Pearl Jam is the first of two 2017 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees who made it during their first year of eligibility.
Regardless of your opinion of grunge — I’m generally not a fan — it’s hard to argue with Pearl Jam making it into the Hall on the first ballot. They are pioneers in one of the last major movements in rock-n-roll history. Along with Nirvana (first ballot inductees in 2014), they defined the grunge era for a whole generation of bands.
It took 16 years between Journey’s first eligibility for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and their eventual induction in 2017.
Such disrespect for a band that released six straight multi-Platinum albums between 1978 and 1986 and recorded some of the most iconic power pop songs of the era. Hell, ‘Don’t Stop Believin’ alone should have landed them in the Hall at the first opportunity.
English prog-rock band Electric Light Orchestra (or ELO) is the next inductee from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s 2017 class. The band, fronted by Jeff Lynne, rotated several members through its lineup over the years, but the core members (and the ones inducted into the Hall) were Lynne, founder Roy Wood, drummer Bev Bevan and keyboardist Richard Tandy.
ELO blended traditional pop and rock instrumentation with classical strings and horns, taking their cue from The Beatles and helping to popularize one of the dominant sounds of the 70s.
After a month of musicals, I’m turning my attention to good old-fashioned rock-n-roll, taking a look at a recent class of inductees to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Previously in this Rock Hall series, I’ve featured the classes of 2020, 2019, and 2018. Starting today, I’ll take a look at the five members inducted in 2017.
This year’s final Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee is T. Rex, the brainchild of singer-songwriter Marc Bolan.
T. Rex has been eligible for Hall inclusion since 1994 but didn’t become a nominee until this year. Bolan was considered one of the most egregious oversights for the past 25 years, because he is widely credited with starting the glam movement and was otherwise a major influence on British rockers in particular. I’ve read that without Marc Bolan, there would be no David Bowie.
Meet Me In Montauk 