2024 Inductees & Snubs-- an update

I wrote the majority of the posts of this blog in 2020. Since then, I have updated the posts in response to the latest years' inductees in the categories outlined in each individual post. For example, I updated the post about women (not) being inducted by updating that post with the women who were inducted in 2021, 2022, and 2023.

By now, those posts are very long. The 2024 inductees were recently announced, but rather than update those posts and make them even longer (and longer again in 2025) I have decided to add new posts each year to track how the Rock Hall is doing in fixing the problems I had outlined in 2020, regarding those genres and eras that have gone under-recognized.

1950s: No Performers inducted. At this point, they may be done inducting anyone from this time as anything more than an Influence, but not a Performer. 

1980s: Foreigner, Kool & the Gang (both also had hits in the 1970s)

Rap: A Tribe Called Quest

Arena Rock: Foreigner. I guess Peter Frampton could count here.

Blues: No Performers inducted, but some were inducted as "Influences": Alexis Korner, John Mayall, and Big Mama Thornton

Country: No Performers inducted, but I imagine they are taking a break after inducting Willie Nelson last year and Dolly Parton the year before that. 

Hard Rock/Metal: Ozzy Osbourne. He had previously been inducted as a member of Black Sabbath in 2006.

Folk: No Performers inducted. They may be done with inducting folk musicians, unless Suzanne Vega or Tracy Chapman make it in at some point. This is a crime, as many more deserve to be inducted than have been.

Disco: Cher, although she has performed many other styles as well. Kool & the Gang may count. 

Guitar Gods: No Performers inducted, in that I am only counting those whose albums are mostly instrumental (while Frampton sings).

Lighter Soul: Kool & the Gang

Novelty: No Performers inducted. Just as always.

Non-English language: Nope. Same.

"Later" Influences: Well, they went and did away with the "Early Influences" idea so they could induct acts like Gil Scott-Heron (who was an early influence, just of rap, not rock) and Kraftwerk (same, but of electronic music, not rock). And they renamed the category just "Musical Influences" (yawn).
But instead of honoring this idea they went and inducted John Mayall as an "Influence" instead of a "Performer" rendering this as ANOTHER DUMPING GROUND for acts that ALMOST-BUT-NOT QUITE made the cut as "Performers." 

Early Influences: Big Mama Thornton. Not that this category exists anymore. See above.

Jam Bands: No Performers inducted.

New Wave: No Performers inducted.

Longshots/Fringe acts: A Tribe Called Quest. I would have guessed many other rap acts would have gotten in before them. Also Alexis Korner. 

Singer (not songwriter): Dionne Warwick, in the Musical Excellence category. Which is wrong twice over-- one, she's a Performer, not Side(wo)man. Two, she doesn't belong in the Rock Hall at all. Her music has no place here. It's not about "is this rock?" but "does this rock?" and no, her music does not rock at all; it is so mainstream as to be the polar opposite of rock. I blame her presence here on the induction of Carly Simon; I like her music, but it barely rocks. Who's next, Barry Manilow? Lawrence Welk? 

"Smart": A Tribe Called Quest 

Piano: No Performers inducted

Synth: Foreigner? I hear mostly guitars from them, although they have a keyboardist.

Backing Bands: Both Kool and his Gang got in. 

Behind the Scenes: Yes! And a woman this time.

Singles: Still no new ones inducted.

Women: Here, they did well-- Cher, Mary J. Blige (Performers, snubbing Mariah Carey, Sade, and Sinead O'Connor [I thought her a shoo-in]). Plus more in all other categories. 

Speaking of other categories....

Musical Excellence-- another shitshow this year. NONE of those inducted in this category should be here:
-Jimmy Buffet sold out arenas for decades. He belongs in Performers, not here-- especially since the Dave Matthews Band, which does a lot of the same things, made it as a Performer.
-Detroit punks The MC5 got dumped here after being nominated SIX times as Performers (see also, Nile Rogers of Chic) which means they belong there.
-Dionne Warwick, I am sure a nice person, but as I said her music is not rebellious, edgy, grassroots, or in any way rock-like.
-Norman Whitfield belongs with his fellow songwriters, in the Non-Performer category, as he is best known as a Motown songwriter. 

Musical Influence-- The new name is too close to, and hereafter will forever be confused with by the public, Musical Excellence (see also: Album/Record of the Year at the Grammys). Especially since its inductees are ALSO no longer easily distinguishable as early influences to rock (or a rock-adjacent genre), but also people like John Mayall who SHOULD be inducted AS PERFORMERS. I mean, DUH. That said, Big Mama Thornton belongs here (and should have been inducted here ages ago) and so does Alexis Korner-- whom now will become familiar to at least a few more people. Which is also part of the Hall's purpose. 

Non-Performer-- There was one this year, which is great. And it was a woman, which is awesome. Her name is Suzanne de Passe. She is not the first woman inductee in this category; by my count, she is the fourth, the second inducted on her own (and not as part of a man-woman songwriting team). 

In sum, the Musical Excellence category remains the biggest problem that needs fixing. And the Musical Influence one is also becoming problematic just as they were starting to fix it.

As to those nominated who did not get in this time?
-Mariah Carey-- it would not have been her and Cher in the same year, and Cher has to go first.

-Eric B & Rakim-- longshots. Best bet would be a Musical Influence or maybe Excellence; not even LL COOL J got in as a Performer.

-Lenny Kravitz-- His day will come.

-Jane's Addiction-- Them, too. The '90s will do better once the Boomers leave and the Xers take over nominations.

-Sinead O'Connor-- Damn. Not even dying can get her in.

-Sade-- A one-hit wonder. Why was she even nominated?

-Oasis-- See Jane's Addiction above.

Final Note: The Chemical Brothers have been nominated 4 times. Look for them as future inductees-- in the Excellence or Influence "Miss Congeniality"-type categories.