During the course of the nearly
fifteen years I've been putting together Forgotten Hits now, there have
certainly been some milestone moments ... "Game Changers" that took our little
publication to new heights. "Who Played The First Beatles Record In America"
was one of the first ... this story got picked up and recirculated numerous
times ... and hundreds of readers discovered Forgotten Hits for the very first
time.
Last year's interview with Burton
Cummings was another. Highly praised, over 3000 Canadian Burton Cummings and
Guess Who fans visited the site for the first time to read our conversation ...
and it is still regarded as one of the best and most in-depth interviews he's
ever done.
But without question the BIGGEST,
landmark event of all came in 2007 when Forgotten Hits took on The Rock And Roll
Hall Of Fame.
The goal was to run a ten-part series, profiling the ways and means of the nominating and voting committees ... a year-by-year analysis of who was inducted ... how worthy those inductees were ... and the list of overlooked artists who have never so much as made the ballot. We labeled this list the "Deserving And Denied" ... and we had our readers votes determine just who should make this list.
Along the way we questioned the methods of The Hall of Fame in general ... the secrecy involved with the actual membership ... particularly in terms of the nominating committee. (Some have gone so far as to speculate that this is actually a committee of one ... founder Jann Wenner ... and that the voting members then are forced with choosing who gets in each year based on Wenner's personal list of favorites.) During the course of the series, we were in constant contact with members of The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame organization ... they were well aware of what we were doing ... and news of our series spread throughout the oldies community. Radio stations across the country started quoting from each day's postings ... artists themselves began writing in, offering THEIR views on the subject (although each and every one ... with the exception of Howard Kaylan of The Turtles ... offered those opinions on an "off the record" basis only ... seemed nobody wanted to risk being barred for life from the hallowed hall by going public with their true feelings and disdain for the organization and its methods.) Kaylan's comments also began broadcasting over the airwaves ... and to this day I praise him for having the balls to speak the truth on this subject. (Thank you, Howard ... we love ya!)
Right near the end of our series, Fox News broke the story of some possible "vote tampering" regarding The Dave Clark Five. It seems that the group had legitimately earned enough votes to be inducted in 2007 but that Jann Wenner stepped in and said that it was time to induct a rap group instead. In my wildest dreams, I couldn't have concocted or orchestrated a better move ... now publicity for our series went through the roof ... and radio stations from all over the country started asking me to come on the air and talk about just what the heck was going on at The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.
Who benefited most from this wave of attention? Certainly Forgotten Hits did ... nearly overnight we had thousands and thousands of new subscribers, hanging on our every word. (In fact, the list became SO big that we could no longer email copies ... it forced us to set up the website that you are reading right now at this very moment!)
Also benefiting was John Rook and his brand new Hit Parade Hall Of Fame ... at the tail of our Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame series, we announced the formation of John's new venture (now celebrating its eighth year of existence ... with a well-publicized nominating committee ... and offering the ability to vote as fans of these artists.) All this sudden, new attention drove oldies music fans to his website in droves as well ... and I'll bet at least 70% of the interviews I ended up doing (at one point, up to seven interviews per day!!! ... I actually had to take vacation time off from work to handle some of these that first week!!!), asked me about John's alternative organization ... where the votes of the people really DID matter. (The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame seems to take the position that THEY know rock and roll ... and we don't ... which is why an artist like Afrika Bambaataa can make their ballot ... but Chicago, The Moody Blues and The Guess who can't!)
Who got hurt? Well, The Rock And Roll Hall of Fame certainly wasn't portrayed in a very good light. (The Dave Clark Five were ultimately inducted the following year ... that 365 delay, however, cost us Mike Smith being included in the ceremony ... he passed away just a few weeks before it took place.) It also cost Forgotten Hits their pre-scheduled interview with Terry Stewart, then President of The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Museum in Cleveland ... who went through GREAT lengths to distance themselves from the REAL committee in New York City that made all the selection decisions. Countless times the museum pointed out that they were just the "physical presence" of the organization ... a place where fans could come and visit and see genuine rock and roll artifacts and exhibits (ironically many featuring artists who weren't actually inducted into the hall!!!)
Once our story broke (the same day as ... and hot on the heels of the Fox News piece), Stewart's people cancelled our interview ... stating on the record that they were disappointed that I went with the story without talking to Terry first about it. (What was I going to do?!?! In the Rock And Roll World, it may have been the biggest news story of the decade!!! Should I have waited for a long thought-out, calculated statement instead? Or should I go with the news story as it was presented, and take advantage of the timing to make this the "be all to end all" finale to my series?
If you read the piece again now (and you can certainly do so ... it's reprinted in its entirety below) you will see that I was VERY careful to use phrases like "IF this story is true" ... we never flat out accused them of ANYTHING ... because at that point ... at that moment in time ... nobody really knew for sure ... and no concrete proof had been offered ... just some "behind the scenes", off the record commentary by a couple of the voters who felt the organization they were associated was, in fact, a sham ... so I figured far be it from me to publish this as an "absolute truth" ... but my mentioning it at all severed all ties with The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame organization ... and we have never connected again since. (Hey, guys ... I'm still willing to talk if YOU are!!!)
Meanwhile, things HAVE gotten better ... many of the artists that made our original "Deserving And Denied" list have since been inducted by The Rock And Roll Fame ... but many others continue to be ignored. We even suggested a one-time "mass induction" to right some of these wrongs that have existed for decades now. (Some of these artists have been eligible for induction since the Rock Hall of Fame was organized!)
In any event, enjoy this rather lengthy read at your leisure ... as we relive one of Forgotten Hits' Greatest Moments, circa 2007 ... and then check out the updates below regarding some other timely events.
'60's FLASHBACK:
Forgotten Hits - March 14, 2007:
The goal was to run a ten-part series, profiling the ways and means of the nominating and voting committees ... a year-by-year analysis of who was inducted ... how worthy those inductees were ... and the list of overlooked artists who have never so much as made the ballot. We labeled this list the "Deserving And Denied" ... and we had our readers votes determine just who should make this list.
Along the way we questioned the methods of The Hall of Fame in general ... the secrecy involved with the actual membership ... particularly in terms of the nominating committee. (Some have gone so far as to speculate that this is actually a committee of one ... founder Jann Wenner ... and that the voting members then are forced with choosing who gets in each year based on Wenner's personal list of favorites.) During the course of the series, we were in constant contact with members of The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame organization ... they were well aware of what we were doing ... and news of our series spread throughout the oldies community. Radio stations across the country started quoting from each day's postings ... artists themselves began writing in, offering THEIR views on the subject (although each and every one ... with the exception of Howard Kaylan of The Turtles ... offered those opinions on an "off the record" basis only ... seemed nobody wanted to risk being barred for life from the hallowed hall by going public with their true feelings and disdain for the organization and its methods.) Kaylan's comments also began broadcasting over the airwaves ... and to this day I praise him for having the balls to speak the truth on this subject. (Thank you, Howard ... we love ya!)
Right near the end of our series, Fox News broke the story of some possible "vote tampering" regarding The Dave Clark Five. It seems that the group had legitimately earned enough votes to be inducted in 2007 but that Jann Wenner stepped in and said that it was time to induct a rap group instead. In my wildest dreams, I couldn't have concocted or orchestrated a better move ... now publicity for our series went through the roof ... and radio stations from all over the country started asking me to come on the air and talk about just what the heck was going on at The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.
Who benefited most from this wave of attention? Certainly Forgotten Hits did ... nearly overnight we had thousands and thousands of new subscribers, hanging on our every word. (In fact, the list became SO big that we could no longer email copies ... it forced us to set up the website that you are reading right now at this very moment!)
Also benefiting was John Rook and his brand new Hit Parade Hall Of Fame ... at the tail of our Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame series, we announced the formation of John's new venture (now celebrating its eighth year of existence ... with a well-publicized nominating committee ... and offering the ability to vote as fans of these artists.) All this sudden, new attention drove oldies music fans to his website in droves as well ... and I'll bet at least 70% of the interviews I ended up doing (at one point, up to seven interviews per day!!! ... I actually had to take vacation time off from work to handle some of these that first week!!!), asked me about John's alternative organization ... where the votes of the people really DID matter. (The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame seems to take the position that THEY know rock and roll ... and we don't ... which is why an artist like Afrika Bambaataa can make their ballot ... but Chicago, The Moody Blues and The Guess who can't!)
Who got hurt? Well, The Rock And Roll Hall of Fame certainly wasn't portrayed in a very good light. (The Dave Clark Five were ultimately inducted the following year ... that 365 delay, however, cost us Mike Smith being included in the ceremony ... he passed away just a few weeks before it took place.) It also cost Forgotten Hits their pre-scheduled interview with Terry Stewart, then President of The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Museum in Cleveland ... who went through GREAT lengths to distance themselves from the REAL committee in New York City that made all the selection decisions. Countless times the museum pointed out that they were just the "physical presence" of the organization ... a place where fans could come and visit and see genuine rock and roll artifacts and exhibits (ironically many featuring artists who weren't actually inducted into the hall!!!)
Once our story broke (the same day as ... and hot on the heels of the Fox News piece), Stewart's people cancelled our interview ... stating on the record that they were disappointed that I went with the story without talking to Terry first about it. (What was I going to do?!?! In the Rock And Roll World, it may have been the biggest news story of the decade!!! Should I have waited for a long thought-out, calculated statement instead? Or should I go with the news story as it was presented, and take advantage of the timing to make this the "be all to end all" finale to my series?
If you read the piece again now (and you can certainly do so ... it's reprinted in its entirety below) you will see that I was VERY careful to use phrases like "IF this story is true" ... we never flat out accused them of ANYTHING ... because at that point ... at that moment in time ... nobody really knew for sure ... and no concrete proof had been offered ... just some "behind the scenes", off the record commentary by a couple of the voters who felt the organization they were associated was, in fact, a sham ... so I figured far be it from me to publish this as an "absolute truth" ... but my mentioning it at all severed all ties with The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame organization ... and we have never connected again since. (Hey, guys ... I'm still willing to talk if YOU are!!!)
Meanwhile, things HAVE gotten better ... many of the artists that made our original "Deserving And Denied" list have since been inducted by The Rock And Roll Fame ... but many others continue to be ignored. We even suggested a one-time "mass induction" to right some of these wrongs that have existed for decades now. (Some of these artists have been eligible for induction since the Rock Hall of Fame was organized!)
In any event, enjoy this rather lengthy read at your leisure ... as we relive one of Forgotten Hits' Greatest Moments, circa 2007 ... and then check out the updates below regarding some other timely events.
'60's FLASHBACK:
Forgotten Hits - March 14, 2007:
With all the positive reaction that we've received for all of our efforts
demanding bringing some LEGITIMACY to the induction process currently in place
at THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME ... with literally HUNDREDS of COMMENTS
and kudos ... and HUNDREDS of new readers from all over the country who heard
about our dynamic series through word of mouth and have since signed up to our
mailing list so that they, too, can read our report ... there isn't ANYTHING I
could have said or done that would have been MORE damning to THE ROCK AND
ROLL HALL OF FAME Organization than what is contained in THIS report just
sent to me by FH List Member RON SMITH:
From Fox News:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,258664,00.html (halfway down the page)
Rock Hall Voting Scandal: Rock Group Actually Won
According to sources knowledgeable about the mysterious ways of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, British Invasion group The Dave Clark Five and not Grandmaster Flash finished fifth in the final voting of the nominating committee and should have been inducted on Monday night. According to sources, Rolling Stone publisher Jann Wenner, who recently appointed himself chairman of the Foundation after the death of Ahmet Ertegun, ignored the final voting and chose Grandmaster Flash over the DC5 for this year's ceremony.
"Jann went back to a previous ballot instead of taking the final vote as the last word," my source insisted. "He used a technicality about the day votes were due in. In reality, The Dave Clark Five got six more votes than Grandmaster Flash. But he felt we couldn't go another year without a rap act."
R.E.M., Van Halen, The Ronettes and Patti Smith were the top four vote-getters, with Grandmaster Flash finishing fifth when the votes were counted on the first date ballots were due in to the Rock Hall office. But when all the ballots were counted a few days later, the DC5 had pulled ahead. Wenner decided to ignore that and stick with the earlier tally.
"We begged Jann to allow all six acts to be inducted. But he insisted that he couldn't because there wouldn't be enough time," my source said. "He wanted to have Aretha Franklin come and perform in memory of Ahmet Ertegun."
The Ertegun tribute, while very nice, was deemed unnecessary by members of the main committee because the Atlantic Records co-founder will be memorialized in New York on April 17. "But Jann wanted to do his own tribute. It was insane, especially since he took over Ahmet's position on the board before Ahmet even had a memorial. Jann simply sent papers around informing everyone that he was now the chairman," my source said.
The Dave Clark Five ballot tampering, however, stings the most. The group, part of the British Invasion of the '60s, should have been inducted long ago for their hits like "Glad All Over," "Bits & Pieces" and "Catch Me If You Can." Making them wait has turned out to be a huge mistake, as their fortunes have not been great.
In December 2006, sax player Denis Payton succumbed to cancer at age 63. Lead singer Mike Smith has been paralyzed since 2003 after falling off a ladder at his home in Spain. In August 2005, a terrific fundraising effort for Smith at B.B. King's in New York was supposed to be the prelude to finally recognizing the group that had several memorable hits in the mid-'60s.
Wenner's cruel axing of them from the show and the Hall of Fame should be painful to many who are intimately involved with the Hall, like Paul Shaffer, who runs the Hall of Fame band and produced and emceed the Smith tribute.
So what happened here? My sources also say that Wenner's motivation may have sprung from a controversial speech that was delivered by new administrative head Joel Peresman to the nominating committee last winter. "He stood up there and told us that we should vote for who we thought would be most commercial, and who be best on the TV show," a source said. "It was outrageous. Some people tried to stop him and asked him to leave, but he wouldn't. He said, 'I'm not leaving.' The director is never supposed to speak to the nominating committee."
Peresman came to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation last year when Wenner arbitrarily ousted the long-time chief of the group, Suzan Evans Hochberg, after two decades of loyalty. "We couldn't believe Jann stood up there last night and said Suzan was
retiring. But when the seating plan went crazy the other day, Jann called and begged her to come in and help. Peresman knows nothing about the business," a source said.
Peresman came to the Foundation from gigs booking shows at Madison Square Garden and with Clear Channel, the radio giant that many feel has strangled the music business with intransigent radio play policies and suggestions — actually, government investigations — of payola. In the old days, such a hire would have been considered anathema by Wenner.
None of this should come as any surprise to those who have followed the roller-coaster world of the Rock Hall. According to the group's most recent tax filing, for example, they gave only $9,000 to indigent musicians from their $11 million in holdings. Even worse: Wenner sent a tax-free $10,000 to something called Jazz Casuals in San Francisco. It's really just the archives of Ralph J. Gleason, the late jazz writer who periodically wrote for Rolling Stone in its early days. It was the only donation made by the Foundation to any group last year. "Again, outrageous," a source said. "With all of Jann's money, he could have just sent a check. He didn't need to use the Foundation's money."
By contrast, the Foundation gave only $53,000 to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland. Attorney Allen Grubman's law firm took another $50,000 for legal services rendered. Evans received her usual $300,000 salary. Peresman is said to be receiving even more.
And then there's the matter of who has left on the nominating committee. I'm told that nearly half the group is gone, leaving 32 members. Many of the remaining members are former or current Wenner employees, like Rolling Stone's Nathan Brackett, David Fricke, Jim Henke, Joe Levy, Brian Keizer and Anthony DeCurtis. Jon Landau, Bruce Springsteen's manager and a former Rolling Stone writer, is the chairman of the committee and considered the last truly mediating influence on Wenner. There are only three actual musicians: Paul Shaffer, Steven van Zandt and Robbie Robertson. Three are female. One of them is black. There are only two other black members: journalist Toure and Reginald C. Dennis. Wenner, I'm told, "weeded out everyone he didn't like." He even got rid of the veteran New York Post and Vanity Fair writer Lisa Robinson. Wenner almost bumped Claudia Perry, a Newark Star Ledger sports writer and former pop music critic. After a scuffle, she managed to hang on, which was good news. As a black woman she fulfilled two minorities on the board (Edna Gundersen and Elyssa Gardner of USA Today are the other females). "This is the opposite of what Ahmet would have wanted," a source said. "He
liked a big committee that reflected lots of different tastes."
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,258664,00.html (halfway down the page)
Rock Hall Voting Scandal: Rock Group Actually Won
According to sources knowledgeable about the mysterious ways of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, British Invasion group The Dave Clark Five and not Grandmaster Flash finished fifth in the final voting of the nominating committee and should have been inducted on Monday night. According to sources, Rolling Stone publisher Jann Wenner, who recently appointed himself chairman of the Foundation after the death of Ahmet Ertegun, ignored the final voting and chose Grandmaster Flash over the DC5 for this year's ceremony.
"Jann went back to a previous ballot instead of taking the final vote as the last word," my source insisted. "He used a technicality about the day votes were due in. In reality, The Dave Clark Five got six more votes than Grandmaster Flash. But he felt we couldn't go another year without a rap act."
R.E.M., Van Halen, The Ronettes and Patti Smith were the top four vote-getters, with Grandmaster Flash finishing fifth when the votes were counted on the first date ballots were due in to the Rock Hall office. But when all the ballots were counted a few days later, the DC5 had pulled ahead. Wenner decided to ignore that and stick with the earlier tally.
"We begged Jann to allow all six acts to be inducted. But he insisted that he couldn't because there wouldn't be enough time," my source said. "He wanted to have Aretha Franklin come and perform in memory of Ahmet Ertegun."
The Ertegun tribute, while very nice, was deemed unnecessary by members of the main committee because the Atlantic Records co-founder will be memorialized in New York on April 17. "But Jann wanted to do his own tribute. It was insane, especially since he took over Ahmet's position on the board before Ahmet even had a memorial. Jann simply sent papers around informing everyone that he was now the chairman," my source said.
The Dave Clark Five ballot tampering, however, stings the most. The group, part of the British Invasion of the '60s, should have been inducted long ago for their hits like "Glad All Over," "Bits & Pieces" and "Catch Me If You Can." Making them wait has turned out to be a huge mistake, as their fortunes have not been great.
In December 2006, sax player Denis Payton succumbed to cancer at age 63. Lead singer Mike Smith has been paralyzed since 2003 after falling off a ladder at his home in Spain. In August 2005, a terrific fundraising effort for Smith at B.B. King's in New York was supposed to be the prelude to finally recognizing the group that had several memorable hits in the mid-'60s.
Wenner's cruel axing of them from the show and the Hall of Fame should be painful to many who are intimately involved with the Hall, like Paul Shaffer, who runs the Hall of Fame band and produced and emceed the Smith tribute.
So what happened here? My sources also say that Wenner's motivation may have sprung from a controversial speech that was delivered by new administrative head Joel Peresman to the nominating committee last winter. "He stood up there and told us that we should vote for who we thought would be most commercial, and who be best on the TV show," a source said. "It was outrageous. Some people tried to stop him and asked him to leave, but he wouldn't. He said, 'I'm not leaving.' The director is never supposed to speak to the nominating committee."
Peresman came to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation last year when Wenner arbitrarily ousted the long-time chief of the group, Suzan Evans Hochberg, after two decades of loyalty. "We couldn't believe Jann stood up there last night and said Suzan was
retiring. But when the seating plan went crazy the other day, Jann called and begged her to come in and help. Peresman knows nothing about the business," a source said.
Peresman came to the Foundation from gigs booking shows at Madison Square Garden and with Clear Channel, the radio giant that many feel has strangled the music business with intransigent radio play policies and suggestions — actually, government investigations — of payola. In the old days, such a hire would have been considered anathema by Wenner.
None of this should come as any surprise to those who have followed the roller-coaster world of the Rock Hall. According to the group's most recent tax filing, for example, they gave only $9,000 to indigent musicians from their $11 million in holdings. Even worse: Wenner sent a tax-free $10,000 to something called Jazz Casuals in San Francisco. It's really just the archives of Ralph J. Gleason, the late jazz writer who periodically wrote for Rolling Stone in its early days. It was the only donation made by the Foundation to any group last year. "Again, outrageous," a source said. "With all of Jann's money, he could have just sent a check. He didn't need to use the Foundation's money."
By contrast, the Foundation gave only $53,000 to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland. Attorney Allen Grubman's law firm took another $50,000 for legal services rendered. Evans received her usual $300,000 salary. Peresman is said to be receiving even more.
And then there's the matter of who has left on the nominating committee. I'm told that nearly half the group is gone, leaving 32 members. Many of the remaining members are former or current Wenner employees, like Rolling Stone's Nathan Brackett, David Fricke, Jim Henke, Joe Levy, Brian Keizer and Anthony DeCurtis. Jon Landau, Bruce Springsteen's manager and a former Rolling Stone writer, is the chairman of the committee and considered the last truly mediating influence on Wenner. There are only three actual musicians: Paul Shaffer, Steven van Zandt and Robbie Robertson. Three are female. One of them is black. There are only two other black members: journalist Toure and Reginald C. Dennis. Wenner, I'm told, "weeded out everyone he didn't like." He even got rid of the veteran New York Post and Vanity Fair writer Lisa Robinson. Wenner almost bumped Claudia Perry, a Newark Star Ledger sports writer and former pop music critic. After a scuffle, she managed to hang on, which was good news. As a black woman she fulfilled two minorities on the board (Edna Gundersen and Elyssa Gardner of USA Today are the other females). "This is the opposite of what Ahmet would have wanted," a source said. "He
liked a big committee that reflected lots of different tastes."
If there is even the SLIGHTEST shred of truth to this report, it's ALL over
for the committee ... they will NEVER again be shown ANY respect or credibility
... and nothing short of a COMPLETE house-cleaning would appear to be in order.
(Hey, WE know some folks that would LOVE to see justice done in honoring these
long DESERVING AND DENIED Artists!!!)
Incredibly, while doing research for this project, we found an earlier
FOX-TV report that quotes a former member of the nominating committee as
saying, "At one point Suzan Evans lamented the choices being made because there
weren't enough big names that would sell tickets to the dinner. That was
quickly remedied by dropping one of the doo-wop groups being considered in favor
of a 'NAME' artist ... I saw how certain pioneering artists of the '50's and
early '60's were shunned because there needed to be more name power on the list,
resulting in '70's superstars getting in before the people who made it possible
for them. Some of those pioneers still aren't in today ... but Queen
is."
As we reported earlier in our OWN findings, the FOX News Report goes
on to confirm that "petitions with tens of thousands of signatures were also
being ignored and some groups that were signed with certain labels or companies
or were affiliated with various committee members have even been put up for
nomination with no discussion at all."
Amazingly, when I questioned the head-count on the nominating committee as
recently as last week, I was given TWO completely different answers:
>>>THAT "official statement" released by THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME says "more than 500 people around the world" ... the "official statement" sent to me below by THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME says "approximately 1,000 individuals" ... so now I cannot help but wonder HOW MANY people are really involved with this decision making process? Perhaps the FIRST thing THE HALL should do is get their story straight ... just WHO is on this committee deciding the fate of these proven artists??? Does anybody really know??? I mean, NOWHERE does it LIST them ... or indicate how THEY were selected ... or list their credentials. How many "former inductees" vote each year? And just how does one go about getting ON the committee? And, as always, the BIGGEST question of all ... why aren't the opinions of the FANS taken into consideration? (The60sShop)
>>>THAT "official statement" released by THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME says "more than 500 people around the world" ... the "official statement" sent to me below by THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME says "approximately 1,000 individuals" ... so now I cannot help but wonder HOW MANY people are really involved with this decision making process? Perhaps the FIRST thing THE HALL should do is get their story straight ... just WHO is on this committee deciding the fate of these proven artists??? Does anybody really know??? I mean, NOWHERE does it LIST them ... or indicate how THEY were selected ... or list their credentials. How many "former inductees" vote each year? And just how does one go about getting ON the committee? And, as always, the BIGGEST question of all ... why aren't the opinions of the FANS taken into consideration? (The60sShop)
... and, apparently, after the above paragraph went out to our readers, it
STILL wasn't quite clear in the minds of those associated with THE ROCK AND
ROLL HALL OF FAME as I quickly received these two back-to-back emails from
MEREDITH RUTLEDGE ...
hey kent,
sorry for the confusion and mis-information -- the reason
for the discrepancy between those two numbers of nominators is because the
process was actually changed within the past year and the number changed -- the
correct number is the 1,000 figure. I apologize! thanks again for everything.
And then, just moments later ...
And then, just moments later ...
hey kent, o boy, I can't apologize enough for this, I just got a call from terry and he set me straight -- the CORRECT number is 600 voters! he apologizes as well, because there are several versions of his letter out there, and the last one I received had the 1,000 figure and I was told that was correct, but terry himself has just given me the correct info. and he also says that he will be happy to talk to you all about this when you get together. again, please accept my apology, as I've said before, I'm personally committed to accuracy, and it annoys and embarrasses me to have given you incorrect information. thanks again!
Hey, we ALL make mistakes ... but I gotta believe that if THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME is going to stand behind their committee of "experts," they at least ought to know how many folks are on their panel!!! And again ... who ARE these people? How were they selected? Do they ALL have nominating power??? Do they all vote??? Why 600 ... and why "all over the world" ... what perspective do any of these voting members in foreign countries have to what we're trying to accomplish here? And how many "former inductees" are on the list??? I have to believe that after 20 years, there must be well over 600 living inductees ... why are only CERTAIN one chosen and given voting power? These are all questions I hope to get answers to when I interview TERRY STEWART next week.
EDITOR'S NOTE: After our coverage went
out, Terry Stewart cancelled his Forgotten Hits interview.
For example ... how does a guy like JOEL WHITBURN ... who, I'm told, is (or was) a committee member ... deal with the fact that "statistics have absolutely nothing to do with who gets considered?" Keep in mind that this is the guy who literally wrote the book on the charts! What TRUER form of measurement regarding popularity do we have other than sales figures and chart performance? I want to interview some of these committee members and hear what THEY have to say about the nominating and voting process!!!)
EDITOR'S NOTE: Whitburn is a VOTING Member ... but has no say regarding the nominees ... he just has to cast his votes from the list supplied to him.
I had one OTHER question for MEREDITH, too ... pertaining to THE TOP 200 ALBUMS OF ALL TIME List that was published by THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF RETAIL MERCHANTS the other day: http://www.narm.com/esam/AM/Template.cfm?sectionHome7
All our our correspondence to date (and the official ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME website) refers to TERRY as President and CEO of THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME ... however, yesterday in an article printed in probably THOUSANDS of newspapers across the country citing the Top 200 Albums of All-Time, JOEL PERESMAN is quoted and referenced as The President and CEO of THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME. What gives???
Terry is the president and CEO of the rock and roll hall of fame and MUSEUM, here in cleveland, joel is the president of the rock and roll hall of fame FOUNDATION, in NYC.
So, quite honestly, since it's been made VERY clear to us that the MUSEUM has absolutely NOTHING to do with the nominating process, it sounds like the guy we REALLY need to talk to is JOEL PERESMAN ... my guess is that, like MEREDITH, TERRY isn't allow to discuss many of these details in a public forum ... so now we gotta climb HIGHER up the corporate ladder to get the REAL meat and potatoes!!! So how do we set up a FORGOTTEN HITS interview with JOEL PERESMAN??? (Of course after the COMPLETE fiasco disclosed above becomes public knowledge, there's really not much that JOEL PERESMAN ... or JANN WENNER ... or anyone ELSE connected with THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME ... can say that will make any difference to anybody anyway. ANY remaining credibility has now been flushed away forever!!!) Don't get me wrong ... I understand that the MUSEUM is a BEAUTIFUL place to visit and a VERY fitting tribute to many of these artists who helped provide the soundtrack to our lives ... but if we weren't taking the nominating committee seriously before, how on EARTH can we hold any respect for them now?!?!?
A Couple of Interesting Follow-Up Pieces:
Click
here: Forgotten Hits: The 2008 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame
Inductees
The Top 40 Most "Deserving and Denied" Artists Who Belong in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame:
(based on YOUR votes, 2007, along with their current status, 2014):
The Top 40 Most "Deserving and Denied" Artists Who Belong in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame:
(based on YOUR votes, 2007, along with their current status, 2014):
1. Connie Francis -41 Top 40 Hits including 16 Top 10's and three #1's ... with BRENDA LEE, one half of Rock And Roll's Female Dynamic Duo. How is it even REMOTELY possible that CONNIE is NOT in THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME?!?!? (At least BRENDA LEE finally earned HER spot in 2002!)
Still not inducted
2. Neil Diamond -38 Top 40 Hits including 15 Top 10's and three #1's ... NEIL scored Top Ten Hits in the '60's,the '70's AND the '80's and also wrote several hits for other artists (including the #1 Chart-Topper for THE MONKEES, I'M A BELIEVER, one of the BIGGEST songs of the '60's!)
Finally inducted, 2011
3. Guess Who -15 Top 40 Hits including six Top 10's and one #1 ... the biggest selling act to EVER come out of Canada, at one point selling more records than ALL of the other Canadian recording artists combined!
Still not inducted
4. The Hollies - British Invasion favorites ... 12 Top 40 Hits including 7 Top 10's and one #1. Incredible harmonies and melodies, this band ALSO gave us GRAHAM NASH, the ONLY member of CROSBY, STILLS, NASH AND YOUNG NOT to be recognized for his earlier work.
Finally inducted, 2010
5. Chicago - 34 Top 40 Hits ... fused jazz and rock into a successful career that is now in its FIFTH decade! At one point, JIMI HENDRIX said of CHICAGO Lead Guitarist TERRY KATH, "I think your guitar player plays better than I do!"
Still not inducted
6. Pat Boone - 39 Top 40 Hits ... second only to ELVIS in record sales throughout the '50's ... made Rock And Roll Music acceptable to mainstream America who felt threatened by ELVIS' much harder image. Introduced much of White America to the sounds of Black R&B Artists through his recordings of songs first made popular by ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME Artists like FATS DOMINO and LITTLE RICHARD.
Still not inducted
7. Chubby Checker - The ONLY artist in Rock And Roll History to reach #1 TWICE with the same record. Caused a national dance sensation when he taught us THE TWIST. And, if that's STILL not enough, scored 22 OTHER Top 40 Hits!!!
Still not inducted
8. The Moody Blues - Started as a blues band covering an old BESSIE SMITH song ... and evolved into one of the pioneers of orchestral rock. Breath Deep ... how can you possibly NOT induct THESE guys?!?!?
Still not inducted
9. The Dave Clark Five - More British Invasion favorites ... at one point rivaled THE BEATLES as the most popular group from England both at home AND here in The States. 17 Top 40 Hits!
Finally inducted, 2008
10. The Monkees - Eternally popular TV / Music stars. No, they DIDN'T play their own instruments on their first couple of albums ... but WHO did back then?!?! Their TV Series has never really been off the air these past 40 years ... and they STILL play out to sell-out crowds whenever they perform.
Still not inducted
11. ABBA - The world-wide best selling recording act of all time. If the best-selling act in history doesn't belong in THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME then who does??? (File this under "The People Have Spoken!!!")
Finally inducted, 2010
12. Three Dog Night - Dominated the charts in the '70's, scoring 21 straight Top 40 Hits ... that's their ENTIRE chart history!!! One of the most ... if not THE most ... popular bands of the '70's. Pioneered the concept of a band with THREE lead singers!
Still not inducted
13. Paul Anka - Canadian-born singer/songwriter ... dominated the teen pop scene in the '50's, became a more adult-oriented "standards" singer in the '60's and then came back with a whole new career in the '70's, scoring 35 Top 40 Hits over four decades. Plus, this guy wrote the theme to THE TONIGHT SHOW AND the FRANK SINATRA classic, MY WAY!!! One of the very first artists to own his own masters!
Still not inducted
14. Linda Ronstadt - There wasn't a style LINDA couldn't sing ... and she successfully sang them ALL during her chart career. Along the way, she racked up 22 Top 40 Hits.
Finally inducted this year, 2014
15. Tommy James and the Shondells - '60's Pop Chart favorites ... and STILL going strong. In addition to his OWN chart success, TOMMY's tunes were covered and then later hits for a number of artists in the '80's, proving this music to be timeless. Combined pop, rock, gospel, bubblegum and psychedelia into a sound distinctly and uniquely his own.
Still not inducted ... Tommy said last week that the ULTIMATE achievement for him would be to be inducted into The Rock And Roll Hall of Fame the same year is movie comes out. (That would next year, folks!!!)
16. The Turtles - Pop favorites, THE TURTLES helped define a generation with feel good tunes like HAPPY TOGETHER, ELENORE, SHE'D RATHER BE WITH ME, YOU SHOWED ME, YOU BABY, IT AIN'T ME, BABE, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN and SHE'S MY GIRL ... all '60's Pop Standards.
Still not inducted
17. Paul Revere and the Raiders - Pop Stars, TV Stars, Concert headliners ... MARK LINDSAY and Company scored 17 Top 40 Hits, most of which you STILL hear on the radio every day! A good percentage of Rock And Roll Music can ALSO be called "Feel Good" Music ... artists like PAUL REVERE AND THE RAIDERS, THE TURTLES and TOMMY JAMES AND THE SHONDELLS EXCELLED at "Feel Good Music!"
Still not inducted
18. Hall and Oates - The most successful duo of all time ... how is it possible that THESE guys are NOT in THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME? 30 Top 40 Hits and then, when they reunited a few years ago and were immediately back on the charts again! I don't know if there EVER was a better example of Rock 'n' Soul.
Finally inducted this year, 2014
19. Genesis - Between their Art Rock Days of the PETER GABRIEL period and their pop chart domination when, led by PHIL COLLINS, these guys ABSOLUTELY deserve a spot in THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME!
Finally inducted in 2010
20. Yes - More Art-Rock at its finest ... in fact, they helped to set the standard.
Still not inducted
21. Neil Sedaka - Another one of the most popular songwriters of the rock era, NEIL also scored a fair amount of his OWN pop hits, too ... 22 of which made The National Top 40.
Still not inducted
22. The Zombies - Another British Invasion favorite ... they only had THREE Top 40 Hits but, boy, what hits those were ... timeless classics like SHE'S NOT THERE, TELL HER NO and TIME OF THE SEASON.
Still not inducted (but rumored to be close!)
23. Dionne Warwick - All DIONNE WARWICK did was provide the Soundtrack To Our Lives during the '60's ... speaking of which, where the heck are BURT BACHARACH and HAL DAVID ... certainly THEY belong in the NON-PERFORMER category!!!
Still not inducted
24. Heart - Talk about Women Who Rock ... THE SISTERS WILSON brought a WHOLE new meaning to the phrase!
Finally inducted in 2013
25. Pat Benatar - Another female rocker who ABSOLUTELY deserves a spot in THE HALL! HEART and PAT BENATAR ARE Rock And Roll. MADONNA (who's a shoe-in on her first ballot) gave us DANCE music. Certainly there's a difference. All THREE artists belong in THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME ... why aren't HEART and PAT BENATAR already there???
Still not inducted
26. The Doobie Brothers - Starting out as a Biker Band doing California Rock they launched a whole NEW career with the addition of keyboardist / vocalist MICHAEL McDONALD ... between the TOM JOHNSTON years and the MICHAEL McDONALD years, THE DOOBIES scored 18 Top 40 Hits, including a couple that went all the way to #1.
Still not inducted
27. Bobby Rydell - A Pop Teen Idol who could ALSO sing ... and eventually even parlayed his success on to the silver screen. BOBBY scored 19 Top 40 Hits.
Still not inducted
28. Johnny Rivers - Whether he was interpreting another artist's songs ... or writing his own hits, JOHNNY RIVERS never failed to please, scoring 21 Top 40 Hits in the process.
Still not inducted
29. John "Cougar" Mellencamp - One of the '80's Generation's best rockers, MELLENCAMP took his love of old time rock and roll and made it his own ... along with BOB SEGER, one of the best examples of Midwestern Rock we've ever known.
Finally inducted in 2008
30. Glen Campbell - If you're not going to induct him on the basis of his OWN recording career (sure, he was a COUNTRY Artist first, but CAMPBELL also scored 21 Top 40 Pop Hits), then you've GOT to induct him for the THOUSANDS of Recording sessions he did back in the '60's. I mean, this guy
played on EVERYTHING ... and was even a BEACH BOY for a while!!!
Still not inducted
31. Electric Light Orchestra - These guys gave new meaning to the term "Classic Rock", molding the best of classical music and rock into a whole new genre.
Still not inducted
32. Styx - Another band that fused any number of styles into a sound that became distinctly their own.
Still not inducted
33. Lesley Gore - One of the most popular female voices of the '60's, LESLEY scored hit after hit.
Still not inducted
34. Joan Jett - Another female rocker worthy of some ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME attention. If there's such a thing as MADONNA rock and roll, then there just HAS to be JOAN JETT rock and roll!
Still not inducted ... but they'll let her perform as part of the All-Star Jam every year!!! (What the heck is up with THAT?!?!?)
35. Herman's Hermits - Another '60's British Invasion favorite. Their feel-good music sounds JUST as fresh today.
And, HERMAN'S HERMITS scored 18 straight Top 40 Hits between 1964 and 1968 ... how many OTHER ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAMErs can make THAT claim???
Still not inducted
36. Peter, Paul and Mary - One of the first artists to bring the folk movement to the masses ... PETER, PAUL AND MARY were at the forefront of this genre, consistently placing hits near the top of the pop charts. They also first introduced the world to the music of BOB DYLAN.
Still not inducted
37. Jim Croce - Giving whole new meaning to the term singer / songwriter ... as well as taking the "story song" to a whole new level, CROCE's career was cut WAY to short. There is NO telling what else this man had in store for us. If you can't induct him for the greatness he showed us in his all too brief career, then induct him as yet another one of ROCK AND ROLL's tragic heroes. And you may as well go right ahead and induct CROCE's guitarist MAURY MUEHLEISEN into the SIDEMEN category, too, because there was NO finer compliment to an artist than MAURY's EXQUISET guitar-playing. He, too, sadly perished in the same plane crash as BIG JIM.
Still not inducted
38. The Ventures - One of the most popular and successful instrumental groups of all time ... how many kids did THESE guys inspire to pick up a guitar for the very first time???
Finally inducted in 2008
39. Grand Funk Railroad - You CAN'T induct BLACK SABBATH and NOT induct GRAND FUNK RAILROAD. Pretty much ALWAYS lumped together back in the day, the BIG difference is that GFR also placed songs regularly on the SINGLES chart, too. BLACK SABBATH NEVER did that!!! Although their album sales were comparable, GRAND FUNK RAILROAD placed EIGHT of their LPs in The Top Ten ... BLACK SABBATH accomplished this feat only once ... yet it's BLACK SABBATH who's been enshrined in THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME, NOT GRAND FUNK RAILROAD!!!
Still not inducted
40. Petula Clark - Another one of the most popular female voices of the '60's, CLARK scored hit after hit after hit.
Still not inducted
HONORABLE MENTION:
How about ...
America
Blood, Sweat and Tears (every bit as deserving as Chicago ... and how about Al Kooper in the "Sideman" category???)
Gary "US" Bonds
Freddy "Boom Boom" Cannon
The Carpenters (If KAREN CARPENTER had one of the GREATEST voices that pop music has ever known, HOW can she possibly NOT be in THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME??? Add to this fact that THE CARPENTERS placed 20 songs in The National Top 40 and this one seems like a REAL no brainer!)
The Cars
Joe Cocker
Deep Purple
Dick Dale (Without guys like DICK DALE, there might never have been a band called THE BEACH BOYS. At the very least, you've GOT to induct him in the EARLY INFLUENCES category. But if THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME is really all about the artists who PIONEERED Rock and took it in brand new directions, then DICK DALE should have been inducted TWENTY YEARS AGO!!!)
The Fifth Dimension (second only to The Mamas and the Papas when it comes to mixed-voice harmonies ... and they're already IN The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!)
Peter Frampton (hey, if The Rock Hall finally recognizes Frampton for recording the biggest "live" album in history, maybe Cheap Trick can get in there, too!!!)
The Grass Roots
Jan and Dean
Jay and the Americans
Jethro Tull
Journey
Johnny Mathis (the undisputable make-out king of the '50's ... JOHNNY's
music was ANYTHING but rock and roll ... but it was HIS music that
broke up the string of rockers and gave us pause for a slow dance ...
and little lip-locking. He ALSO invented submarine races, look-out
point and any of a dozen other make-out spots. If JOHNNY MATHIS' music was everything BUT ROCK AND ROLL, then it ALSO helped to set the mood for EVERYTHING romantic that went ALONG with ROCK AND ROLL. And for this, teenagers of the '50's will be ETERNALLY grateful!!!)
Poco and/or Loggins and Messina
Todd Rundgren
Ray Stevens (if you're going to induct THE COASTERS ... and nominate JOE TEX ... then you simply CANNOT overlook RAY STEVENS. RAY's been making us laugh while tapping our feet since 1961 and, along the way, has placed 13 songs in The National Top 40. Heck, I'd vote for David Seville and the Chipmunks and Dickie Goodman, too!)
Ed Sullivan (how can he possibly NOT be in there?!?!?)
Bobby Vee (and maybe even Bobby Vinton!)
Other artists we've lobbied for who DID eventually make it in ...
Herb Alpert (inducted for a Lifetime Achievement Award ... I believe Herb ALSO deserves a spot as a performer), Alice Cooper, Little Anthony and the Imperials, Leon Russell and Donna Summer ... which means that since we first started our campaign back in 2007, FIFTEEN Artists that we have publicly supported have now been inducted into The Rock And Roll Hall of Fame. PLEASE don't make us wait another eight years to see the next batch of Deserving and Denied Artists make it ... do the right thing ... and honor these artists NOW, while some of them are still with us to bask in that honor. (kk)
