With an angelic voice, Emmylou Harris picked up where the legendary Gram Parsons left off. Her blend of Progressive Country music has been capable of eliciting any kind of emotion she wanted to. As such, the contributions of Emmylou Harris to contemporary music were astounding and the respect she has within the industry is stratospheric. Despite the perception of casual fans that she was primarily a Country artist, the music industry has not pigeonholed her there and an induction for Emmylou Harris is not as left field as people would think.

An early Funk pioneer who did not find success in the music world until in his late 30’s, Lee Dorsey was symbolic of the Louisiana Sound. His gritty, playful voice was a perfect match for New Orleans R&B. His music showed swagger (before that was really thought of) and although he did not have as much commercial success as he may have been entitled, he could be the representative of New Orleans that the Hall is missing.

The Bullet Points:

Eligible Since:

1986

Country of Origin:

U.S.A. (New Orleans, LA)

Nominated In:

Never

NIHOF’s Favorite Album:

Ride Your Pony (1966)

NIHOF’s Favorite Song:

For argument’s sake we are going to combine the collective works of Manfred Mann’s various bands and include the Earth Band as one progressive link. Chances are; it is only going to be him who would get inducted anyway. If they did, they would be inducting an artist who transcended infectious British Invasion Pop to the fringes of Progressive Rock. He may have never dominated the charts, but the length of his career was impressive and he would not be out of place in the Hall.

Known primarily as a Goth band, The Sisters of Mercy combined dark imagery with an intriguing blend of Alternative Pop, Metal and Psychedelic influences.  A very polarizing band, their brooding fans identified with music on a very deep level.  Those who were not fans found them a self-aggrandizing group that was not as good as they thought they were.  Regardless of opinion, their spot as a key Goth and Alternative band is without doubt.