Don’t Know Where I’m Goin’…

A “long, strange trip” down a “long and winding road” may be great to sing about. But if your music resembles that, don’t expect to be inducted into the Rock Hall. 

The Hall tends to favor music that is melodic, structured, and direct. There are very few inductees that indulge in meandering musical exploration— prog rock, jazz-rock, jam bands, and the like.

Guitar solos seem fine, as long as they are short. And a jam or two in the course of a concert is also acceptable.

But don’t commit those to record, or expect them to be played on the radio, or make them a regular part of your identity… and then expect to be inducted.

A long song or two in your catalog might be OK, but again, the song should be highly structured and melodically predictable. No noodling and doodling for them.

"TL;DR" is Internet-speak for “Too Long; Didn’t Read.” Except for the Hall, for whom it stands for “Too Long; Don’t Regard.”

https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/jazz/jazz-musicians-look-to-rock-n-roll-hall-of-fame-for-inspiration/

Oh My (Guitar) Gods

Even though we call them “gods,” there is a group of musicians not enshrined in the Rock Hall.

On the one hand, those who play guitars in bands get inducted as part of those bands, as Performers. On the other, those who play behind the bands, in the studio and on tour, can get in with the Award for Musical Excellence, formerly the “Sidemen” induction.

But on the, um, third hand, if you play guitar as a lead, but don’t sing? Then, even if you are a “guitar god,” you aren’t getting in.

Instrumentalists Miles Davis (trumpet) and Booker T. (keyboards) of the MGs are in. And many of those “guitar gods” who do sing... well, they do get in.

And Jeff Beck is in, yes, but he’s the lone exception (well... Carlos Santana doesn't sing much). None of the other “guitar gods” who are best known as, or are purely, instrumentalists have gotten in.

They have legions of fans (and tons of record and ticket sales). Their music, free from language, transcends borders and nationalities. And their musicianship is not simply unquestioned-- it is unparalleled.

Influence is a big part of eligibility, and these are the pioneers of the sounds that get picked up by the players in bands. They are “the guitarists’ guitarists.”

I remember a viewer’s poll about rock musicians in the ‘80s. Phil Collins was voted best drummer. Steve Winwood was voted best keyboard player. Mark Knopfler was voted best guitarist. 

Now, these guys are great, I thought— but are they the absolute very “best”? No, not really. Then I realized that they all sing. They were not the best, but they fronted their groups and so were the most familiar to fans.

The public can be forgiven for such biases. But the experts who run the Hall are supposed to know better.

This is an easy one. The list of universally acclaimed, non-signing “guitar gods” is small. While there may be valid disagreement on some individuals, a handful are absolute shoo-ins. They just need someone to, you know, actually shoo them in. It would only take a few rounds of inductions to right this wrong.

The Rock Hall is symbolized by a pyramid not unlike a mountain. The “guitar gods” should be elevated to its Olympus.

These are the greatest guitarists-- so why aren't so many of them in?https://www.guitarworld.com/features/the-100-greatest-guitarists-of-all-time

Update: Randy Rhoads got in with an Award for Musical Excellence in 2021. So maybe some who led bands with only a guitar and no vocals are next?

In 2023, Link Wray got in. He's not a guitar god per se, but he's in as an Early Influence and I think it's fair to say that the guitar gods are among the ones he influenced.