Why Is It called the "Rock and Roll" Hall of Fame?

Here are this year's nominees, alphabetically:

Abba
AC/DC
Black Sabbath
Chic
The Clash
Elvis Costello & the Attractions
The Dells
Kraftwerk
Lynyrd Skynyrd
MC5
The Police
The Righteous Brothers
Sex Pistols
The Patti Smith Group
Steve Winwood

I copied the list from Tim's thread where I started to raise this ?, but then I realized it wouldn't be fair to Tim, so I started a new thread ... what's one more thread that will probably sink off into oblivion.

Where are the artists that play "rock and roll"? If I wasn't so lazy, I could print the list of who's in and probably come up with a list of 50 or so who should be in the "Rock and Roll" Hall of Fame but are not.

I know that this topic comes up ever year, but it bugs me ... now I feel better ... thanks for listening.

 

Rock becomes very hard to define without trying to eliminate bands of questionable AS rock.

Is it just guitar, bass drums? Must it be formatted? Yanni might not be in the R&R Hall Of Fame, neither would Pavoratti. The more you try to classify, the more confusing it gets.

 

Chip,

I thought exactly the same thing. All of this years nominees are either Rock or Pop artists (possible exception--Righteous Bros.). "Rock n' Roll" is a pre--1966 (give or take a year either side) musical style. I believe that since pre-1966 is at least 36 years in our past, artists are chosen for nomination today based on how well they will sell in the eyes of the media, record companies, etc.

It is highly unfortunate that many of the pioneers of true Rock n' Roll music have been ignored for nomination in favor of more recent artists who, while artistically talented, never recorded Rock n' Roll music.

This means that I am either taking the term Rock n' Roll too literally or I am a dinosaur. I suspect that it is the latter.

Bob

 

Somehow the "spirit" of a true hall of fame (contribution, notable performance, etc.) has become a bit of a shallow "current" popularity contest. Historical fact rather than popular revisionism should never be lost. There are a lot of "unknown" acts/people (in today's pop culture) who contributed a hell of a lot more than the people who still have top-notch press agents. The best respectful "Hall of Fame" would most likely be the one that doesn't thrive on popular reaction...

Todd

 

Sckott,

This being the case, obviously, then the name of the Hall should changed to the Popular Music Hall of Fame. This would seem a better name for the Hall, at this point.

Bob

 

True with the addition of (We take AmEx, Visa, Mastercard and CASH)...

 

Again, I'm not a hall of fame kinda guy but...

I'll use the Country Music Hall Of Fame as a contrast. This year brings the inroduction of Porter Wagoner and Bill Carlisle. Two well respected artists who did their part endlessly working the music trail. Wagoner for over 50 years now and Carlisle for more than I can count. Neither are "top of the mind" today but certainly did their part for the music.

Ask your average country music fan about these two and they might know Porter but Bill? I don't think so. But here they are. I haven't seen younger artists make the grade to the CMHofF yet. No George Strait, No Crystal Gayle, No Alabama, nothing that recent. It takes a long time to gain enough respect to get in there unless you happen to die young. But yes, it is too a popularity contest.

The R&R Hall has always seemed to me one of a profit making nature rather than one based on true respect for an artist and his contributions. The folks in charge want to hang as many popular names (popular today) on the walls as they can. That's what brings the casual weekend crowd in. "Hey honey, let's go see the Skynyrd exhibit and we can buy a Rebel flag on the way out!". (no disrespect intended for those below the Mason-Dixon line)

The more obscure founders of rock from the 50's just won't bring the casual crowd in anymore. The casual $$$$$. A couple in their 60's won't drive to Cleveland with their 35 year old kids to see the Bill Haley exhibit, sorry. But the couple in their 40's will drag the preteens along to see the Sabbath exhibit. "Daddy, is that really Mister Ozzy?". "Yes, son, I remember back that far, just like it was yesterday".

Best!

 

Maybe if we all ignore it, it will go away.

 

Has anyone here been the the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame? I went because work sent me to Cleveland and it was convenient, and I'd suggest that if your passing through you should go. But I wouldn't go out of my way if I lived across the country. Maybe after another 10 years of inductees.

Its just like taste in music. Its just too damn subjective what should or shouldn't be there.

 

True!

I remember when I was a kid in 70's my Dad drove us to Cooperstown, NY to visit the Baseball Hall of Fame. It's was small, kind of non-discrete affair. The "thing" I've seen on TV in recent times looks like it should be moved to Vegas...

 

Re: Again, I'm not a hall of fame kinda guy but...

Yeah, I get your point clearly, but the artists you disparaged here (or seem to) absolutely deserve to be recognized by the Rock hall. That Sabbath hasn't made it in yet (despite many nominations) makes the Ozzy reference a little ironic, don't ya think?

There's enough room there for everyone, I would hope.

 

It's a general term, with many categories.

 

Mike, Mike, Mike....

I'm picking on no artist in particular, just using them as examples. All who contributed over the years in some way to the progress of R&R deserve at least some mention in the archives, regardless of personal opinion. But as to why I made these two artists the subject of my message came from a marketing standpoint. Ozzy's hot with the younger crowd now courtesy of not only his fine legacy but from the tv show too. Skynyrd, not discounting in any way their legacy either, will bring in the Southern rock crowd as well as those who love a good tragedy. Marketing! I'm guessing both will be sent in this year.

Best!

 

Q: Why is it called the "Rock and Roll" Hall of Fame?

A: It sure as hell beats the other alternate title "Disney on Drugs!"

 

I had an idea it wouldn't necessarily be Rock and Roll a few years ago. I read that Madonna had donated her outfit that she wore in her Human Nature video to the R'R Hall of Fame shortly before it opened. Hardly a timeless Rock and Roll artifact. I write this as a spanking new Hard Rock Cafe opens today in Minneapolis across the Street from First Avenue (the club that Prince plays at in the movie Purple Rain) Uggh!
Thanks,
Aaron

 

I went to it while I was in town attending my ten year reunion. They had a John Lennon exhibit which may still be there. It took up several floors and was quite thorough. The museum was painted white on white on white, just like John and Yoko's house. There where, of course, guitars, clothing, letters and drawings but there were also some more surprising displays.

Yoko hand selected what was in the exhibit including a phone with a sign saying if the phone rings pick it up because it's Yoko.

A room at the very top of the Hall of Fame had nothing but original handwritten lyrics to some of the Beatles' and John's songs. We Can Work It Out, In My Life, Tomorrow Never Knows, Drive My Car, Lucy In The Sky, Glass Onion, Happy Xmas... and a whole bunch more. I stood in the room listening to the songs being played and read along with the lyrics. Truly moving.

I noticed another display. It was a solid white box with two small glass holes down around your knees. I looked inside and my heart stopped. I was shocked by what I saw. There were the blood splattered and gunshot burned glasses John was wearing when he was murdered . The other side had the bag that contained the clothes he was wearing that night, the bag soaked in blood. I have to tell you, this shook me for the rest of the day. I have a feeling that Yoko was making a statement by showing these items.

If this display is still there I would highly encourage any Beatle or Lennon fan to see it.

 

>>>>Oh yea, the RR HOF is a JOKE.

Why are The Ventures, a 40 year act still performing, a 300 million records selller and one of the most influental acts in the history of RR , NOT in the hall??

 

Sounds like a powerful presentation. I would think seeing that would shock a visitor into acknowledging that her husband was a real person, not a media phantasmagoria of film and sound bites, and that his death was brutal, violent, and painful.

We tend to observe public tragedies as if they were fiction until we're presented with genuine artifacts. I'm reminded of the pile of shoes in the Holocaust Museum. You know it happened, you see the history on the walls, but only when you see the pile of shoes does it really connect that this happened to real people.

We forget that Yoko Ono was a star in her own right in the art world before she and John Lennon met, specifically in the sort of interactive installation you described.

 

Why is it called "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame"? Does it really matter what it's called? For the life of me I've never been able to figure out why the damn thing even exists. Is a Classical Music Hall of Fame necessary to recognize the greatness of J.S. Bach? Do we need a Jazz Hall of Fame to confer greatness on John Coltrane? Are either of these two artists' contributions to music in any way diminished as a result of their NOT being inducted into any sort of "Hall"?

Not to open still another can of worms, but one could argue that the Academy Awards exist as a promotional tool to sell yet more movie theater tickets. As regards the Rock Hall of Fame, gee, you don't that just maybe the recording industry smacks it's collective corporate lips every year at this time with the prospect of additional catalog sales for nominated and inducted artists?

As a music lover, I always feel a little duped and manipulated by the industry when discussions of "who deserves to be in" pop up. It's a popularity contest and it would seem that we've been voting all our lives with our record purchases.

 

I LOVE THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME. I went there, I had a wonderful time. I didn't buy anything in the gift shop. I thought it was very cool to see The Beatles outfits, guitars, drums, etc. They even had an outfit worn by Snoop Doggy Dogg and another by Missy Elliot. Seeing the instruments played by Led Zeppelin and Jimmy Hendrix is a fascinating and fun thing to do if they are artist you personally enjoy. They had the giant Marshall stack and huge mic on stand from Neil Young's Rust Never Sleeps (I believe) tour. IT IS a museum with artifacts from the history of Rock'n'Roll, including early artists that I've never heard of (which seems likely and appropriate). Sure, there are artists that haven't been recognized yet, but that seems both likely and appropriate. That would be impossible. Do you bitch when an art museum can't cover every aspect of art throughout history? No, and they don't try, because it would be impossible. I recommend that everyone who gets the opportunity to go, go.

 

I second the vote to visit the R&R Hall. I visited about three years ago. They had a couple of short films that tried to tie together all the disparate forms of music that form this beast we call rock and roll. Very well done. They had the Sun Studio where Elvis recorded. I think it was the real thing (i.e., the original board, mics, etc.) shipped from Memphis and the rooms recreated at the Hall

At the time, in a Doors exhibit, they had Jim Morrison's Cub Scout uniform. I noticed he and I had earned several of the same merit badges.

I still can't figure out if that's a good thing.