The what-ifs of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Some of the greatest musical acts that the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame continues to ignore.
artwork by Asher Stone.
Over the years the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has honored many incredible and iconic artists of various genres. From their first class in 1986 featuring the likes of Robert Johnson, Elvis Presley, and Sam Cooke, up to 2024 which included Mary J. Blige, Ozzy Ozbourne, and A Tribe Called Quest, just to name a few, the institution has always recognized a variety of musical styles to some extent. While inclusion or exclusion from the Hall of Fame does not mean much in the grand scheme of things, I always find it as a cool point of discussion in music, sparking plenty of debate between my father and I each year over who is deserving of the honor. It’s also nice to see some of your favorite bands and artists get this sort of recognition, and it seems to bring a smile to their faces. However, many deserving artists go unrecognized longer than they should. For instance, the late, great Whitney Houston was eligible for 10 years before finally being inducted, and had sadly passed away years before she posthumously received the award. Here are a few of my favorite musical acts, who I think deserve to have already been inducted, but these are just some of many.
Chic
Chic has been nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 11 times, the most of any act that has yet to be inducted. Although the band didn’t invent disco, they absolutely perfected it, putting out some of the most irresistible dance records of the 70s. They were led by undeniable musical genius Nile Rodgers, whose funky guitar riffs and glistening tone defined their sound, bassist Bernard Edwards, widely regarded as one of the greatest of all time, and drummer Tony Thompson laid down a solid, danceable foundation. A rotating cast of lead singers, most notably Alfa Anderson (1976-1983), Norma Jean Wright (1977-1978), and Luci Martin (1978-1983) provided beautiful harmonies, singing about love, promiscuity, and nights out. They broke through in 1977 with their self-titled debut album and immediately established themselves as a force to be reckoned with in disco music. “Everybody Dance” features one of Edwards’ greatest basslines. The bass skips around playfully, while the driving drums and Rogers' always stellar guitar are more than enough to get people out on the dancefloor to go along with the lyrics which encourage us to do just that. While the songwriting and performances aren’t quite as tight as they would be on later works, the songs are still fun, the musical talent is palpable, and the instrumentals are eclectic, even incorporating flute, bongos, and saxophone on certain tracks. Their second album, C’est Chic (1978) features “Le Freak," one of the most definitive and iconic disco tracks of all time. On “I Want Your Love," the band sings of an unrequited love, as the track is enveloped in elegant strings. Risqué is the greatest disco album of all time. The vocals, strings, bass, and guitar occupy their own sonic layers in the spacious production, ensuring that the album never sounds flat, which is a common pitfall for many other disco albums in the 70s. The bass and guitar tones are glistening, and Edwards, Rogers, and Thompson play with a passion that can be felt through the speakers. “Good Times” is an infectious ode to nights out in the disco clubs that was also sampled in the Sugar Hill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight," which would go on to become the first hit rap song. “My Forbidden Lover” has an irresistible groove surrounded by lush strings and an incredibly intricate bassline. As disco grew to become one of the most widely despised musical genres in the 80s, the band’s popularity declined, despite their continued quality. Real People (1980), is more of what they had been providing in the 70s, with beautiful, striking strings, lively guitar and bass, and danceable grooves. Other artists admired Nile Rodgers’ work with Chic so much that they asked him to produce their albums, most notably Madonna’s Like a Virgin (1984) and David Bowie’s Let’s Dance (1983). It is also commonly believed that Edwards’ work on “Good Times” inspired the iconic bassline on Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust”. Not only did Chic make some of the greatest disco music of all time, but their influence reached far beyond disco.
Selected Discography: Risqué (1979), C’est Chic (1978), Real People (1980)
Favorite Songs: “Real People," “I Want Your Love," “My Forbidden Lover”
New Order
In the wake of the tragic death of their singularly talented frontman Ian Curtis, the remaining members of Joy Division chose to add keyboardist Gillian Gilbert and drastically reinvent themselves. And thus, New Order was born. With their first single “Ceremony” and subsequent debut album Movement, New Order stuck with the nocturnal, moody sound of Joy Division, albeit with an increased use of synths. Guitarist and new lead singer Bernard Sumner’s vocals closely resemble Curtis’ deep, despondent crooning. On Power Corruption & Lies, their masterful sophomore album, New Order discovered a sound more distinct from their previous work. Sumner delivers a very expressive vocal performance on the opening track, “Age of Consent," and although he isn’t necessarily the strongest vocal talent, the sharp songwriting, orchestral yet somber synths, and the melodic bassline from Peter Hook. New Order would continue to define 80s New Wave and alternative music. “Blue Monday," one of the most iconic electronic songs of all time, is a beautifully layered dance track with infectious kick drums, and hypnotic synth bass. Throughout the decade the band continued to put out some of the most definitive new wave music of the 80s. Their third album, Low Life (1985), opens with “Love Vigilantes”. The song sounds surprisingly upbeat as far as New Order goes, but don’t let this fool you, as the lyrics are from the perspective of a man who is away at war. Eagerly awaiting the day that he can once again see his wife and child, it is only when he returns home that he realizes that he is a ghost. “Sub-Culture," is a dark, heavy synth banger, with a dirty bassline, and energetic drums, and lyrics the tell of loneliness. Brotherhood (1986) features “Bizarre Love Triangle," one of the band’s most iconic songs, on which Sumner sings about a passionate lost love over soaring synths. While Joy Division is amazing in their own right, New Order in particular gets my advocacy thanks to their stellar output in the 80s. They made some of the greatest and most influential music of all time, while introducing a darker vibe and greater level of musical complexity to the dancefloors.
Selected Discography: Power Corruption & Lies, Low-Life, Brotherhood
Favorite Songs: “Sub-Culture," “Blue Monday," “Age of Consent”
Outkast
Outkast has been eligible for induction since 2019. Since that time the Rock & Roll Hall of fame has only inducted four hip hop acts, but with OutKast being one of the most innovative and successful acts in popular music, it’s hard to understand their exclusion from their first ballot. Andre 3000, with his eclectic taste and untamable creativity. Big Boi, one of the coolest, most charismatic MCs to ever touch a mic, with his witty one liners and deep, unmistakably southern voice. With two of the greatest rappers of all time teaming up over the dark, gritty, groovy production of Organized Noize, it’s no wonder that Outkast came through with one of the greatest discographies in all of hip hop. They burst onto the scene with Southerplaylisticadillacmuzik (1994), an album more similar to its contemporaries than their other efforts, while still establishing what Outkast was all about. On their follow-up and magnum opus, ATLiens (1996), Outkast greatly shifted their sound. The production is nocturnal, spacious, and, dare I say, alien-sounding. The album’s themes are much more conscious and introspective than on their previous effort, but they still leave some space for witty brag raps. On the title track, the self-proclaimed ATLiens flex their lyrical prowess over an atmospheric beat with a heavy, enveloping bassline. On songs like “Elevators” and “13th Floor / Growing Old," the two open up about their fears around maintaining their success and aging respectively. Aquemini (1998), continues into these deeper lyrical themes, while the production leans more heavily into funk. “Rosa Parks” has an infectious party track with a memorable harmonica solo, and is one of the biggest songs of their career. It’s impossible to ignore the incredible “SpottieOttieDopaliscious," a hazy, funky, sensual spoken word track with a contagious horn refrain describing an interaction with a beautiful woman. In the 2000s, the duo was as popular as ever, while still pushing the envelope. Stankonia (2001) includes the legendary “Ms. Jackson. The iconic “I’m sorry Ms. Jackson, I am for real” hook is one of the catchiest of all time. It was on this album that Andre 3000 began doing more singing, a trend that continued even further on Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (2003), a double album which is really just a Big Boi solo album and then an Andre 3000 solo album back-to-back. On Speakerboxxx, Big Boi spits his usual silky smooth southern flows over some fairly distinct and eclectic hip hop production. The Love Below, however, is the definition of eclectic, with Andre committing deeper to his singing in a wide variety of styles, from jazz, to funk, to pop. The album includes the timeless “Hey Ya," which explores the futility of love with awareness that its earworm chorus and pop appeal will distract listeners from the more depressing lyrics. As Andre puts it,
“Y’all don’t wanna hear me, you just wanna dance.”
Outkast was a once in a lifetime act, and without them the south, and Atlanta in particular wouldn’t be the mecca of hip hop that it eventually became. If I could choose anyone to induct, it would be them.
Selected Discography: ATLiens (1996), Aquemini (1998), Stankonia (2001)
Favorite Songs: “Da Art of Storytellin’ Pt. 1," “Elevators (Me & You)," “Ms. Jackson”
edited by River Wang.
artwork by Asher Stone.
album artwork believed to belong to either the publisher of the work or the artist.