Last week the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced its list of nominees for 2011 induction -- and head banging among fans, purists, and critics alike immediately ensued. At issue, among other things, is what constitutes "rock and roll" as artists such as Beastie Boys, Dr. John, Chic, Donna Summer, LL Cool J, Joe Tex, and Laura Nyro were included among this year's nominees. Did these folks really contribute to rock and roll? Some certainly contributed to rap, disco, folk, blues, white soul music -- but apparently many out there think each musical genre should have its own Hall.
Don't think so. Arguments of this type are ongoing -- there are many people who draw a firm distinction between "rock" and "rock and roll," saying that the only true rock and roll was recorded by Sam Phillips and Norman Petty. But the fact is that each of those types of music had a significant influence on the broader "rock" music so the justification for their names on the ballot seems clear. Now, whether they actually belong in the Hall -- well that's a question Straight Lines is going to tackle over the coming days. We'll take a brief look each nominee, offer some click-throughs to representative performances -- and let you know whether we think each artist should make the cut.
Then we'll take it a step further and predict which five artists will make it -- and who won't. So here's a list of this year's nominees. Check back every day to see who we think is deserving of membership in rock and roll's most exclusive club...and don't be shy about letting us know if we hit a sour note!
Alice Cooper
Bon Jovi
Beastie Boys
Chic
Neil Diamond
Donovan
Dr. John (Mac Rebennack)
J. Geils Band
LL Cool J
Darlene Love
Laura Nyro
Donna Summer
Joe Tex
Tom Waits
Chuck Willis
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment