The next inductee into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class of 2012 is the Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan, a staple of the 60s who intersected with a legion of living legends.
Donovan was a friend, fan, and collaborator with members of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Led Zeppelin. He hung out with Bob Dylan and Joan Baez. And he was a staple of both the folk and flower power movements. He stood in plenty of giants’ shadows but cast a decent sized one himself.
Among the backing bands that weren’t inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with their frontmen, The Crickets seem to have gotten the rawest deal.
While Buddy Holly did release a solo album before his death, his first release was credited to a proper band — The Crickets. That album, 1957’s The “Chirping” Crickets, is considered one of the great early rock records and an inspiration for countless other artists.
The Comets are another backing band inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame years after its frontman received the solo honor.
In this case that frontman is Bill Haley, who was admitted to the Hall of Fame in 1987, the institution’s second year (after failing to make it into the inaugural class). The Comets would have to wait another 25 years.
The 2012 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class was much larger than most, and that’s because the Hall decided that year to acknowledge backing bands that didn’t make it in with their lead singers.
Six such acts were inducted in 2012, all given the green light by a special committee and not subject to the usual voting process.
Now that I’ve put the 2024 movie year to bed, it’s time to return to music posts. And I’m kicking things off with an installment of my Hall of Fame series.
I’ve been working backward, covering each Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction class from the most recent to the inaugural class of 1986. So far, I’ve made my way back to 2013, so I’ll spend the next three weeks documenting the Class of 2012.
Meet Me In Montauk 