The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame isn't a bad museum, but what it increasingly struggles with is inducted musicians who don't do what the Hall is named for: Rock. OutKast and Salt-N-Pepa are great, but not exactly rock and roll. Meanwhile, Iron Maiden hasn't been inducted yet.
At least the Hall didn't make the mistake of inducting Phish in 2025. The band won the fan vote, but the Rock Hall should stand for being more than a popularity contest that can be made false by a bunch of fans going online more than fans of other bands.
Of course, maybe Styx fans need to be online a bit more. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has yet to notice the band that was huge in the 1970s and 1980s. If Foreigner is in the Hall, and they were inducted in 2024, then Styx deserves to get inducted, too.
Former Styx singer Dennis DeYoung drops the brutal truth on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Maybe that happens, but according to Dennis DeYoung, former Styx vocalist (and by far the best of the singers the group has had), it may not happen until the bandmembers are quite a bit older or dead. He might not be wrong.
DeYoung took to Facebook recently to voice his opinion that the Rock Hall needs to do a better job of inducting people while they can still show up and perform well. Some, like Bad Company singer Paul Rodgers in 2025, couldn't go to the induction ceremony because health concerns.
The former Styx singer wrote, in part, "The (2025) induction ceremony clearly pointed out the tragic manner in which (the Rock Hall) operates. Making so many musicians wait until they either incapacitated or dead is shameful. Joe Cocker, Warren Zevon et al are suddenly eligible decades after their success? Explain that, what’s changed except the Hall’s inability to let go of their clear prejudices and induct them?"
The bylaws for voting on potential induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame say that 25 years must pass between a musical artist's first release and possible inclusion in the Hall. That doesn't appear too long if an artist drops their initial release when they are in their 20s, but many don't. Some don't get a chance until they are older.
Plus, if 25 years went by before induction was normal, it would be fine. That isn't the case, however. Joe Cocker was inducted in 2025, and his first release was in 1969, while fellow inductee Warren Zevon's initial release was also in 1969.
If a performer belongs in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, they shouldn't have to wait decades before getting in. As DeYoung points out, the Hall needs to be a lot more proactive in inducting worthy rock musicians.