although they are in the Hall, they should have been a first ballot inductee easily.

Inducted in 2006.  From Birmingham, England