Rock and Roll HOF 2020 Class

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has announced it’s inductees for this year.  They include:

-Whitney Houston

-Depeche Mode

-The Doobie Brothers

-Nine inch Nails

-Notorious B.I.G.

-T. Rex

Overall thoughts:  It’s ridiculous that Pat Benatar is not being inducted.  She’s one of the best ever female rockers, and has a string of well-known hits to back it up.  From what I hear though, she does not “play well” with the HOF…so apparently there are some “politics” that play into it.  After all, the Hall is a privately owned & operated entity…there is no “league” that would oversee it as would happen in most sports HOFs.  Also, the HOF heavily promoted their “Fan Vote” for months, and with millions of people taking time to participate, Dave Matthews Band won with over a million votes.  Benatar was second with over 850-thousand votes.  Neither were included.  Fans are told that the collective votes will constitute on “Fan Ballot,” but you’d think the other voters would take into consideration the fans’ picks.

In defense of the Hall, not all deserving acts can be inducted every year…if that was the case, who would they induct next year (and who would we debate endlessly over)?

And for those that will argue that ‘…_______ isn’t Rock and Roll,’ all you have to do is look at the track record and see that the Hall has a history of being inclusive of many music genres.

Thoughts on the inductees:

Whitney:  unmatched record of success, and great talent.  I already covered the ‘Is she really Rock & Roll’ question.  That’s the only objection I can see with her.

Depeche Mode:  The 80’s electronic-rockers (or were they punk, or new wave…I’m not really sure), had great success in the UK and a string of U.S. hits.  Not a band I’m particularly passionate about, but can’t find much to object to.

Doobie Brothers:  Hard to believe the 70’s rock/pop band had not been inducted already.  Long overdue.

NIN:  I have heard of them, they’ve been around.  Seems like a lot of older acts get overlooked…but maybe they’re THAT good.  Just not my cup of tea.

BIG:  Rap icon.  They do have a history of including the legends of that genre of music…so why bother debating.

T-Rex:  I do like “Bang a Gong,” but am not familiar with any other songs by them.  Apparently they had lots of UK success as well, and for a period of time in the early 70’s there, were “as popular as the Beatles.”

The induction ceremony is May 2nd.

Let me know your thoughts and feedback!  Email [email protected]