Though many bemoan Rap being in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, its inclusion was inevitable. Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five was as good a place to start as any. Pioneers in music; pioneers to the Hall.
With a huge run of smooth vocally driven R&B, Gladys Knight and the Pips had a string of hits capped by the monster smash, Midnight Train to Georgia. Although overall successful, odds are without the “Georgia” hit, it is doubtful that they would have made the Hall.
Genesis had two distinct periods. The first was the Progressive Rock version fronted by the eccentric Peter Gabriel. The second was the hit making Pop/Rock machine that was taken over by Phil Collins’ vocals. Either version could make a case for induction. Combined, they should have been in years ago.
The success of the Four Seasons was an amazing feat not just because of the amount of hits that they had, but that they did so during the time of the powerful British Invasion. The recent Jersey Boys play has given them more exposure but they probably didn’t need it to be remembered as American icons.