To round out the third week of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame posts, I’m going to feature songs from three acts that have so far gone un-inducted.
In 2018, the Cleveland Plain Dealer compiled an ordered list of the 100 artists most egregiously overlooked by the Hall. In the three years since, six of their top 10 have been inducted, so either they had some sway, or they have their finger on the pulse of the nominating committee.
Today I wrap up my look at the 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees, and though I’ve presented the lineup in alphabetical order, I was still able to save the best (or at least the most deserving) for last.
Tina Turner has been a member of the Rock Hall since 1991 as part of Ike & Tina Turner, but she has been eligible for a solo slot since the Hall of Fame began. And while she did have a prolific career alongside her abusive husband, she reached much greater heights on her own. This induction has been a no-brainer for more than 30 years.
The inclusion of hip-hop in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has meant not just contemporary artists making the cut, but also the artists who influenced them.
Gil Scott-Heron was inducted this year in the “Early Influences” category, acknowledging the impact his work had on early rap acts. Scott-Heron’s blend of spoken-word poetry over jazz and soul backgrounds in the 70s helped pave the way for hip-hop artists in the 80s and beyond.
The title track of Johnny Cash’s 1971 album Man in Black, today’s random SOTD offers an explanation for Cash’s drab wardrobe.
While the song paints an evocative picture of a man who has seen too much injustice in the world and made a sartorial choice to reflect his disapproval, Cash has reportedly said that he started wearing black because it was easy to keep clean on tour.
I bought Pernice Brothers’ 2001 album The World Won’t End at Los Angeles’ Amoeba Music during a family trip in the summer of 2013.
I know that because I posted about it during a week recounting my purchases at Amoeba on that trip.
Though this album comes highly recommended, and I’ve liked everything I’ve heard on it, I think this is the first time I’ve heard one of its songs since that post eight years ago.
Meet Me In Montauk 