2015 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees & Their Greatest Hits
Author: Lindsay Buescher
Table of Contents
The Results Are In…
The 2015 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees have been announced today. Next year’s inductees include Lou Reed, Green Day, Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, Bill Withers and The Paul Butterfield Blues Band. In addition, Ringo Starr will receive the Award For Musical Excellence and The “5” Royales will be presented the Early Influence Award.
Paying Respect to Artists that Impacted Rock and Roll
Here are some notable songs that we’re listening to from these rock and roll music legends.
The “5” Royales’ “Catch that Teardrop”
Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine”
Green Day’s “Basket Case”
Joan Jett & the Blackhearts’ relevant “I love Rock n Roll”
Lou Reed’s “Walk on the Wild Side”
The Paul Butterfield Blues Band’s “Walking Blues”
Ringo Starr’s “It Don’t Come Easy”
Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble’s “Pride and Joy”
Voters decided not to induct nine other nominees
Who do you think deserved a spot this year? We are pretty surprised that Nine Inch Nails didn’t make it, but better luck to them next year!
- Sting (as a solo artist) Don’t worry guys, Sting was already inducted as a member of The Police back in 2003
- The Spinners are an American Motown soul music group, active for over 50 years
- The Smiths were an influential British alternative rock band in the 80s
- War is an American funk band from California known for “Low Rider“, “Why Can’t We Be Friends?” and “The Cisco Kid“
- Kraftwerk are a German electronic music band and one of the first groups to popularize electronic music
- Chic was best known for “Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)“, “Everybody Dance” and “Le Freak“
- The Marvelettes were the first major successful act of Motown Records after the Miracles and released “Please Mr. Postman“
- Nine Inch Nails was founded by Trent Reznor and he remains its only official band member as the main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist
- N.W.A. was an American hip hop group from Compton, widely considered one of the seminal acts of gangster rap with members DJ Yella, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Ice Cube and MC Ren
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s History
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation was established by leaders in the music industry to recognize the contributions of those who have had a significant impact on rock and roll. There has been noteworthy controversy over the years that is well documented online. Areas of dispute include vote tampering, exclusion of band members, subjective induction criteria and snubs. Another heated topic is the inclusion of rap and Kiss’ Gene Simmons has a strong opinion. “You’ve got Grandmaster Flash in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? Run-D.M.C. in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,” Simmons asked. “You’re killing me! That doesn’t mean those aren’t good artists. But they don’t play guitar. They sample, and they talk, not even sing … If you don’t play guitar and you don’t write your own songs, you don’t belong there.” We must admit, the guy has a point, but he does come off a bit harsh. What do you guys think?
Requirements for Induction
- 25 years after the release of their first record and this requirement is highly disputed. Come on, what is the lifespan of a rock star anyways? 25 years after the first album is pushing it!
- Influence and significance of the artists’ contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock and roll.
Notable Artists Never Even nominated
Duran Duran, Kool and the Gang, Dire Straits and Cheap Trick – just to name a few! What artists would you like to see added next year?
Gene has a point there, and the reason he came off harsh is because it’s true. There are a lot of artists out there in the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame who don’t even do rock music. And there are also great artist out ther who have been the best for a long time and they never got inducted. The hall should induct the right people and not the wrong people.