What do Peter Frampton, Cher, Mary J. Blige, and the MC5 have in common? No, this isn’t a setup for a pithy joke. Rock & Roll Hall of Fame voters were asking themselves that very question ahead of last year’s supersize ceremony, which featured the largest-ever number of inductees and a run time that rivaled The Beatles: Get Back. As the organization has demonstrated since it revamped its mission statement in 2023, there’s been a concerted effort to nominate more women and embrace music that in the past would’ve perhaps been derided or ignored if it wasn’t strictly considered classic rock. But with change inevitably comes skepticism about what the Rock Hall now represents.
With that in mind, we’ve once again invited two active voters to create their own dream ballots for the upcoming induction class. (Note: I joined the Rock Hall voting body as of this year, but I decided it would be too weird to interview myself.) Voter 1, who clocks in at five years, is optimistic that this inductee gender imbalance will be “rectified with pop music” as a shift into prioritizing ’90s music continues. Meanwhile, Voter 2, who has been casting ballots for 15 years, notes, “When I see the ballot sometimes, it’s a little bit like: Does this place know what it is exactly or what it wants to be? It’s like you’re on Chopped and you have to make a dessert with vinegar, whipped cream, and steak.” Neither voter advocated for Warren Zevon, but we’ll try not to hold it against them.
Cyndi Lauper
I was disappointed when she didn’t get in a few years ago. I was surprised, actually, because she checks all the boxes. She’s influential in a variety of genres and can sing anything — rock, pop, blues, electronic music, soul, country, R&B. She’s not only a unique vocalist, but a versatile one. As a songwriter, she’s written some of the most indelible songs in popular history. Her charity work is influential. I can’t say enough good things about Cyndi. My hope is that because she went on her farewell tour and has a documentary out, it can help move the needle. When you look at the ’80s in terms of big icons who are in and not in the Rock Hall, she’s the last one not there. —Voter 1
Luther Vandross
He’s my No. 1. Luther had such a long and interesting career. He made his reputation first in the ’70s as a backup singer, but when he moved into the ’80s with a breakout of “Never Too Much,” he made an incredible run of R&B records. His first seven albums hit No. 1 on the R&B chart. The Rock Hall used to care about R&B of the ’60s and early ’70s and then stopped. So we get artists coming in much later, like Kool & the Gang last year, or Lionel Richie in 2022. I mean, the Commodores haven’t been inducted. Luther could have gone in much earlier. I’m hoping with this new documentary out about him that he’ll be on people’s radars. —Voter 2
The B-52’s
Every year, people are like, “Why are they not nominated?” It’s an excellent question. For starters, their music is uncategorizable. Obviously, you can tell they’re influenced by Yoko Ono, soul, R&B, and post-punk, but they’re so beloved and influential. I can’t believe they haven’t had more serious consideration. There’s been such a groundswell of love for them in recent years from not just old-school fans, but also from new fans. Thanks to their Las Vegas residency, a lot of people have seen them for the first time. Their status as queer icons is also immense. You can draw a line from what they’ve done to a lot of the modern queer pop icons. —Voter 1
They were original. They came out with this angularity and edginess of punk with the poppiness of New Wave. And with a tremendous sense of humor, right? Rock and roll was funny. The B-52’s were incredibly hip and edgy, but also really funny, and they played around with visuals, costumes, and gender. I played the first album this morning and it completely holds up. It’s a tremendous oversight that they haven’t even earned a nomination. There’s nobody quite like them. —Voter 2
Devo
The way Devo brought electronic- and synth-based music into the mainstream can’t be overstated. They were one of the biggest influences in helping New Wave gain traction in America. For that alone, they need to get inducted. When you look at the New Wave genre, it’s such a cultural force. Their music has a lot to say politically, socially, and culturally. I think people saw them just as a quirky-fun-time band with energy domes, but their music was very deep and well thought out, as was their stage aesthetic. They merged visuals and music, and they saw the future for that, which is now so common for musicians. They’re beloved by punk-rockers. They’re beloved by rock dudes and metal dudes. They have a very wide appeal. —Voter 1
The Pointer Sisters
When you look at their career, they’re fascinating. They started off doing country music. But people know them more for their ’80s work. Everyone knows their cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Fire,” and then the hits “Jump” and “I’m So Excited.” It was almost like New Wave soul — how soul and R&B music evolved in the ’80s. They came from the lineage of all the Motown girl groups and they modernized it. They paved the way for a lot of the other girl groups that would become — for example, Destiny’s Child and TLC. The Pointer Sisters wrote their own songs and they harmonized. When you listen to their harmonies, it’s unbelievable. It’s so intricate. They worked very, very hard at that, and they never get as much credit as they should. —Voter 1
The Shangri-Las
You could think of the girl-group era really beginning in the late ’50s, but by 1965, they were starting to fade out with the impact of the Beatles. Girl groups were ignored for quite a long time by the Rock Hall because of it. That’s been remedied in many cases. The Ronettes, the Shirelles, and Darlene Love are all in. Some of the great songwriters like Ellie Greenwich finally got in. But, man, the Shangri-Las. They were like biker girls. They wore matching suits, but it would be with black motorcycle boots and black vests. They’re the most “rock” of all the girl groups. They were these mid-’60s badass girls and had a tremendous rock-and-roll attitude, and yet there’s something a little bit camp about them where you get all the sound effects on the records. Mary Weiss was a great rock singer. It seems like the people that created “Leader of the Pack” should be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. —Voter 2
Tracy Chapman
Her catalogue isn’t enormous, but those first couple of albums had a huge impact. I’m not sure there’s a better rock song than “Fast Car.” The whole Tracy Chapman album, start to finish, is an absolute stone-cold classic. “Talkin’ Bout a Revolution.” “Baby Can I Hold You.” She just came out of nowhere and captivated people. The power of that one song and having it be her first hit, maybe, weirdly, works against her. When you come out that strong, maybe people look back and think you could never measure up. But the tenacity of that song and the way in which people have found such value in her whole sound should be recognized. —Voter 2
De La Soul
The Rock Hall in recent years has done a good job at trying to induct more hip-hop innovators who moved the genre forward. I was so excited that A Tribe Called Quest got in this past year, and De La Soul is right up there too. The way that they use sampling and constructed their music is so incredibly inventive and innovative. They saw how genres could meld together. People like the Beastie Boys get a lot of credit for the way they did that with Paul’s Boutique, but De La Soul was making just as innovative stuff. What’s hindered them a little bit is that their music was initially difficult to find because of rights clearances. Now that it’s being reissued and on streaming, I think some more generations will discover them. —Voter 1
Iron Maiden
Every time you ask Tom Morello this question, he’ll be like, “Iron Maiden needs to be in.” He’s absolutely correct. First off, the wild thing is they’re still touring. They have no radio airplay and they sell out arenas at every stop, reliably, every year. Iron Maiden is one of the massive influences in metal from the ’80s onward. Their records have held up exceedingly well. I was thinking about what has hurt their chances for an induction. I think the estimation is that they never really did the “pop metal” route. The artists in the new wave of British heavy metal, like Judas Priest, ended up with their sound softened and a little bit more commercial. But Iron Maiden has stuck to their guns over the years. When you look at rectifying genres that aren’t represented in the Rock Hall, Iron Maiden is the last big metal band that really deserves to be in. —Voter 1
The 5th Dimension
The Rock Hall has embraced a broader sense of pop music over the last few years, which is exciting. The Mamas & the Papas went in years ago, and if they can be in, the 5th Dimension can be in. They did this beautifully arranged pop and hippie music. It’s not a 20-minute Grateful Dead jam, but it’s taking the counterculture to the pop charts. The Mamas & the Papas have “California Dreamin’” and the 5th Dimension have “Let the Sunshine In.” These perfectly crafted pop songs dominated our imaginations. If people have seen Questlove’s Summer of Soul, one of the absolute highlights is the 5th Dimension’s performance and the incredible gospel voices they matched with these pop arrangements. They talk about not necessarily being recognized by Black audiences or rock audiences at the time, but man, their version of “Stoned Soul Picnic,” by Laura Nyro? Unbelievable. —Voter 2
X
It’s wild to me that X has never been part of the “honoring punk legends” conversation. When you look at punk influences in Los Angeles, X is probably the most influential band. The way their vocals interact is so unique and special. You could see exactly why they had a country-music side project. The songwriting took cues from classic rock. They covered the Doors and had a lineage to the Doors, but modernized that and put in blues and rockabilly and recast punk rock in a unique way. They really set a blueprint for what punk music could be in America. —Voter 1
Oasis
The Gallagher brothers don’t want it, but I do. That’s all I have to say. They need to be back on the ballot. They announced the reunion shows after the votes were in last year, and I wonder if that will now make people look at them twice. —Voter 2
OutKast
OutKast has never been nominated, and they’ve now been eligible for several years. I understand that maybe they’re fairly new among other potential inductees. But when you look at modern hip-hop, OutKast is it. They picked up the mantle from what De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest were doing and really ran with it in the ’90s and 2000s. Andre 3000 and Big Boi think about music in such an unbelievably creative and genius sort of way. People who know know. —Voter 1
Living Colour
It’s probably a little bit of wishful thinking, but I always talk about Living Colour. They’re one of the best live bands I’ve ever seen, hands down. I saw them in a club years ago and it was unbelievable. Their musicianship is incredibly virtuosic. What they sing about is so important. They’re such a groundbreaking band, and they don’t get the credit they deserve for what they’ve accomplished. It’s a rock band with Black musicians, and they’ve talked openly about the difficulties they’ve faced, even though they’ve had high-profile gigs like opening for the Rolling Stones. People are still trying to figure out their place in rock music, but I always come back to them. It’s a group that needs more attention and recognition for what they do. —Voter 1