Let the debates begin! Been saying a long time that Pat Benatar should get in. A lot of people griping online that Styx & Foreigner aren’t in/nominated…and I think Poison is due for consideration. I think there are probably many, many more. After all, if they put all of the obvious choices in with one class, who’d get in and what would we debate about next year?
My breakdown:
Pat Benatar – Should’ve been in already. My favorite of the group.
Dave Matthews Band – a shoo-in SOMEDAY but IMHO plenty of others are in line ahead of them.
Depeche Mode – wasn’t totally my jam in the 80’s but perhaps eventually
Doobie Brothers – should’ve been in already
Whitney Houston – maybe not everyone’s vision of “rock and roll” (those people should get over themselves, rather than constantly complaining) but with the standard/precedent they’ve set of including a wide range of genres in the “Rock and Roll” umbrella, she’s obvious
Judas Priest – see what I said for Depeche Mode. Not my jam but they were popular.
MC5 – never heard of em. Sorry.
Kraftwerk – ditto
Motorhead – see DM and JP
NIN – ditto, not my jam but lot of people like em. Maybe the strongest shot of all these newer bands aside from DMB, who I think they’ll make wait around a bit to be a headliner.
Notorious – see Whitney note. If they’re including nontraditional Rock & Roll acts, I’m not the best judge on their worthiness, but this guy is certainly an icon in his genre.
Rufus w Chaka Khan – doesn’t seem HOF worthy to me…again slightly out of genre and was there enough memorable work to merit inclusion?
Todd Rundren – a bit before my time but I’m familiar with his more well known singles. People seem to think it’s a yes for this guy.
Soundgarden – see DM, JP, MH and NIN (at least one of these acts you’ve got to figure will get in).
T-Rex – before my time, only familar with Bang-A-Gong…was there enough work to merit inclusion?
Thin Lizzy – ditto, before my time, was there enough? Iconic hit “The Boys Are Back In Town,” but that’s the only one I know. I get the vibe that people think they are a yes-if not now at some point.
Always good water cooler and bar discussion material. All subjective. Will be interesting to see what happens.
My prediction (just for the heck of it): Pat Benatar, Doobie Bros., Whitney Houston, Nine Inch Nails, Notorious B.I.G., Todd Rundgren, Thin Lizzy
Fans can vote for their favorite through Jan. 10. The class will be announced shortly after that, and inducted in May 2020.