Greg Allman was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Allman Brothers in 1995 but was never inducted as a solo artist. Phil Collins was also inducted with Genesis in 2010 but not on his own. In 1996, Smashing Pumpkins‘ Billy Corgan inducted Pink Floyd, but David Gilmour and Roger Waters still haven’t made the selective cut, individually.
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Warren Zevon still isn’t in and neither is Peter Frampton or Joe Walsh. The Who were inducted in 1990 by U2, yet Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey still haven’t been bestowed with individual honors. Harry Nilsson was a tremendous influence on The Beatles and many others and still hasn’t been honored.
Of all the songs that scream ’60s psychedelic rock, The Chambers Brothers’ “Time Has Come Today” embodied the era, though the surviving brothers still haven’t been honored for their contributions.
The list goes on: Motörhead, New York Dolls, The Monkees, Ian Hunter and Mott the Hoople, Mötley Crüe, MC5, Marshall Tucker Band, Jethro Tull, Jane’s Addiction, and so many more eligible artists still haven’t made their way into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Though the roll call of artists in rock, and across multiple genres, is a lengthy one, here are eight acts long overdue for induction.
1. Ozzy Osbourne
Straight through his groundbreaking era of Black Sabbath in the late 1960s through the ’70s, before breaking out on his own in the 1980s, Ozzy Osbourne has sold more albums as a solo artist than his former band. Eligible since 2006, he still hasn’t been inducted.
Osbourne’s invitation may have remained on hold since he has expressed his open reluctance to receive the honor.
“Just take our name off the list,” said Osbourne of his band in an open letter in 1999. “Save the ink. Forget about us. The nomination is meaningless because it’s not voted on by the fans.”
2. Dio
There’s no doubt Ronnie James Dio and his namesake band deserve their place in the Rock Hall. When Black Sabbath was inducted in 2006, Dio—who was the vocalist of the band from 1979 through 1982 following Ozzy Osbourne’s departure, and again when the band reformed in 1991 and recorded Dehumanizer—was not invited to the honor.
Long before Black Sabbath, Ronnie was making music with Elf by the late ’60s, followed by his time in Rainbow before Sabbath and forging his own metal classics by the earlier 1980s with Dio and hits “Rainbow in the Dark” and “Holy Diver.”
Dio’s Black Sabbath paths crossed again when he formed Heaven & Hell in 2006 and played along with the band’s alums guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler, drummer Vinny Appice, and original Sabbath drummer Bill Ward.
“It’s, like, Ronnie?” said Appice in a 2022 interview. “C’mon! Rainbow, ‘Man On The Silver Mountain,’ ‘Long Live Rock ‘N’ Roll.’ And then Sabbath, the Heaven & Hell album, and the rest of the albums we did, and then Dio, and he’s only [in the Rock Hall museum with] this 12-inch square placemat or something.”
3. Iron Maiden
In 2023, Iron Maiden was being considered for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for a second time but the band never made it in. Though Maiden, which has been eligible since 2005, formed in 1975, just six years after Judas Priest, the latter was inducted in 2023. Maiden is still waiting its turn, and though the metal legends are long overdue for the honor, frontman Bruce Dickinson may have another idea.
“If we’re ever inducted I will refuse – they won’t bloody be having my corpse in there,” said Dickinson in 2018. “Rock and roll music does not belong in a mausoleum in Cleveland. It’s a living, breathing thing, and if you put it in a museum, then it’s dead.”
4. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Though all members of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young have been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame individually, they haven’t been honored as a group. David Crosby, Stephen Stills, and Graham Nash were inducted as Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN) in 1997.
Crosby was also inducted in 1991 for his work with the Byrds, while Stephen Stills also picked up another honor in 1997 as a member of Buffalo Springfield, becoming the only musician to be inducted twice in the same year. Nash was also inducted a second time for The Hollies in 2010.
Neil Young was also inducted twice, as a solo artist in 1995 and as a member of Buffalo Springfield in 1997, but never as part of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
5. John Fogerty
“Proud Mary,” “Bad Moon Rising,” and “Fortunate Son”—John Fogerty wrote them all with Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR) who were in ducted in 1993. Fogerty refused to perform with the surviving members of CCR at the time and still doesn’t have a spot in the Rock Hall.
Fogerty has released 10 of his own solo albums, including his 1985 No. 1 Centerfield through Fogerty’s Factory in 2020. A year later, Fogerty also released his commentary on Black Lives Matter, “Weeping in the Promised Land,” in 2021.
6. Bachman-Turner Overdrive
Maybe half a century is enough time. Formed in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada in 1973 after Randy Bachman left The Guess Who as their lead guitarist, the original Bachman-Turner Overdrive (BTO) lineup consisted of Randy along with his younger brothers Tim on guitar and Robbie on drums and Fred Turner on bass.
By the time BTO released their third album Bachman–Turner Overdrive II in December 1973 they had broken through with hits “Takin’ Care of Business” and “Let It Ride.”
Of the three Bachman brothers in BTO, Randy is the surviving sibling, following the death of Robbie at age 69 on January 12, 2023, and Tim several months later on April 28 at the age of 71. Randy and Turner, both 79, are the last surviving members of Bachman-Turner Overdrive.
7. Badfinger
Signed to The Beatles’ Apple Records in 1968, Badfinger recorded five albums under the label, starting with Maybe Tomorrow as the Iveys. Continuing on as Badfinger in 1970, the Welsh rockers later released their hit “Come and Get It,” written and produced by Paul McCartney, along with “Day After Day, produced by George Harrison a year later, and the Todd Rundgren-produced “Baby Blue” by 1972. I
n 1970, the band’s “Without You,” written by Pete Ham and Tom Evans, became a No. 1 hit for Harry Nilsson. In 1994, Mariah Carey also took it to the top of the charts.
Badfinger’s imprint on rock is indelible. Joey Molland, the last surviving member of the band will gladly receive an induction honor.
8. Devo
Formed in 1973 by Gerald Casale and Mark Mothersbaugh in the wake of the 1970 Kent State shootings at their school, Devo took its name from the concept of “De-evolution.”
By the early 1970s, the band fostered their own satirical and experimental sound, kicking everything off with their Brian Eno-produced debut Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! in 1978 and their 1980 breakthrough album Freedom of Choice with megahit “Whip It! Devo released their ninth album, Something for Everybody, in 2010.
After 50 years of hitting the road, Mothersbaugh and Casale revealed their retirement from touring with the Celebrating 50 Years of De-Evolution farewell tour in 2023.
Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
