I am sure that everyone here know that legendary TV, stage and film star Clay Cole played an important role in the history of rock and roll for so many reasons. I grew up in Teaneck, New Jersey, and Clay was one of my true rock and roll heroes. I watched his TV show almost all the time. Little did I know that I would get to communicate with him many years later and that we would become long-distance friends. Clay has been extremely generous to me in promoting my interview shows as well as the "Jersey Girls Sing" website (which I'm affiliated with) on his own website. Clay has also made incredible contributions to Rock and Roll that go far beyond merely hosting a TV show in New York City for nine years which, by itself, was substantial. The "Jersey Girls" (Denise Ferri and Bernadette Carroll) and I believe that Clay deserves to be honored by induction into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame. It would be in the "non-performer" category. Alan Freed, Dick Clark and West Coast air personality Tom Donahue have already been so honored.
Clay has been exceptionally active of late. He wrote an excellent book about his career and rock and roll in general entitled "Sh-Boom! The Explosion Of Rock 'n' Roll 1953-1968" and is now once again hosting shows with the top oldies acts. As Yogi Berra might say: "it's deja-vu all over again" and I couldn't be happier for him.
If Clay in some way brightened your life, musically or otherwise, and if you and others here believe, as we do, that Clay deserves the honor of being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame, please sign the petition using the link below. It will take just a few seconds to a minute. I know that Clay will be most grateful. The announcement about the petition is going out to hundreds of rock and roll personalities so, if you sign it, I assure you that you will be in very good company.
Vote Clay Cole into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame!
Thanks so very much!
Ronnie Allen
Kudos on an honorable jesture ... unfortunately, we all know how much impact these petitions have on the powers that be over at The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Nominating Committee ... absolutely none!!! We've cited numerous incidents over the past several years where petitions with over 10,000 signatures on them have routinely been ignored and dismissed ... proving once again that this isn't OUR Hall of Fame, it's THEIRS ... and the ONLY opinions that matter are confined to those sitting in that smaller and smaller meeting room. Clay Cole most certainly belongs ... as do dozens of OTHER deejays from this crucial era in rock history, all of whom helped to further the cause of rock and roll music ... but come, get serious for a moment ... how on earth could one justify adding Clay's name to the ballot ahead of say Afrika Bambaataa?!?!? See, that just wouldn't make any sense!!! (kk)
Hi Kent,
I saw the whole R&RHOF inductions. I now know why they got edited more and more as the years went on by VH1. (I still don't like the fact that they were, but I understand it.)
I thought the inductees was a pretty good list this year, and I thought the acceptance speeches weren't too bad either, but the people who did the induction speeches, for the most part put me to sleep. Any time Springsteen or Bono do them, they are great.
Like most folks I thought the Hollies' performance wasn't good but I feel bad saying it. I love Faith Hill's voice and I think she could do a great pop album, but I was not impressed by her Abba version. The Jam was pretty bad, not the playing but the singing. Some of the people singing should have taken out the original recordings and studied a lot before hand. Peter Wolfe had the most energy of the bunch I thought. He's never been a great singer but he's a good stylist and really understands original rock and Roll.
The one that obviously that most folks didn't seem to hear because they were already in bed was Ronnie Specter. Holy cow was I disappointed. As Johnny Carson once said about a singer on his show, "you've got a vibrato you could throw a cat through." She was really struggling.
As much as I love the Animals, I have to say that Eric Burdon is certainly past his prime, too.
I thought the Songwriter inductees were the most interesting. I found myself thinking that I'd rather hang out with Carole King and Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil more than anyone else there that night.
Now it also seemed that the crowd was small too. I couldn't say for sure, but judging by the sound of the applause, there wasn't much of a crowd. Too bad this has turned in to a bit of a farce. The Rock and Roll Museum is worth a first, second, and probably a third visit. I loved it and so did my kids.
Bill
The crowds may be growing thinner because I think the tables to attend this thing cost between $2500 - $3500 a piece!!! (And those are the cheap seats!) I'm anxious to see the Songwriters Salute as I missed that the first time around ... but when checking Fuse "On Demand", I don't even see The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Ceremony listed as being available ... so who knows when I'll finally get to see it. (NOTE: As I do the final edit to this piece this morning I should point out that last night Fuse did, in fact, run a shortened, two-hour edit of the night's festivities ... unfortunately, I didn't see that until it was too late!)
Without question, most of the feedback that I've received cites The Hollies as the biggest disappointment of the night ... they are SO well known for their impeccable harmonies that it was painful to watch them struggle through some of their biggest hits ... not that it EVER could have been easy trying to reproduce these sounds on stage. I'm hoping that some of their "forgotten" catalog will start to make its way back to radio again ... it sure sounded good to hear things like "I'll Pay You Back With Interest", "Just One Look", "I'm Alive" and "Look Through Any Window" during the opening montage ... I'll bet I turn off "Long Cool Woman" at least twenty times a week due to over-saturation, yet GREAT Hollies classics like these (and how about "Jennifer Eccles"???) have been absent from radio for ages now. (kk)
>>>I think the "rock and roll" hall of fame should have been limited to people who actually did rock and roll. I have no desire to visit. (Aronmantoo)
It really wasn't about this year's induction ... it was about bands like the Beastie Boys, Rap Artists and others that have absolutely no attachment to rock and roll. Aronmantoo
Remind me again why I should care about anybody that The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Nominating Committee decides to put into their Hall Of Fame.
Ed
My two cents ... Billy Preston to me is the Jeff Beck of piano players. I think both deserve to be in as sidemen. Obviously, I give some credit to Billy's solo career. I'll add on Leon Russell as a similar player. ELO mixed classical music and rock and roll quite effectively and had a long career. Put them in.
MARK
HEY KENT!
THOUGHT IT WAS TIME FOR SOME COMMENTS ...
THE R&RHOF SHOW WAS A DISAPPOINTMENT AGAIN!
DID ANYONE EVER THINK OF INVITING THE LEAD SINGERS OF THE SHANGRI-LAS & THE CRYSTALS (AMONG OTHERS) TO SING THOSE GREAT BRILL BUILDING SONGS AT THE END JAM? MOST OF THEM STILL LIVE IN THE NY AREA!
WENNER JUST CAN'T COMMIT TO ADMITTING THAT THESE POP STARS ARE MORE DESERVING TO BE THERE THAN HIM & HIS CRONIES!
BY THE WAY, IT WAS GREAT TO SEE THE TAMI SHOW AGAIN! WENNER SHOULD WATCH THAT A FEW TIMES TO WAKE HIMSELF UP!!
MICHAEL G. BUSH
Amen! (kk)
Thanks for your kind remarks, Kent ...
Yes, all of the great artists I mentioned are long overdue for RRHOF induction. It's really not only an insult to them, but to all of us who grew up listening to rock, Top 40, and even MOR radio, which -- in many instances -- included a good dose of rock n' roll, rockabilly, country, jazz -- along with r&b covers by white artists, the most notable being Pat Boone. Pat was second only to Elvis in the number of major hit records during the 50's and into the 60's.
I look at it this way: when it comes to Pat, whom I had the pleasure of interviewing for my high school newspaper in 1961, he deserves the honor for two primary reasons.
First, he was the second most successful charting artist of the 1950's, coming in #2 to Elvis, but ahead of Ricky Nelson, The Platters, and all the others.
Second, if Ray Charles introduced black audiences to country music with his 1962 landmark album, "Modern Sounds In Country and Western Music," Pat was just as successful in introducing the predominantly white audiences to black music with covers "Ain't That A Shame," Tutti-Frutti," "Long, Tall Sally," "I Almost Lost My Mind," "At My Front Door (Crazy Little Mama)," "I'll Be Home," and "Two Hearts, Two Kisses (Make One Love): all solid hits by black artists. And those are just his 'covers,' not his entire catalog, which included six #1 records, ten Top 10 records, ten Top 20 records and countless charting records, totaling approximately 50 million in combined album and single sales.
The Pat Boone debate will undoubtedly continue to go on. Our comments seem to fall on deaf ears -- pretty well ignored by the nominating committee. In fact, we're probably at a point where they've drawn their line in the sand, afraid to give in as it will admit their injustice.
However, with all the other artists I wrote about earlier this week, they deserve to be admitted either next year or in the coming two or three years. In fact, I don't know why the Rock Hall can't do what the Country Music Hall of Fame did in 2001, induct a significantly larger class. The CMHOF inducted nine that year, including Sam Phillips, The Everlys, Waylon, Don Gibson, Bill Anderson and producer extraordinare, Ken Nelson. The Rock Hall could make up for lost time by doing a similar good deed.
I did want to add one additional comment about "The Crickets," and specifically Jerry "J. I." Allison. He co-wrote "That'll Be The Day," which is ranked #39 on the Rolling Stone list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All-time." Jerry is often credited, along with Buddy and producer Norman Petty, as co-writing another #1, "Peggy Sue," written about his girl friend -- and future wife -- Peggy Sue Gerron. However, even without these songwriting credits, to say nothing of another "Cricket," Sonny Curtis, who's songwriting credits include "I Fought The Law," "Walk Right Back," "I'm No Stranger To The Rain," and "Love Is All Around," The Crickets deserve immediate induction. It's simply another "no-brainer" for the Class of 2011.
By the way, for all "Everly Brothers" fans -- on this day 50 years ago -- March 18 -- the duo went into historic RCA Studio "B" and recorded their biggest hit, the #1 hit smash, "Cathy's Clown," written by Don and Phil. It is estimated that eight million copies of the single have been sold worldwide.
Fred Vail / Treasure Isle Recorders, Inc.
"Music City, USA"
Veteran Radio Programmer John Rook started a "Back Pat" campaign several years ago and collected well over 10,000 signatures from people all over the country who believe that Pat Boone absolutely belongs in The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. It was then turned into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Nominating Committee (and most likely immediately filed in the nearest garbage can) ... Pat has never even so much as made the ballot, despite all he did to help unite a black and white audience in the earliest days of rock and roll music. No, he wasn't Elvis ... but he SOLD like him ... and there is no telling how long it might have taken for mid-'50's teenagers to catch on to the music of Fats Domino, Little Richard, The El Dorados, Ivory Joe Hunter and countless others without Pat making this music sound "safe" enough to be played in white households across America. On the plus side, this snub (and so many others just like it) inspired John to start The Hit Parade Hall Of Fame, where long-ignored artists like Pat Boone, Chubby Checker, Neil Sedaka, Connie Francis, Neil Diamond and so many others are FINALLY getting their due and recognition. (kk)
Click here: Welcome To The Hit Parade Hall of Fame
And, speaking of John Rook ... check this out:
“The Tennessee Waltz” is the third biggest selling single of all time, approaching ten million in sales. On the pop & country Hit Parade more than 100 times, she sold more than 100 million singles alone, not counting her albums. By a vote of her fans worldwide, Patti Page was inducted into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame. During her recent sold out appearance at the Northern Quest Resort & Casino, Hit Parade Hall of Fame President John Rook was on stage to present Patti Page with her induction award.
Hi Kent - I could be wrong but my observation is that they all eventually make it to the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame. But it is only a matter of when. I hereby nominate Kent Kotal for his outstanding work and dedication all of these years on the Forgotten Hits website. Thanks Kent!!! You Rock : ))
Blossmwrld
Thanks for the honor!!! The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame will have you believe that all of the "worthy" candidates (by THEIR determination, of course, and nobody else's) will eventually be inducted into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame ... but at the rate of five acts a year (and a concentration on the newer acts over the older acts) most of us will be long gone by the time any sort of real justice is done. (That being said, with a little luck Jann Wenner will ALSO be gone by this point ... so, with a little bit of luck, somebody who really DOES have an appreciation for the early artists who helped get us here in the first place just may take over at some point and see that justice FINALLY is served!!!) kk
Hi Kent
I'm not going to comment any further on the HOF. It's been discussed ad nauseum. Instead I'm suggesting why not have "Forgotten Hits" create it's own HOF? Set up some rules and let your readers comment, vote, etc.
We don't need a museum or a TV show -- this is just for fun. While I don't understand why so many artists have been excluded by the HOF, it is what it is. So let's have fun and create our own HOF. You can then be our own Jann Werner and we can all criticize you! (LOL). Seriously, why not have our own hall?
Steve Davidson
LOL ... you may be on to something here!!! (That's JUST what I need ... even MORE criticism!!! lol) Seriously, you've got the wheels turning ... but in a slightly different area. Stay tuned ... you just never know where all of this may lead!!! (kk)
