The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is a mysterious thing. As of 2022, there were 365 inductees in the hall. But if you ask us there could be at least six more. There are many artists who are deserving, who should be in the famous music museum. However, we’ve narrowed it down. If making it into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame requires influence, popularity, impact, and longevity, then these six acts belong as much as any.
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Without further ado, let’s dive into these six artists who should be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
1. Dick Dale
Dick Dale helped put surf music on the map. With his fast-paced guitar playing, known especially on the song “Misirlou,” Dale is an icon when it comes to the electric six-string. Dale, who started performing in earnest in 1955, became one of the world’s best, earning a resurgence in popularity thanks to the movie Pulp Fiction, the soundtrack for which included his legendary song.
2. A Tribe Called Quest
A groundbreaking rap group, Tribe was nominated for the Hall in 2022 but didn’t make the final cut. Fronted by rappers Q-Tip and Phife Dawg, A Tribe Called Quest is known for songs like “Can I Kick It?” and “Bonita Applebum.” The group, which used live instrumentation, including iconic upright bassist Ron Carter, was smooth and beloved in its heyday and today.
3. Dave Matthews Band
The Charlottesville, Virginia-born jam group Dave Matthews Band has earned acclaim, many No. 1 albums, millions of fans, and even more dollars through live performances. The Grammy Award-winning group is fronted by the elastic-voiced Matthews. Charitable and prolific, the band deserves to be in the Hall as much as any not currently in.
4. Sinéad O’Connor
As many music fans know, the forward-thinking artist Sinéad O’Connor passed away in 2023. The “Nothing Compares 2 U” singer was vocal about child abuse issues, crimes by the Catholic church, and race relations when few celebrities had the courage to be so. For this alone, she deserves a spot in the hall. But on top of all that, the Irish singer was a pop star for the ages.
5. Queen Latifah
Queen Latifah has impacted audiences on a myriad of platforms, from sitcoms and movies to music. The 53-year-old New Jersey-born rapper was an early star in East Coast hip-hop. And while TV work doesn’t count for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, she is known for her role in the uber-popular show, Living Single. That aside, there are few women who have impacted the zeitgeist more than Latifah. Put her in the hall.
6. The Carter Family
While the Carter Family is in the Country Music Hall of Fame, inducted in 1970, the group is not in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Maybe it doesn’t matter, in the end. But if we can get the great Dolly Parton in the Hall, why not the Carter Family? What part of music has this family not impacted? From folk and country to Johnny Cash and beyond. Even making appearances in the famed film, Walk the Line.
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J Geils Band and Warren Zevon
With the exception of Dick Dale and maybe the Dave Matthews Band, what do the rest of the artists have to do with rock n roll?
Little Feat. Little Feat. Little Feat.
Grand Funk Railroad, Eddie Money, Huey Lewis and the News, Jimmy Buffett, Neil Sedaka and the list goes on and on!!!
You left out (as did the Rock Hall) two of the biggest rock bands of all time: Foreigner and Jethro Tull. Of course, the Rock Hall has never been about rock, rather this private business is all about profits so they only induct when they think they’ll make money from it (such as with Dolly Parton).
Tommy James and the Shondells and The Grass Roots. I will never visit until the they are inducted.