Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame: A Voter Explains Their Ballot

Author Brian Ives // Managing Editor, Beasley Media

May 10th, 2021 5:00 AM

The votes are all in, and on Wednesday (May 12), the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will announce the 2021 inductees, which means it’ll be time to argue about who should’ve gotten in, who shouldn’t have, and who should be on the ballot in 2022.

We asked a Hall of Fame voter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, about how one becomes a voter, and how they decided on who to vote for this year.

“I’ve worked in the media side of the music business for quite a few years,” the voter tells us. “I’ve covered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for more than twenty years and have also been a pundit, discussing it on radio and on TV. I had a few friends who were voters, but I didn’t know how you you could become a voter. And I didn’t want to ask. But one day, I got an email from the Rock Hall asking if I’d be ‘interested’ in voting. Um, yeah! I asked why they reached out to me, and they said that someone in the organization suggested me, but they wouldn’t tell me who it was. And I never found out. But to whoever suggested me: thanks!”

“This year’s ballot is the most difficult one in my three years of voting,” our voter tells us. “Of the seventeen nominees, I think that fifteen deserve to be in. And while I’m a rock fan, and I’ve worked in the rock genre for much of my career, I don’t have a bias against artists that don’t fit into an orthodox definition of ‘rock.’ I always look back to the first two induction classes, from 1986 and 1987: you had Chuck Berry and Little Richard and Elvis Presley, guys who really defined ‘rock and roll.’ But there were also straight up soul — or R&B — singers, like Aretha Franklin and Sam Cooke and Ray Charles. And you had artists that you could consider ‘pop,’ like the Everly Brothers and the Coasters and Ricky Nelson. You even had country: Jimmie Rodgers and Hank Williams. I think that’s the spirit of rock and roll, combining all of these different types of music.”

You’ve been warned! Here’s this person’s ballot, in alphabetical order, with explanations.

• Mary J. Blige: NOPE

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   As I said, R&B singers have always been part of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, literally from day one. Mary J. Blige is one of the best R&B singers of the past few decades, and she merged R&B with hip-hop in a way that was game changing. Also, when she sings, you believe every word. She absolutely deserves to be in. That said, she's not on my ballot this year.

• Kate Bush: NOPE

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  In America, a lot of people know her because she sang with Peter Gabriel on "Don't Give Up." I don't think she ever toured here, but she did get support on alternative radio in the '80s. She's kind of her own genre, and she's influenced a lot of great artists, from OutKast to Bjork. Personally, I weigh influence more than album sales. She deserves to be in. But I didn't vote for her this year.

• Devo: NOPE

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  I think of "weird" as an important part of rock and roll -- and particularly of rock and roll's ability to evolve and innovate. It's often the weirdos leading and everyone else following and figuring it out. And no one is weirder than Devo. They influenced a lot of amazing artists: Nirvana, Nine Inch Nails, Rage Against The Machine and Soundgarden. I once saw Pearl Jam dress up as Devo at one of their shows and play "Whip It." There are a lot of "rock" bands in the Hall of Fame that are a hell of a lot less influential than Devo. But I didn't vote for them either. If they don't get in, I really hope they're on the ballot again.
• Foo Fighters: NOPE

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  There aren't many arena/stadium headlining bands whose new album releases feel like an "event." There aren't a lot of rock bands that transcend the genre and get booked on the late night shows, and award shows, etc. I've seen them in clubs and in stadiums, they're always amazing. But I'm not voting for them. I feel like other bands in their "lane" should be getting in before them; it seems weird to me that the Foo Fighters would be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame before, say, Jane's Addiction or Soundgarden (and I think Grohl might agree with that). Also -- and here's where voting strategy comes in -- I *know* they're going to be on the ballot in the next few years until they get in. But if I was a betting person, I'd bet that they're getting in this year.

• Go-Go’s: YES

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  The early years of MTV are sort of written off by music critics, and, probably by voters. But in the early '80s, MTV was really taking some risks, partially because they needed to fill 24 hours a day with music videos. As a result, there were a lot of one-hit wonders with cool videos, but there were a lot of great bands too, and bands with enduring careers, like Duran Duran, INXS, the English Beat and definitely the Go-Go's. This entire era feels like it has been ignored by the Rock Hall. By the way, I also think that the original MTV VJs should be in the Hall of Fame, too. But back to the Go-Go's: they influenced a lot of people -- female and male -- to start bands.

• Iron Maiden: YES

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  Of course I voted for them, and I'd question your judgement if you didn't. Of all the different subgenres of rock music, heavy metal has proven to be one of the most enduring. And Maiden is one of the top five most influential metal bands ever, along with Black Sabbath, Metallica, Motorhead and Judas Priest. There are a lot of artists that I'd consider "hard rock" in the Rock Hall: Hendrix, the Yardbirds, Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Heart, Van Halen, Guns N Roses, Cream, Aerosmith, KISS, AC/DC, Queen, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, Def Leppard. But the creepy, dark, haunting stuff, that's why I consider to be metal, and only Sabbath and Metallica are represented. Maiden has followed their own instincts: they got popular without much help from the industry, MTV or (sorry) radio. And they're still huge: they sell out arenas in America and soccer stadiums internationally. Their first five (or seven) albums are incredibly influential. Even if you don't love them -- I realize that metal isn't for everyone -- they deserve your respect.
• JAY-Z: NOPE

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  He's like Springsteen or Prince or Madonna or U2. His combination of enduring popularity, cultural impact and critical acclaim makes him pretty undeniable. So it doesn't matter what you (or I) think. I feel like Jay-Z and Foo Fighters are the two artists that I'd bet will get in this year, but I didn't vote for either. As with my reasoning that the Foo Fighters should not get in before Soundgarden or Jane's Addiction, I also don't think Jay-Z should get in before some artists that preceded him, like A Tribe Called Quest or LL Cool J. Jay will be on the ballot every year until he gets voted in anyway.

• Chaka Khan: NOPE

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  She was on the ballot last year as part of her former band, Rufus, so clearly the Rock Hall wants to honor her. Having binged her catalog, it is clear to me that she's probably one of the best singers of all time. If you listen to her backing vocals on Steve Winwood's "Higher Love," you know her voice. "I Feel For You," which Prince wrote for her, is amazing. I'd rather see her get in with Rufus; I love bands and "Ain't Nobody" and "Tell Me Something Good" are incredible.

• Carole King: NOPE

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  She really should have been the first woman to get into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice; she's already in as a "non-performer" as part of the Gerry Goffin/Carole King songwriting team. But just based on Tapestry, she should be a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer on her own. That's the album with "So Far Away," "I Feel The Earth Move," "It's Too Late," "Beautiful," "You've Got A Friend." Sometimes if an artist is too "pop," with no rebelliousness, I feel like they don't belong in the Rock Hall, even if they're great. Like, I didn't vote for Whitney Houston; I wouldn't have voted for Neil Diamond. But I do hope to vote for Carole King one day, since I didn't vote for her this year.
• Fela Anikulapo Kuti: NOPE

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  Honestly, I was shocked to see him on the ballot, and I'd love to see him inducted. He's a huge influence on the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and he and James Brown influenced each other. He did a great live album with Ginger Baker; I think he's awesome. But I don't think he stands much of a chance of being voted in. Even if I didn't care about strategic voting, I wouldn't vote for him over the five artists who I'm voting for this year.

• LL Cool J: YES

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  OK, if you're of the mindset that hip-hop doesn't belong in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, we can just agree to disagree. I happen to think that hip-hop does belong. Rebelliousness, undeniable coolness and innovation are all parts of what *I* consider to be "rock and roll," and frankly, in the early '80s, hip-hop had that more than a lot of rock music. LL Cool J was at the center of that. "I Need A Beat" was Def Jam's second single; LL's Radio was the label's first LP. LL was really the genre's first solo star. He also arguably made hip-hop's first "comeback" with 1990's Mama Said Knock You Out (although he specifically demanded that we not call it that). He's one of the few early '80s hip-hop artists who remained relevant well into the '90s. So yeah, I think Jay-Z will get in one day, and he should. But he should not get in before LL Cool J.

• New York Dolls: NOPE

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  In 2004, Morrissey organized a reunion of the New York Dolls, and Izzy Stradlin' nearly came out retirement to play in their live band. Can you think of any other artist to so profoundly affect members of the Smiths *and* Guns N Roses? If you're not familiar with them, all you really need to check out is their self-titled album from 1973. And I hope more people do check it out! The Dolls have deserved to be in for a long time. But I didn't vote for them, and I regret it already, but I just don't think that they'll get enough votes to get in, and I want to vote for artists who stand a chance to be inducted.
• Rage Against the Machine: YES

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  If you saw them back in the '90s, you know that it was one of the most powerful live shows you could ever experience. Zack de la Rocha is one of greatest frontmen ever -- and as an MC could go toe-to-toe with most of hip-hop's greatest. Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk were about as tight of a rhythm section as you'll ever see and Tom Morello is the last guitar hero (or one of the last, Jack White might be the last). Their three albums are nearly perfect and airtight and are all among the best albums of the Lollapalooza era of the '90s, which was -- let's be real -- a fantastic era for rock music. And just when you thought there weren't many (or any) new sounds to be mined in rock, Rage Against The Machine came along and sounded unlike anything we'd ever heard before.

• Todd Rundgren: NOPE

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  I really respect him, he's done so many interesting things throughout the course of his career, and not just as a solo artist. He produced Meat Loaf's Bat Out Of Hell -- one of the most ornately produced albums ever -- and the New York Dolls' self-titled debut, which was down and dirty. As a solo artist, he's spanned different genres and has been doing that for decades. But after listening to a lot of his solo records, I just wasn't convinced to vote for him.

• Tina Turner: YES

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  Like Carole King, she's already in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and like Carole King, she's in as part of a duo with her ex-husband: Ike & Tina Turner. Weirdly, in both cases, the guy is listed first, even as the woman has much greater star power. I almost voted for Carole but went with Tina and here's why: in both cases, their solo careers seem to be centered around one album. In Carole's case, it's Tapestry, which made her a star performer (after working as a behind-the-scenes writer for years). In Tina's case, it was Private Dancer, which established her as a star in her own right, and marked one of the most dramatic and surprising comebacks in music history. But the rest of Tina's discography, to me, held up a bit better than the rest of Carole's. Upon listening to all of Turner's records, I kind of felt like her post-Private Dancer stuff is a bit underrated. I have to admit there was another factor here: the idea of Tina only being in the Rock Hall attached to her abusive ex-husband seemed gross and wrong. Maybe watching the Tina Turner documentary fed into it a bit. But based on her catalog alone, she deserves to be a Hall of Famer on her own.
• Dionne Warwick: NOPE

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  Like everyone else, I've gotten a huge kick out of seeing her discover Twitter. And like anyone else with ears, I can recognize that she's an incredible singer. But I had an easy time not voting for her.

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Author Brian Ives // Managing Editor, Beasley Media

Category:

• 95.7 BEN FM
• Music

Tags:

Devo,Foo Fighters,Iron Maiden,Rage Against The Machine,Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,The Go-Go's