Tag: 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

First Impressions of the Class of 2023 for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

This morning, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced the Class of 2023, and it was done rather quietly. The reason I say this is that the induction announcement is usually a big deal on SiriusXM, with a show that interviews the new inductees and generally celebrates the world of rock and roll. This year? Nothing…I was a bit surprised about that.

These are my general, hot of the press takes on the 2023 class. I’ll have some thoughts about some other issues (including John Sykes’ apparent preoccupation with “what the fans think”) at a later date.

1) Overall, a decent class that has taken care of a couple of oversights from the past. In the Performers category, the inductions of Bush and Rage Against the Machine were long overdue and the Voting Committee finally corrected this error (some would also add The Spinners into this category). If there was a guaranteed inductee for the 2023 class (like last year’s Dolly Parton induction), Willie Nelson was going to be going in.

For both Missy Elliott and George Michael to go in with the same class was a bit of a surprise. I figured that one would go in before the other would (and I thought that would be Elliott over Michael), but they both made it through the battle. Sheryl Crow has done it all in her stellar career and the Hall enjoys honoring those who have always been there for them, thus her induction isn’t a surprise.

2) Those who were spurned from the Performers category are…well, let’s just say that the carryover of the “populist” theme from last year is evident. Critical favorites like Joy Division/New Order, Warren Zevon, Soundgarden, The White Stripes, A Tribe Called Quest, and Cyndi Lauper (we’ll get to the other in a minute) were not inducted and they didn’t get a nod from the “non-voting” paths. This isn’t a case of “not enough support” – Zevon and Lauper (along with #3) were WAY up in the Fan Vote and it was believed this would be the year, especially in first-time nominee Zevon’s case. Alas, it was not to be.

3) Not that they were sitting around waiting for the phone to ring, but Iron Maiden is probably never being inducted into the Hall. I’ve heard the explanations regarding the bypassing of hard rock/metal bands, and Iron Maiden in particular, but they’re beginning to ring hollow. How you can have one act but not another – in this case Judas Priest (who FINALLY got in through the “non-voting” method last year) and Iron Maiden – is befuddling. If I am finding it hard to believe, then you can only imagine how the Average Joe is seeing it.

4) The Award for Musical Excellence is OUTSTANDING. They also took care of a few oversights here by inducting both Chaka Khan (but not Rufus, surprisingly) and Bernie Taupin (writing partner of Elton John), who needed to be in the Hall. The inclusion of Al Kooper was a bit of a surprise since there hadn’t been a huge drive for his induction, but it is a welcome addition; Kooper’s legacy of work and influence are worthy of induction.

5) Equally as excellent as the AME were the choices for the Early Influences and the Ahmet Ertegun Award. DJ Kool Herc was the originator of rap, way back in the early Seventies, but it is a bit odd to see him go in and not alongside his longtime performing partner Coke La Rock. Link Wray is another one of those “oversight” corrections that the Hall takes care of through this manner, but it is also a well-deserved induction (and, we must note, if you’re going to have Duane Eddy in the Hall, then why not Wray?).

While I would have liked to have seen the Ertegun go to Rick Rubin, the choice of the creator of Soul Train, Don Cornelius, is a BRILLIANT move. Many people point to American Bandstand and its influence on the culture. Soul Train was just as big, if not more influential, in its impact on R&B, soul, rap, and culture overall. It’s too bad that Cornelius is no longer with us – I am sure that he would have delivered a FIRE induction speech!

Overall, the Class of 2023 for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame isn’t bad, but it’s not as great as it could have been. There are a few trends now, three years into the reign of Hall chairman John Sykes, that can be identified, but we’ll save that discussion for another time. For now, we can enjoy and congratulate those that were inducted and commiserate with those that were not.

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Who Will Be the Nominees for the 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Part II: The Previously Nominated

With the 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies in the books, it is time for one of the other “big things” in the Hall timeline. Debating who will be the nominees for the upcoming class of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ranks up as an activity with who will be inducted next spring, as it gives many a chance to debate for their favorites. It also allows for the Hall to take care of past business, in particular with those it has nominated before.

Simply being nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is a noteworthy achievement. As we pointed out yesterday, there are a plethora of artists who are considered each year when they come eligible, alongside those who currently are eligible for consideration. We also noted yesterday that many of those who are newly eligible have absolutely no chance at being nominated. Considering that only fifteen to eighteen artists and groups are considered each year by the Voting Membership of the Hall, it is arguable that it is more impressive to even be considered for the Hall.

But that doesn’t soothe many artists, bands, or their fans. There is a litany of candidates that have been nominated multiple times and have not been elected. The band Chic would fall in this category, garnering ELEVEN nominations in their time. Once Nile Rodgers was inducted into the Hall (via the Award for Musical Excellence in 2017), Chic has never appeared on the ballot again.

You also must be on the ballot to be considered. Thus, previously nominated candidates for the Hall have a “leg up,” you might say, over other acts that have never been considered or are newly eligible. Every year some artists or bands are on the nomination list that has been down this path before – don’t expect that to change in 2023!

Without further ado, let’s look at some of those who have been nominated in the past and whom we might see again in 2023.

After Chic, who are the bands with the most nominations? That dubious honor would fall to the Detroit punk rock progenitors MC5 and R&B master Chuck Willis – both of those choices have been nominated six times previously without being inducted. I don’t see either of them earning another chance in 2023 (MC5 may only get in through one of the non-voting methods, and Willis probably never), much like I don’t see Joe Tex and the J. Geils Band (five nominations each) finding their way to the ballot again.

Of those who have been nominated recently – and within the last five years, because it is important to be in the minds of the voters – the best bet for another nomination would be Rage Against the Machine. Long considered one of the originators of the rock/rap sound melded with searing political commentary, RATM has earned four shots at induction, the latest just this year. I think it might take one more shot for the group to get in, otherwise, we’ll be looking at a non-voting method for them to enter the Hall.

Another group that might have a better shot at getting in on the 2023 nomination cycle is New York Dolls. Once again, they were just on the ballot in 2022 and have three prior nominations under their belt. Here may be the kicker for the group – in 2023, the Induction Ceremonies are due to be held in New York City. What better way to honor the punk rockers than an induction in front of their hometown crowd? In 2023, New York Dolls are going to go into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame…in one way or another. (As a side note, look for Devo to earn induction during the next ceremonies that are held in Cleveland.)

There’s a third choice from 2022 to return to the ballot in 2023, and that would be the British chanteuse Kate Bush. She has also racked up three previous nominations for the Hall and has yet to be inducted. I have mentioned previously that, if the Hall were in London instead of Cleveland, then Bush would have been an FYE inductee. Alas, Bush has had to struggle through more popular choices like Tina Turner and Stevie Nicks (both deserving inductions, don’t get me wrong) while waiting for her name to be called.

What about choices before last year? There is a list of artists who have been tapped previously that are waiting to be called again.

Since 2016, there have been 117 nominations made. From those, many have earned induction over the six years since then (by my highly unofficial count, 66). I could see a band like DMB making a return trip to the nominations list, especially after the outcry in 2020 over their winning the Fan Vote and being passed over for induction. There has also been a great deal of attention paid to 2019 nominee John Prine, who has been lauded of late for his lifetime of work.

There are three others that I’m looking at that should also merit discussion. Jane’s Addiction and Bad Brains were both nominated for the first time in 2017 and were bypassed, as was 2016 nominee Los Lobos. Of these three, it is easy to conceive that Jane’s Addiction would get another nod and be considered a strong contender for potential induction if they got the call. While Bad Brains and Los Lobos both are extremely qualified and, in my thoughts, deserve to be inducted, it might be a non-voting path for those bands.


Thus, at the end of the day, who do we have from the “previously nominated” list taking another stab at the biggest honor in rock and roll? How about:

Rage Against the Machine
New York Dolls
Kate Bush
Dave Matthews Band
John Prine
Jane’s Addiction

That brings to a total of eleven of my nominees for the 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Class. We’ve got to look towards those that might have been bypassed in the past plus those that don’t tick the typical “RAWK” checkbox on the list (think R&B, country, rap, and other acts). In our third and final part, we’ll consider those choices and come up with a highly preliminary list (that could change, to be honest) before the announcement of the nominees in January or February 2023.