Getting the Blues (Inducted)

Plenty of blues artists are in the Rock Hall, and plenty more should get in… and will, as long as the Early Influences category is still offered (whether they are "running out" of such potential inductees will be discussed in a later post).

But what about those blues players who were not, well, “early”?

The blues dates back to at least the 1920s, which means it had a 30-year head start on rock music. 

But the blues did not stop when rock started in the 1950s! Many of the blues acts that were playing at the time kept right on playing. Still, as long as they pre-dated, say, the 1960s, they likely remain thought of as “early” influences.

However, some blues acts only began in the late 1960s. Or in the 1970s. Or even in the 1980s and later. Hardly “early” anymore, by that point. (As of 2020, any act that debuted in 1995 or before is eligible for induction.)

And, well, what about them? What about the blues acts that co-existed with rock but did not pre-date it?

Some Inductees have been a hard sell to the public, in terms of them counting as “rock” and therefore eligible for the “Rock” Hall. But blues? Even non-“early” blues should be an easy sell for Rock-Hall inclusion.

One of the blues’ biggest causes of, well, the blues, is that it is seen as archaic, a relic of the past. This makes it hard to sell tickets, gain radio airplay, and entice new blood into the genre.

By only inducting blues acts that are “early,” the Hall feeds into that problem, even if unwittingly.

But by inducting blues acts that debuted in the mid-’60s and after, the Hall would shine its huge spotlight on this venerable genre. It would show that the blues is still vibrant into its second century, and necessary in the new millennium.

And it would show that the Hall itself—willing as it is to embrace disco, rap, and whatever Nine Inch Nails is— hasn’t forgotten rock’s basic roots in the blues, and is dedicated to making sure the blues remains healthy and vital right alongside rock.

As one blues Inductee sang: “Blues had a baby and they named it rock ’n’ roll.”

And as the Bible says: “Honor thy father and mother.” 

This article is the most recent I could find about blues artists in the Rock Hall... and it's from 2014.
https://vpm.org/listen/articles/623/blues-inductees-to-rock-n-roll-hall-of-fame

Update: Charley Patton was Inducted in 2021 as an Early Influence.