Three bands that deserve to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame but won't make it
By Lee Vowell
The 2024 class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is set to be inducted on October 19. The group includes the Dave Matthews Band, Foreigner, and Ozzy Osbourne, among others. Maybe not everyone in the 2024 class is worthy of induction, but the Rock Hall does not have a perfect record in that area.
In fact, the Hall keeps out a large number of worthy musical artists. Oddly, many times those left out are pure rock bands, such as Bad Company, and rock should be the point of the museum. The Hall instead likes to be cool and inducts non-rock musicians such as Dolly Parton.
No offense to Dolly, of course. Even she was shocked that she was going to be inducted. Music fans should be outraged that the following three groups are not yet part of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Three bands the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame continues to snub
REO Speedwagon
One must wonder why the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame hates REO Speedwagon. Their contemporaries are getting inducted - bands such as Foreigner - but not them, even though their career arc is somewhat the same, and the band's popularity rivals others of their ilk. In the early 1980s, the Speedwagon ruled the airwaves with some solid rock tunes. Not until later in the decade did they become drivel.
Of course, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is supposed to be more than about bands who were popular, but there is a trend of other bands like REO not getting in, such as Styx. Maybe the band simply wasn't edgy or dangerous enough to even be listed as a possible inductee. Again, though, if Foreigner is in, so should the boys from Champaign, Illinois.
Soundgarden
Soundgarden not being in the Rock Hall is simply criminal. There is little doubt as to their influence and Chris Cornell remains a vocal icon in rock history. Sure, he sadly took his own life, but one would not think that would have any bearing on voters for the Hall. Ironically, sometimes the voters simply forget to put the rock in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
There were the Big 4 bands of grunge - Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and Alice In Chains - and two of them are in the Hall, Nirvana and Pearl Jam. The other two deserve to be inducted as well. Artistically, Soundgarden stretched the boundaries of grunge, and they sold 30 million records worldwide.
The Commodores
Lionel Richie was inducted in 2022, and he was clearly the voice of the Commodores, but the band was more of a collective than just Richie. Songs such as "Brick House" are funk staples, and not because Richie is singing. The rhythm section is pristine and you will be forced to shake your booty.
But the group did not stop with that one hit. The Commodores had ten songs hit the top ten on the US Pop charts. They had four top-ten albums. The issue the band has now is overcoming the fact Richie was inducted as a solo artist. The Rock Hall doesn't like to induct bands and specific members of those bands too close to each other. It might be another ten years before the Commodores rightfully get inducted.