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The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame recently announced their nominees for the 2011 induction, and as usual, it left many people disappointed. While there were some good candidates on the list, it’s impossible to please everybody. However, ardent fans have made a strong case for the following bands and artists who weren’t nominated this year and aren’t in the hall of fame yet.
Wings (aka Paul McCartney & Wings): The group was together (despite many personnel changes) for less than a decade, yet they created five #1 albums and six #1 singles. With an impressive variety of styles incorporated into their music, perhaps the Hall has only ignored them because they aren’t sure which name to list them under?
The Moody Blues: Their epic “Nights in White Satin” defied convention by becoming a hit and marked the beginning of progressive rock. Maybe the Hall just doesn’t like Denny Laine?
Cheap Trick: Cheap Trick’s influence is in just about every popular band today made up of guys under 25 years of age. Cheap Trick At Budokan is one of the most successful live albums of all time. Plus, how can the Hall not want to close out their ceremony with “Goodnight”?
E.L.O.: They used synthesizers to bring a classical symphony feel to rock n roll. Singles like “Turn to Stone”, “Telephone Line”, and “Don’t Bring Me Down” helped define the music of the 1970s.
Public Enemy: Rap artists have only recently been eligible for inclusion due to the 25-year rule, but it comes as a surprise that these pioneers of modern hip-hop haven’t been chosen yet.
Ringo Starr: Starr is arguably the most famous drummer in the world and the only member of the Beatles not to be inducted for his solo work. Considering that his catalog contains “Photograph”, “It Don’t Come Easy”, “Oh My My” and the #1 cover of Johnny Burnette‘s “You’re Sixteen”, this is quite an oversight.
KISS: While some say that the group is more spectacle than art, they have certainly carved out a unique place for themselves in pop culture. Their fans (aka, “the KISS army”) have strongly protested the group’s exclusion, staging rallies and signing petitions for the past ten years.
The Monkees: While critics often write them off as prefabricated TV stars, the group has had two #1 singles and sold tons of records. While they didn’t write or play the instruments on some of their biggest hits, their later work showed a type of folk/rock/psychedelic sophistication that many bands aspire to.
Linda Ronstadt: With a career spanning multiple decades that spun many hit singles and accolades, she has been called the “Queen of Rock” and “The First Lady of Rock”. Her exclusion has led some people to believe that the Rock Hall is biased against women.
Heart: In the 1970s, they specialized in hard rock, but turned to pop-flavored hits in the 1980s. Either way, they gave us everything from “Barracuda”, “Magic Man”, and “Crazy on You” to “Alone”, “These Dreams”, and “What About Love?”.
Pat Benatar: In the future, if there is a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, it will have many female artists in it who were influenced by Pat Benatar in one way or another. Her music helped bridge a link between pop and rock that many of us don’t even realize.
Deep Purple: Pioneers of heavy metal, they found success with many different genres of rock. Plus, they came up with “Smoke On The Water” and its legendary guitar riff.
