The Bands

Groups or individuals are qualified for induction 25 years after the release of their first record. Nominees should have demonstrable  influence and significance within the history of rock and roll.

Four categories are recognized (as of 2000):

    • Performers
    • Musical Excellence (Influencers)
    • Early Influences
    • The Ahmet Ertegun Award (formerly Non-Performers)
    • Former Categories include Sidemen and Singles, Most Sidemen and Backing Members have been left out of inductions since the beginning and Singles category was only in 2018. A good link to snubbed members of inducted bands is here: Snubbed Members of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Artists Read the comments too for a complete list.

With that we propose the following list that absolutely, positively should be a part of the Rock Hall.

  1. Iron MaidenIron Maiden
    Just replace 40+ years in the description (instead of For 35 years, put For 40+ years) (also add) They even have their own font (metal lord) and screams Rock louder than an Eddie T-Shirt!
  2. Screamin’ Jay” Hawkins
    If you haven’t heard his hits, you heard a band cover them! Screamin Jay is known as the pioneer of Shock Rock. One of his songs is in the Rock Halls top songs that shaped Rock and Roll so get him in the Rock Hall!!
  3. Billy Idol 
    From the London punk scene in the late 70’s Billy made it HUGE in the 80’s with his snarling punk attitude and rock hooks. He has multiple #1 billboard hits, awards and he still records and tours today.
  4. Weird AlWeird Al Yankovic
    The leader of rock parody and always on the cutting edge of pop music this icon cannot be overlooked.  Since 1979, “Weird Al” Yankovic has carved a unique career as rock and roll’s premier satirist. Weird Al has created and solidified his own essential niche in rock music, and it’s high time he be honored.  He also has his own induction site here: https://www.dohtem.com/al/rockhall/
  5. The Bangles
    All Female and one of the most successful rock groups of the 80’s. The Bangles still tour today and have been featured in many movie soundtracks for decades. Their songs remain relevant today as they were when released.
  6. Connie Francis
    CONNIE FRANCIS was the ME TOO of the late 50’s till 70’s before it was cool. She paved the way for many female artists with her chart topping hits both on Billboard and internationally. Her song “Where the Boys Are” was a hit that became a movie and introduced the concept of Spring Break! Her songs lead her to star in movies and television. She has recorded songs in 9 languages.
  7. DevoDevo
    Are we not men worthy of Rock Hall fame? These guys were one-of-a-kind, and amongst the great innovators in rock history. They continue to this day in TV shows, animated and commercials we see everyday.
  8. INXS
    Hailing from Australia INXS has numerous hits, platinum albums and every award on the planet, except and induction to the rock hall! Never considered and totally snubbed this band is a major influence to many bands that came after them. Still touring and recording with singers after the unexpected death of their original lead singer in 1997 Michael Hutchence.
    HOME of Induct INXS | Get INXS Nominated & Inducted @Rock Hall. Sign at Induct INXS.com | Induct INXS
  9. The Runaways
    The Runaways are one of the first all female bands and has had a HUGE influence on most modern female (and male) bands to come along since. The members such as Joan Jett and Lita Ford have gone on to have long successful careers, along with the other members. Major motion pictures and documentaries have been made about them. They are still currently being played on radio.
  10. Supertramp  
    A British Prog Rock band that dominated the airwaves in the 70’s and 80’s with multiple top 10 singles. Their songs have endured through the decades, often in soundtracks and covered by modern artists to this day. Are we nothing but a dreamer to get them in the Rock Hall? Bloody Well Right we are!
  11. The Smiths
    Morrissey and Johnny Maher were smart, enigmatic and fun and the music they created helped lay the groundwork for independent music and alternative rock in the 1980s and ’90s.
  12. Gordon Lightfoot 
    Prolific Songwriter has had many top hits with his songs of tales of love and historic events. Successfully heard the world over his songs have been covered by many of the worlds most renown artists about Lovers, Loneliness, Trains, Shipwrecks, Rivers and Highways.
  13. Mott The HoopleMott The Hoople 
    Some of the biggest rock songs and most covered rock songs in history come out of this band along with Ian Hunter and Mick Ronson among others. A Glam Band from the 70’s their songs have survived through decades and are always heard on soundtracks, streaming, and covers. A huge influence to many artists who came after them they are long overdue for the hall!
  14. SugarHill Gang
    Founders of Hip Hop and Rap. This pioneering group inaugurated the recorded history of rap music with their single “Rapper’s Delight”, a multi-platinum seller in 1979. First Rap to appear on America Bandstand.
  15. Tom Jones
    British Pop Star that sang hits for James Bond and many other movies. He has 36 top 40 hits, 19 in the top 10. Still a sex symbol and recording artist, he has sold more than 100 million records over the last 6 decades and was so popular he had his own TV show. Recognised by many Rock Stars and the influence of generations of Rock Stars he was knighted in 2006 for his contribution to music and now is Sir Tom Jones.
  16. Tommy James and the Shondells
    Eligible since 1991 and their hits including 2 #1 hits and 12 others in the top ten are covered again and again its a surprise that these guys have never been considered to the Rock Hall. They did it all from Bubble Gum to Psychedelic and are a straight forward rocking band. Still pops up from time to time on tours today. This is a cornerstone band that has been overlooked way too long.
  17. ACCEPT
    German Heavy Metal Band that played an important role in the development of Speed Metal, directly influencing bands like Metallica. They have sold millions of albums worldwide and are still recording and touring to this day. A favorite of Guitar Hero and many of their songs are featured in movies and TV shows.
  18. Saxon
    Part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal they are one of Europes biggest acts, also having singles in the US, Japan and other countries in the world.
  19. ScorpionsScorpions
    German Heavy Metal Rockers have sold over 100 million albums worldwide. They have performed all over the world including Soviet Russia. The songs are always well written and they have received many awards worldwide. A major player in Guitar hero their songs will live on well into the future. Lets Rock them like a Hurricane into the Rock Hall.
  20. SWEET
    British Glam Rockers had over a decade of hits all over the world and continually are played on radio today. Many hits are still being covered and used in many hit movies. The influence of this band is immeasurable and their induction is long overdue.
  21. Slade
    English Hard Rock / Glam band whose hits are still being copied and songs still played on the radio.
  22. Thin Lizzy
    Major international Rock Band whose hits still played regularly on hard rock and Classic Rock radio stations.
  23. Humble Pie
    Humble Pie formed as a supergroup in the end of the 60s and went on to produce music that influenced many artists and top rock hits that are played to this day. Members were entertaining and extremely talented that went on to do so much more in the rock industry.
  24. Slayer
    Who hasn’t gone to a concert in the last 30 years and heard someone in the crowd yell “Slayer” for a request. Godfathers of thrash metal are two time Grammy winners and the winners of multiple music awards has made them the must have in every music fans collection.
  25. The Replacements
    Post-punk poets from Minneapolis blazed the trail for every alternative-rock band to come along since. Gets my vote on the strength of “Here Comes a Regular” alone.
  26. Toto
    Awarded several Grammy awards and in the Musicians hall of fame this band has always been around selling millions of albums.
  27. The B-52s
    New Wave innovators from Athens, Ga. “Love Shack” baby!
  28. The CarpentersThe Carpenters
    Siblings Karen and Richard Carpenter lit up the charts with number one hits in the 60s and 70s. Stopping in 83 with the sudden death of Karen their songs still endure to this day. Covered by many and influencing many artists The Carpenters are still considered one of the top greatest duos of all time. Rolling Stone has Karen as one of the greatest vocalists of all time. In all the Hall of Fames except this one, and long overdue!
  29. Jethro Tull
    Formed in 1967 with their flute playing front man Ian Anderson Jethro Tull has been overlooked for too long by the Rock Hall. Songs like Aqualung, Teacher, Bungle in the Jungle and others are true classic rock and are known worldwide. These grammy winners are still touring to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary and have a new studio album coming out.
  30. Joe Cocker
    Dude was at Woodstock. One of rock’s great interpreters. His gritty rendition of “With a Little Help From My Friends” is more memorable than the Beatles’ original. And his cover of Randy Newman’s “You Can Leave Your Hat On” is a bona fide classic.
  31. Motley Crue
    Hard living band since 1981 that continues to influence Rock and Roll today with radio and reality shows. Everyone from babies to Grannies know this band.
  32. The Raspberries
    Eric Carmen and the boys burned hot and bright in their short time together and left us some of the best  pop-rock music ever. Besides, Bruce Springsteen thinks they should be inducted into the Rock Hall, and who are we to argue with The Boss?  Wally Bryson is an influence to Slash from Nominated Guns and Roses .
  33. The Guess Who
    “American Woman,” “These Eyes,” “No Sugar Tonight.” One of the great ’60s pop-rock outfits.
  34. J. Geils Band
    Who doesn’t know their song centerfold? Nominated once for the 2010 inductions, they were snubbed. The wooba gooba with the green teeth, needs to be let in.
  35. Los Lobos
    Their cover of Ritchie Valens’ “La Bamba” put them on the commercial map. But these L.A. rockers are a creative force in their own right and one of the best live bands in rock.
  36. Motörhead
    Motörhead’s overwhelmingly loud and fast style of heavy metal was one of the most groundbreaking styles the genre had to offer in the late ’70s. Though the group’s leader, Lemmy Kilminster, had his roots in the hard-rocking space rock band Hawkwind, He left taking the Progressive Space rock and melting it in with Biker Punk rock to be the first metal band to harness that energy and, in the process, they created speed metal and thrash metal. Formed in June 1975 they have sold over 16 million albums worldwide.
  37. Jan and Dean
    We all know the songs Dead Mans Curve and Little Old Lady From Pasadena, besides the other iconic songs the duo of W. Jan Berry and Dean Torrence sang with the iconic sixties west coast sound. Active from 1958 till Jans death in 2004 they toured and recorded, and went on to produce rock music through the decades. Known for an anti-establishment attitude toward the music industry they still recorded their music with a high level of craftsmanship.
  38. Twister SisterTwisted Sister
    I don’t know anyone who has not heard of their well-known hits Were Not Gonna Take It and I Wanna Rock.
    Dee Snider should be in the Rock Hall because he testified against the PMRC alone! (Along with John Denver and Frank Zappa)
  39. THE TUBES
    Majorly Influential since 1975 this band is considered to be one Rocks most creative masters of lyrics for the  Rock/New Wave and hard rock genre.  Still touring the band has survived to this day.
  40. Uriah Heap
    One the most influential bands of the 4 cornerstones of Heavy Metal and an AOR radio favorite. They have been an influence to many progressive rock bands and vocalists. Their induction cannot be overlooked.

Bonus Tracks!!!

  1. UFOUFO
    Heavy British Rock Band with many influential members, this band cannot be overlooked or its “lights out”.  The Band continues to this day to release critically acclaimed albums.
  2. Leslie Gore
    At just 17 she had iconic hits like It’s My Party and You Don’t Own Me.  Her songs have been trailblazing for women in Rock.  She’s way overdue for induction.
  3. Mariah Carey
    The Songbird Supreme with a 5 octave voice has been on the charts for over 3 decades. Too many awards to list here she has sold over 200 million records worldwide, making her one of the biggest selling artists in music history. Carey has spent 82 weeks at the number-one position on Billboard Hot 100, the greatest number for any artist in US chart history and accumulated 19 number-one singles. Versatile singer and actress we will hear from her for decades to come.
  4. Matthew Sweet
    Matthew has had many popular releases and has been featured on TV and Movie soundtracks. His original and unique style has won him legions of fans and praises from critics since the late 80s.
  5. The Monkees
    Who can’t resist loving the TV band that made many top 40 songs from the late 60’s?  These guys still influence lives to this day.  The Mikes are still touring, and still major producers in the business. If you google “Monkees Influence” you will see pages about their influence in Rock and Roll, videos and Hollywood. Sadly they have been on our list for so long we have lost 2 members since we started this list: Davy Jones and Peter Tork. Lets get them in before they are all dead!
  6. Johnny Rivers
    In the 60s and 70s radio hits always had Johnny Rivers songs on the charts, many to hit #1. His songs have been performed and covered by many bands and are featured in TV and movies till this day.
  7. Blue Oyster Cult
    This Rock band sold out stadiums, and still sells shows out to this day.  BOC started in 1967 and had chart toppers throughout the 70s and into the 80’s.  Induct them before Godzilla comes out of Lake Erie for you.
  8. The Cult 
    The Cult has had many hits from the Goth/Punk/Rock British band. The Cult have had various line-ups; the longest-serving members are vocalist Ian Astbury and guitarist Billy Duffy the band’s two songwriters. Their popularity is worldwide and still requested on radio and many online streaming services.
  9. Sir Douglas Quintet
    The Sir Douglas Quintet was an American rock band, formed in San Antonio in 1964. Formed by Doug Sahm, They had their first hit in 1965 mixing R&B with Tex Mex and psychedelic rock. The Sir Douglas Quintet is considered a pioneering influence in the history of rock and roll for incorporating Tex-Mex and Cajun styles into rock music. Many of their hits are featured in movie soundtracks from 1967 easy rider to today.
  10. Three Dog Night
    Three Dog Night scored a succession of 21 hit singles, including eleven Top Tens, and twelve consecutive gold albums from 1969 to 1975, thanks to the slick, sometimes soulful vocal harmonies of singers Danny Hutton, Chuck Negron, and Cory Wells and an excellent ear for quality material. Their vocal harmonies and pop licks have influenced many vocal bands in rock and pop till today.

370 Comments

  1. Johnny Rivers…..

  2. I agree with some of the comments,but some of you must not have much depth to who you mention should be inducted. I always question how much music knowledge some of you have and how old you are. Of course musical good taste is also needed which some of you lack. It’s like some of you nominated some of the jokers that have gotten in over Jethro Tull and other super classic bands you may have no idea of because you have limited minds on classic music.

  3. you forgot INXS

  4. The most criminally underrated band of last 30 years that deserves to be in the HoF is Living Colour.

  5. “The Spiders from Mars,” who were Mick Ronson, Trevor Bolder & Woody Woodmansey. As “The Spiders From Mars,” these three ultra talented men brought David Bowie to fame as Ziggy Stardust(Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders from Mars.) If not for them we may not have ever heard of David Bowie, not in that way or at that time anyway. Plus Mick Ronson can even be in a category of his own, check him out! Why do these fine artists keep being snubbed? Watch some videos from 1972/1973. Do your research guys!!!!!

  6. I agree with all of these and wonder why so many are inducted one year and then not so many like this year. I would like to add one that is incredibly talented, complex, rhythmic, and has a sound like no other.
    The Fixx! They know that one thing leads to another and while touring around the world to different red skies every night, they will always be saved by zero.

  7. Kansas, ELP, Supertramp – nary a mention.

    • I was there baby!

      You cannot listen to the first 5 Kansas albums and not come away with how talented they are. ELP was the top band in the world part of their career. Scorpions are incredible. Steppenwolf great rock band. Uriah Heep one of a kind,Marshall Tucker Band first 5 albums. That’s my opinion of great bands not in the RRHF. You cannot base a bands career only on a song or two, listen to all the songs on most of the albums produced in the 1970’s. Then your opinion has some merit.

  8. Grand Funk Railroad is one of the best three piece bands ever. None better in the 60s and 70s. they sounded as good in person as they did in the studio. I can’t understand why they are not in the hall. 4 Gold 5 Platinum albums, outsold Shae Stadium in 45 min. the Beatles took 6 weeks. COME ON!I couldn’t believe when I saw the list of inductees. So many can’t hold a candle to GFR. WOW!

    • Allan f Burrichter jr

      I say George m Cohan as an early inspiration to rock and roll hall and cher, celen Dion I know I spelled it wrong Barbra strisand, Mariah Carey, the carpenters, Olivia newton John just to name a few and huey Lewis and the news

  9. Where is Fanny? The first successful all female bands. Listen to June Millington on Fanny’s recording of Badge and tell me that’s not talent

  10. Strong initial list. A lot of attention on Weird Al and bands outside of U.S or UK area that had no real impact on us on the East or West Coast of the US.

    But:

    The Cult
    J. Giles Band
    King Crimson
    Meat Puppets
    Iron Maiden
    Foo Fighters
    Boston

    These bands ALL had an influence on other bands and their following genre or dominated.

    I’m not a Duran Duran fan, but they can put them in as the dominated the 80’s.

    These bands should have been in yesterday. I am probably forgetting a few.

  11. Strong initial list. A lot of attention on Weird Al and bands outside of U.S or UK area that had no real impact on us on the East or West Coast of the US.

    But:

    The Cult
    J. Giles Band
    King Crimson
    Meat Puppets
    Iron Maiden
    Foo Fighters

    These bands ALL had an influence on other bands and their following genre or dominated.

    I’m not a Duran Duran fan, but they can put them in as the dominated the 80’s.

    These bands should have been in yesterday. I am probably forgetting a few.

  12. Why has Styx been snubbed? They were one of the top acts of the late 70’s and 80’s.

    Styx was also the first band to accomplish 4 triple platinum albums in a row.

  13. Carole King is already in the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame along with her long time songwriting partner Gerry Goffin. They were inducted in the non performer category for their songwriting achievements. Though i believe she should be inducted also as a performer. Which would of made HER the first female to be inducted twice, not Stevie Nicks. Her”Tapestry” album alone is deserving enough to get her in as a performer. Meanwhile Jethro Tull, Grand Funk Railroad, Joe Cocker, Harry Nilsson, Pat Benatar, Link Wray, Warren Zevon, Doobie Brothers, Three Dog Night, are just a few just as deserving to be inducted.

  14. I agree with Foeeigner, Pat Benatar, Motley Crue,The Monkees, Blue Oyster Cult, and Three Dog Night; you could add a few more like Dave Matthews Band, Sting, Phil Collins, Poison, Soundgarden, REO Speedwagon, Linkin Park (yeah I know they aren’t ready to be inducted until 2025), Beck, Boston, Kansas, Bush, and Weezer (when ready)!! Can ya’ tell I like music?

  15. Raspberries, Carole King, Toto, Frampton and The Guess Who.

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