Tag: Robert Palmer

Who Will Be the Nominees for the 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Part 1: The Newcomers

On Saturday night in Los Angeles, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame welcomed its 2022 Induction Class into the fold. And what a night it was! The highly diverse induction class featured plenty of worthy entries and, as a bonus, also provided some once-in-a-lifetime moments on the stage. The robust power of Judas Priest, complete with the proverbial “prodigal son” guitarist K. K. Downing and drummer Les Binks, demonstrated why they should have been inducted as Performers, while Priest frontman Rob Halford’s duet with Dolly Parton on “Jolene” demonstrated the stretches of rock and roll’s coverage. Finally, two-time Hall inductee Dave Grohl’s work with Lionel Richie was memorable, as was the very-in-love Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo’s acceptance speech and blistering performance.

Alas, however, the show has come to a close. It is now time for the pundits to start to consider who might be in line to join the Hall in 2023. My punditry is going to be broken down into three parts. Up first, we’ll look at the potential newcomers to the list – who might break through that has come eligible in the past few years? In Part II, we’ll examine those who have been nominated in the past. Finally, in Part III, we’ll look through the decades for those who might have been overlooked – and many have.

Without further ado, let’s get it on (tell me you didn’t think of Marvin Gaye?)!

As we get ready to look towards 2023, that means that artists who made their first recordings in 1997 are now eligible for induction. Several viable choices might come from that year, but the reality is that only a few of them will make the grade. A look at past years will show that the success rate is low.

Looking back at the year 2000, how many artists that became eligible that year do you think have made it into the Hall? If your answer was “zero,” then you’re as much a rock historian as I am. That’s right, the Class of 2000 has inducted nobody, although members of Jefferson Starship and Marc Bolan (with T. Rex) have been ensconced in the Hall. This includes such fan favorites as Bad Company, The Commodores, and KC & The Sunshine Band, plus critically acclaimed artists such as Brian Eno, Ian Dury and The Blockheads, The Residents, and Robert Palmer.

In looking at those newly eligible in 2022 (for the 2023 class), there aren’t names that leap out at you as surefire nominees. Perhaps it is because 25 years is such a brief time in life, it doesn’t seem like it should be a guideline for someone’s career to be judged. That is the standard that the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame uses, however, so we must abide by that – until they up it to thirty or, maybe even forty, years.

According to Future Rock Legends, there are SEVENTY artists and groups that are newly eligible for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Naturally, there are some of these artists that have no chance in hell of even entering the Hall, so we can immediately issue the “thanks for playing” card to artists like Duncan Sheik, Foxy Brown, Tech N9ne, Busta Rhymes, and groups like Apocalyptica, Fastball, Fun Lovin’ Criminals, and Nada Surf. There is a handful, however, that bear a little more thought.

Two of those choices will send the “RAWK” denizens screaming into the night. Both N*Sync and The Spice Girls are newly minted “first-year eligible” members of the class of 2022 and both bear some thought. Both bands were practitioners of the “girl” or “boy” group sound that has become even more prevalent in today’s music world, with bands like BTS and Blackpink making their impact known. In 2021, however, Backstreet Boys didn’t even get a breath for an induction, so I am not expecting to hear either of these groups called up come January 2023.

There are three members of the hard rock/metal community that will bear watching. The Christian rock band Skillet, Iowa’s Slipknot, and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra all are eligible now for induction into the Hall, and two of them I view as potentially viable. Slipknot is a given, with their impact on the hard rock world still being felt today. The other is TSO – I know, that may sound like a stretch, but the development of symphonic metal has been greatly advanced by TSO over the years. Although we’ve advanced a couple here, we’ve got to also recognize the anti-hard rock/metal bias that the Hall has – and we’ll have to table these two until we put together the entire list of potential inductees.

There are four left that might have a chance at being an FYE nomination. Two of them are critical darlings, Fatboy Slim and Fiona Apple, whom the Hall would absolutely love to induct. Their problem, however, is not an extensive amount of commercial success for either act. The other two have the exact opposite problem – Matchbox Twenty and Nickelback have long been fan favorites (even Nickelback), but their critical acclaim is lacking.

So, let’s move on to the other years, shall we?

In 2021, we’ve already talked about Backstreet Boys, but The Chemical Brothers were also newly eligible. Electronic music, alas, is having almost as hard a time getting recognized as hard rock/metal, as we’ll see in a bit. Jewel and Garbage are both viable choices, with equal parts critical and commercial acclaim, with Deftones and Gov’t Mule having a humongous critical acclaim to post their resume on.

2020 saw the first-year eligibility of bands like Oasis (should have at least been nominated), Korn (likewise), Daft Punk (sensing a trend here), Sleater-Kinney (geez, what IS the Nomination Committee looking for?), Weezer (ditto), and Wilco (hey…), but the Hall has overlooked them so far – is another year of waiting in the offering? Finally, the Hall Nomination Committee has bypassed 2019 FYEs like Liz Phair, Outkast, Sheryl Crow, Snoop Dogg, and the Dave Matthews Band (previously nominated).

As to our “newcomers” list, who comes out alive?

If there is an FYE nominee from the 2022 list that might make the nominations, it would be Apple. Her career has been one that the Hall loves to acknowledge and, with the current vibe of the Hall towards nominating more women for induction, Apple would be a logical choice for nomination if not induction. You MIGHT see Slipknot get the nod to soothe the savage hard rock/metal beasts out there, but that might be as far as Slipknot gets (for now).

From the other years, it is about time that Jewel and Crow get their fair due. Once again, riding on the trend of inductions of women into the Hall, they would be the most likely choices. Sleater-Kinney might make it in here, but they may be a bit too obscure for some to get behind them. I’d love to see Daft Punk, Korn, Phair, Outkast, and Snoop all get the call for nomination, but I also understand that the Hall isn’t my personal jukebox. If one of them got chosen, I’d be happy.

For Part I of our choices for the 2023 Nominations List, here’s what we’ll start with:

Fiona Apple
Jewel
Sheryl Crow
Korn
Liz Phair


Here’s the thing, though…we’ve still got two more groups to consider! In the next part of this series, we’ll look back at those who have been previously nominated. In many cases, it takes multiple nominations before an artist or band is inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Who do you think might be the ones who are nominated for 2023 that have been nominated before?

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A Way-Too-Early Look at Who Might be Nominated for the 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Over this past weekend, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies for the Class of 2021 aired on HBO. It was a fine program, with just a few flaws (the Tina Turner tribute fell flat and Drew Barrymore’s drooling over the induction of The Go-Go’s was a bit much), and it seemed that the sellout crowd in attendance at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland had a damn good time. Even before the ceremonies had closed, however, speculation had already begun as to who will be nominated for the Class of 2022.

Considering the fact that this class will not be chosen until late January at the earliest, the speculation seems to be a bit premature. It is human nature, however, to always be looking towards the future. It is also human nature to try to “right wrongs,” as in those that had been nominated in 2021 but failed to get in. The problem with this theory is that those that have been nominated and failed to get in have a much more challenging time as their nominations (and subsequent rejections for induction) mount up – ask eleven-time nominees Chic or Rufus and Chaka Khan about multiple nominations and how that went.

But let us entertain the thought. Here are some of those that were nominated in 2021 and an honest look at their chances to come back to the ballot in 2022.

First off, we can immediately discount four of the 2021 nominees and they are all women, unfortunately. Mary J. Blige, Kate Bush, Chaka Khan and Dionne Warwick will not be back on the ballot in 2022 for a variety of reasons. For Blige, you only have to look at LL Cool J. “Ladies Love Cool James” had to be inducted by receiving the Award for Musical Excellence and he has had a career that was VASTLY superior to Blige. If there were someone who might have a chance to use the AME like that, it would be Khan, who has been nominated several times as both a solo artist and with the band Rufus. But neither of these ladies will be on the ballot come 2022.

For Bush, it is simply a matter that her incredible talents are more respected in Europe and, in particular, the United Kingdom than they are in the States. If the Rock Hall were in London, she would have been a first year eligible (FYE) induction. Alas, the Rock Hall is on the shores of Lake Erie, thus she will probably never get another chance. Warwick must have been some sort of cosmic joke to be nominated for the Rock Hall…she is not getting another chance.

Noting the longstanding prejudice of the Rock Hall against hard rock and metal, this is arguably the last time you will see Iron Maiden or Rage Against the Machine on the ballot (as you will see, though…that does not stop me from putting some harder edged bands on my choices for 2022). It seems that neither of the bands were able to garner much support for induction, so they might end up like Judas Priest, Motorhead, and Thin Lizzy, eternally on the “outside looking in” at Rock Hall membership, even though ALL of them deserve it.

That leaves three nominees from 2021 that all have a chance to be inducted – Devo, New York Dolls, and Fela Kuti.

These three are going to go in at some point in the mix. Kuti will be inducted, it is simply a question of whether he is elected as a performer or he takes the Early Influence or AME route. Devo is a selection that the Rock Hall Nominating Committee will hold in their hip pocket for an induction ceremony back in Cleveland. Inducting a band created in Akron, OH, would excite the local fans and draw a great deal of media coverage. That also goes for the Dolls, whose induction during a New York ceremony would be massive, not to mention that the Rock Hall may need another 70s relic to induct on some occasion – New York Dolls would cover both bases.

Now that we have covered the 2021 nominees and their chances at getting back on the ballot in 2022, we can move on. Here are the bands that I believe, in this way-too-early selection list, will be the nominations for the 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

The ONLY guarantee for 2022 is Eminem, and he is also a shoo-in as an FYE induction. The former Marshall Mathers is recognized as one of the greatest rappers in the history of the genre and has expanded the scope of the genre into pop and rock effortlessly. The Rock Hall has recognized nine rap acts for induction, and Eminem will be the tenth to take a chair in rock’s Parthenon.

Duran Duran was one of the seminal 80s acts, and they have surprisingly NEVER been nominated for induction into the Rock Hall. That should change this year, especially with John Sykes, the new Chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, now firmly in charge. Sykes made an impact with his first Rock Hall class in 2021 and now, with his history as one of the founders of MTV, will push hard for the inclusion of more of those 80s acts that have been overlooked for far too long. You could also slip Eurythmics or Joy Division/New Order into this slot.

Even though I said it would not happen, I would love to see the Rock Hall give both Judas Priest and Thin Lizzy one final shot. The Rock Hall has made some missteps over the years and, for at least the selection of Judas Priest, they could rectify it with their induction. Motorhead or Iron Maiden might be other selections if you want to have two hard rock/metal acts to choose from (but which in the past may have served as a detriment in dividing the hard rock/metal vote).

There are two acts from the 1970s that are worthy of consideration – War and the J. Geils Band. Both were outstanding acts in the 70s that garnered huge followings, and both had an impact on the development of rock in the decade. I used to be against both bands being inducted, but I took an honest look and spent some expanded time examining their resumes and…guess what? You can change your mind on some occasions!

If we are going full bore on the 80s – and start considering acts that should have been inducted over a decade ago – the place to start is with Pat Benatar. Nominated in 2019 and somehow passed over for induction, the Rock Hall is trying to make up for the lack of female inductees in the building (note the inductions of Tina Turner, Carole King, and The Go-Go’s in 2021). Personally, I think that Benatar should have been there years ago, but I think she might be the one standing in the way of an induction by insisting on being inducted with her husband, Neil Giraldo. If that is the case, that is unfortunate.

There are two men who merit consideration for induction into the Rock Hall. Sting’s solo career was so vastly different from his time with The Police that he deserves consideration for his work apart from the band. Additionally, it is time that Robert Palmer gets some kudos from the Rock Hall. He could croon a ballad with the best of them, could rock it up when he wanted to (“Bad Case of Loving You” and his work with The Power Station) and look oh, so suave as he did it (I am waiting for those fans of Phil Collinsto quit their wails of disbelief).

Now, if you want to get controversial, our final four choices would do it. Separate out the idiocy of their front man over the past decade or so and only look at the work of The Smiths. You will realize that Morrissey and Company were key to the development of alternative rock through the 80s and into the 90s. If you are going to have The Cure and Depeche Mode in the Rock Hall, then The Smiths deserve to be there, too. Additionally, Jane’s Addiction and, yes, Rage Against the Machine deserve to receive their kudos for their intricate and politically powerful work in the 90s.

Finally, if there is one rock band that is newly eligible in 2022 for induction into the Rock Hall, it would be Slipknot. The band fronted by Corey Taylor has many similarities to 2021 inductee Foo Fighters – carrying the rock and roll banner unapologetically for 25 years, sticking to their sound over the years, providing a linchpin between today’s rockers and past greats, and having an enigmatic focal point in Taylor (Dave Grohl did that for the Foos). I will say right now I do not expect them to be inducted even IF they are nominated, but who knows?

That is a total of 13 selections – but the Nomination Class is normally 15 or 16 artists and groups. I am leaving a few slots open for those “wild cards” that the Rock Hall seems to produce out of the blue (see Kuti, Fela and Warwick, Dionne from 2021). Right now, however, the only thing that is guaranteed is that Eminem will be inducted in 2022 – after that, it is a free-for-all.