It’s time for another look at a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class. I’ve covered the inductees from 2015 through last year, so this week I’m looking back to 2014. We have six inductees to cover, all in the ‘Performers’ category.
First up is Peter Gabriel, who was previously inducted into the Hall alongside his Genesis bandmates in 2010. Gabriel became eligible for solo inclusion in 2003, and was nominated for the first time in 2014, the year he got in.
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.
Singer-songwriter and producer Todd Rundgren has been eligible for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame since 1996, but wasn’t nominated for the first time until 2019. He failed to get in on that ballot, and again in 2020, but finally made the cut this year.
Rundgren’s inclusion feels overdue, especially as the Hall shifts its definition of “rock & roll” to account for the emergence of hip-hop in the 20th century. Here’s an old-school pop-rock artist who has been churning out creative, influential records since 1970. He’s exactly the kind of talent who fits the traditional mold of the Hall of Fame.
Today’s featured 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee is not Ozzy Osbourne. He has yet to be inducted as a solo artist, though he was inducted with Black Sabbath in 2006.
No, today’s highlighted artist is Randy Rhoads, the lead guitarist on this song and many other iconic heavy metal classics. Just listen to the fantastic riff on ‘Crazy Train’ and it’s hard to argue that the man responsible belongs in the Rock Hall.
Meet Me In Montauk 