Four months ago I wrote a series of posts about the latest inductees into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. I considered the idea of covering each new slate of entries working backward through the years.
This week, I’m taking my own advice and posting about the six inductees into the Rock Hall Class of 2018.
First up (alphabetically) is Bon Jovi.
Of all of this year’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees, The Zombies have waited the longest for the honor. They first became eligible 30 years ago and were previously nominated in 2014, 2017 and 2018 before finally making the cut.
The delay is probably due to the fact that The Zombies’ influence is essentially limited to one album and a few singles. The band split up after just a couple of years and two studio album releases in the mid 60s (before reuniting in the 2000s).
Roxy Music has been eligible for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame since 1997, but the English glam rock band was nominated for the first time this year. The wait paid off, as they made the cut on their first try.
The band was formed in 1970 by singer and songwriter Bryan Ferry, previously an art school teacher. Soundscape master Brian Eno got his start with the band as well, though he left after a couple of years due to creative differences with Ferry. The band released eight albums over 11 years before disbanding in 1992, having influenced a whole generation of artists through both their music and their style.
Radiohead became eligible for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2017 and was nominated in 2018 before making the cut this year. The band’s inclusion so quickly was a no-brainer given their commercial and critical success, paired with the boundaries they’ve pushed in the industry.
In addition to their wide-ranging sonic experimentation, their 2007 album In Rainbows was the first by a big-name act to be offered under a “pay whatever you want” model (I’m ashamed to admit I paid nothing). That strategy was an early forerunner of the streaming age we’re living in now.
Our next 2019 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee is Stevie Nicks, who has been eligible as a solo performer since 2006. This was her first nomination. Nicks is already in the Hall of Fame as a member of Fleetwood Mac, who were inducted in 1998. Nicks is the first woman inducted into the Hall of Fame twice, a feat accomplished by 22 men.
As a solo artist, Nicks has released eight studio albums, four of which went platinum and two gold. Her most successful, commercially and critically, was her 1981 solo debut, Bella Donna.
Meet Me In Montauk 