Nominations for the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame announced
 

Run-D.M.C. could "Walk This Way" into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The 1980s rap act, along with Metallica and the Stooges, are among the nine nominees for next year's hall of fame class, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation announced Monday.

The other nominees are guitarist Jeff Beck, singer Wanda Jackson, Little Anthony and the Imperials, War, Bobby Womack, and disco and R&B group Chic.

The list is notable for the wide range of musical genres represented -- hip-hop, metal, punk, disco and R&B -- and the large number of first-time candidates. Only Chic, the Stooges and Jackson have been previously nominated.

"It's an interesting group because it really shows the nominating committee showed some thought and energy into who should be inducted," said Joel Peresman, president and CEO of the New York City-based Rock Hall foundation. "It truly shows it's never a closed door for any artist to be nominated."

The five leading vote-getters will be announced in January and inducted April 4, 2009, in Cleveland.

The ceremony typically has been held in New York but is returning to Cleveland after more than a decade-long absence. Tickets will be made available to the public for the first time.

Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five opened the door for rap at the Rock Hall as the first hip-hop act to be inducted in 2007. Now, Run-D.M.C., nominated in the first year of its eligibility, has the chance to follow on the strength of rock and rap blends such as the 1986 cover of Aerosmith's "Walk This Way" and classics like "It's Tricky" and "My Adidas."

"The big thing they did is took hip-hop more into the mainstream," said Jim Henke, chief curator of the hall of fame and a member of the nominating committee. "They did combine a lot of rock elements. As far as hip-hop groups go, they're certainly right there at the top."

Metallica jumped on the heavy metal wave of the '80s and 25 years later is still selling out arenas. This month the group released "Death Magnetic," which marks a return to its early speed metal days.

The Stooges, recently given props in the film "Juno," get another shot after last appearing on the ballot two years ago.

Left off the ballot were Stevie Ray Vaughan and Bon Jovi. Both had been eligible for the first time. To be nominated an act must have released its first single or album 25 years prior.

"They're great artists," Peresman said. "People's time comes for whatever reason when it does."

Rock fan Neil Walls, who started the Web site futurerockhall.com two and one-half years ago to discuss which of today's artists could end up in the hall of fame, said this year's nominees offer great diversity. But he questions why artists like Kiss, Alice Cooper, Peter Gabriel, Chicago and Rush keep getting snubbed.

"They need to go back to at least nominating 14 or 15 to at least give the voters more of an option," Walls said. "It really puts the power in the nominating committee's hands."

More than 500 musicians, industry professionals and journalists vote on the inductions.

No Peter Gabriel? How odd.

But that's a pretty good list this year: Jeff Beck, War, Bobby Womack, the Stooges, & Chic. Is Kool & the Gang already in? How about Parliament? The Isley Brothers?

^^^I'm pulling for Wanda Jackson, an underdog but rather significant one to say the least:

Wanda Jackson (born Wanda Jean Jackson, 20 October 1937, Maud, Oklahoma) is sometimes called the first female rock and roll singer. She began recording (on the Decca label) in 1954. Jackson signed with Capitol in 1956. In 1960 she saw pop chart success when Capitol re-released her 1958 rendition of "Let's Have a Party." She switched over to Country Music in the 1960s, racking up a few hits there as well. She has often been hailed as the "Queen of Rockabilly".

Rise to fame
Jackson was still in high school when country singer Hank Thompson heard her sing on an Oklahoma City radio show and asked her to record with his band. She dated Elvis Presley, who encouraged her to step away from the country-tinged gospel she had been performing since childhood and try her hand at rock and roll. She developed her own distinctive voice and performed in a variety of styles, from folksy traditional tunes to country twang and high yodels to throaty, suggestive ballads.

She was a prolific singer of songs with wry lyrics such as "Fujiyama Mama," a 1957 cover of a song originated by jump blues singer Annisteen Allen in 1955 which in the original contained references to the World War II bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It even became a #1 hit in Japan. Her biggest hit was "Let's Have a Party" released in 1960.


Queen of Rockabilly
Jackson achieved great and continuing success throughout Europe, Asia, and Australia, but has never found the same level of fame in her native United States. She toured with rock and roll pioneers such as Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Buddy Holly. She has been nominated for two Grammys, and has been awarded the Oklahoma Native Daughter Award. She has been inducted into the Oklahoma Country Music Hall of Fame, the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, the International Hall of Fame, the International Gospel Music Hall of Fame, the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame, and the German Country Music Hall of Fame, but remains conspicuously absent from the Rock and Roll and Country Music Halls of Fame.

Country career
Wanda's first records on Decca Records were country records made with Hank Thompson's band, one of which "You Can't Have My Love", a duet with Hank's bandleader, Billy Gray, made the Top 10 on the country charts in 1954. In 1956, she made her solo debut on Capitol Records with "I Gotta Know" which made a one week appearance on the country charts that year. It would be 5 years before she next appeared on the country charts.

Starting in 1961, Jackson's career started to go increasingly towards country music than rock and roll. This began with the Top 10 hit "Right Or Wrong" which also became her biggest pop hit reaching the top 30. Her next single in 1962, "In The Middle Of A Heartache" was also a Top 10 hit and also a top 30 pop hit. Throughout the mid 1960s into the early 1970s, Jackson was never out of the country charts with such songs as "Tears Will Be The Chaser For Your Wine" (1966), "Both Sides Of The Line" (1967), "A Girl Don't Have To Drink To Have Fun" (1968), "A Woman Lives For Love" (1970), and many others. She had not completely abandoned her rock and roll roots either with all of her country albums having at least one rock and roll number. She was also the first female country artist to do a live album. In 1966, she had a number 1 in Germany with the foreign language hit "Santo Domingo" sung entirely in German.

A born-again Christian, Jackson and her husband/manager Wendell Goodman abandoned secular music in 1971, and spent the next 25 years performing gospel in churches. Wanda has also recorded several gospel albums as well with acclaim.

Wanda Jackson today
In 1995, Jackson was invited by alt-country singer Rosie Flores to duet with her on an upcoming album. The two were so pleased with the results that Jackson joined Flores on a handful of promotional club dates which were soon extended into a five-week North American tour. Jackson, pleasantly surprised to discover that she and her songs were known by a generation of rockabilly fans her grandchildren's age, soon assembled her own band and returned to clubs and festivals, where she continues to perform.

The same year, (and the year before) Jackson recorded in Europe with Danish group The Alligators.

Jackson ranked #35 on CMT's 40 Greatest Women in Country Music in 2002.

In recent years Jackson has recorded with such artists as The Cramps, Lee Rocker, Dave Alvin, and Elvis Costello, all of which are special guests on her album Heart Trouble, released in 2003 on CMH Records. 2006 saw the release of a new Jackson album, I Remember Elvis. Jackson also made a guest appearance on her longtime friend Norma Jean's 2005 album singing a duet with Norma and soloing on a biographical song written by singer and performer Debbie Horton from the show Branson On The Road, titled "Pretty Miss Norma Jean".

On 16 August 2007, Jackson undertook a gig in Europe as a guest star of Dutch rock and roll stars, René Shuman and Angel-Eye. This was during the 30th Memorial Concert dedicated to Elvis Presley. More than 7,500 people saw the show, entitled "Elvis and More.."

On 22 September 2008, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced that she has been nominated for possible induction in 2009.

On 28 October, 2008, Jackson returns to Europe for a one-off appearance at the London Rock 'n' Roll Festival, appearing with Jerry Lee Lewis and Linda Gail Lewis at the London Forum.

Peter Gabriel is brilliant. How could he not be in there??! :mad:

Because Madonna is better.










Just kidding! :blob2:

I can't help that one of these days Stevie will get in on her own merit!!:nod:

I'd love to see The Association, Lovin' Spoonful, The Hollies, Mason Williams, Jose Feleciano, Free, Todd Rundgren, Robert Fripp and John Denver make it. Some of them might be there already.

I think the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame has become a joke.
It's so watered down now. I'd scratch off half the people
that have made it in during the last ten years or so.

Here's my short list of who really deserves to be in:

1. Elvis Presley
2. Chuck Berry
3. Little Richard
4. Bob Dylan
5. The Beatles
6. Rolling Stones
7. Led Zeppelin

Add The Who, Billy Joel, and Rush and I will second your list. Those ten people are the true greatest.

Well, maybe we should add Fleetwood Mac to the list:laugh:.