DAILY DIRT: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame releases 2023 nominees — here’s who should make it and others who have been overlooked

Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 518 of The Daily Dirt.

1. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation has announced the following nominees for 2023 induction:

• Kate Bush
• Sheryl Crow
• Missy Elliott
• Iron Maiden
• Joy Division/New Order
• Cyndi Lauper
• George Michael
• Willie Nelson
• Rage Against the Machine
• Soundgarden
• The Spinners
• A Tribe Called Quest
• The White Stripes
• Warren Zevon

I’ll give you choices in a few paragraphs, but first a little background:

To be eligible for nomination, an individual artist or band must have released its first commercial recording at least 25 years prior to the year of nomination. Eight out of 14 of the Nominees are on the ballot for the first time: Sheryl Crow, Missy Elliott, Joy Division/New Order, Cyndi Lauper, George Michael, Willie Nelson, The White Stripes, and Warren Zevon. This is the first year of eligibility for Missy Elliott and The White Stripes.

“This remarkable list of Nominees reflects the diverse artists and music that the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame honors and celebrates,” said John Sykes, chairman of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, in a release. “These artists have created their own sounds that have impacted generations and influenced countless others that have followed in their footsteps.”

Nominee ballots will be sent to an international voting body of more than 1,000 artists, historians, and members of the music industry. An artist’s musical impact and influence on other artists, length and depth of career and body of work, plus innovation and superiority in style and technique are taken into consideration.

Fans around the world participate in the induction selection process through the fan vote. Through April 28, fans can vote online every day at vote.rockhall.com or in person at the museum in Cleveland. The top five artists selected by the public will comprise a “fans’ ballot” that will be tallied along with the other ballots to determine the 2023 Inductees. 

Inductees will be announced in May. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2023 Induction Ceremony will take place this fall with the date, venue, and on-sale information to be announced.

2. And now, here are the five nominees I feel are most worthy of induction:

Sheryl Crow (PUBLISHER’S NOTE: The pride of Kennett, Mo. MIZ-ZOU! JRG)

Cyndi Lauper

George Michael

The Spinners

Warren Zevon

3. Here are 10 more artists/bands who should have already been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but for some strange reason are still on the outside looking in:

• Lionel Richie: Richie was one of the biggest stars of the 1980s and ranks as one of the great songwriters of all time.
• Cher: Inexcusable, simply inexcusable.
• Diana Ross: Sure, Ross was the lead singer of the Supremes, but her solo career also features seven No. 1 hits.
• The Guess Who: The first Canadian super group to carve out a serious niche in the Billboard Hot 100. And lead singer Burton Cummings was one of the true stars of the late 1960s and into the 1970s.
• The Association: Their ballads “Cherish” and “Never My Love” are among the most played songs in history. And “Along Comes Mary” is another classic.
• The Grass Roots: A hit machine for more than a decade, with a lead singer (Rob Grill) who was tremendous. “Midnight Confessions” remains one of the elite songs of the mid-to-late 1960s.
• Eric Carmen: With or without the Raspberries, Carmen is deserving.
• Mary Wells: Mary Wells was a cornerstone of Motown’s early years. Along with the label’s big four groups (the Temptations, the Supremes, the Miracles and the Temptations), she was essential in the rise of black music to the top of the charts in the 1960s.
• Jerry Butler: Already in the hall with the Impressions, but his solo work was arguably even more deserving.
• Herman’s Hermits: They weren’t popular only because of likeable lead singer Peter Noone. Their magazine of hits has been one of the most durable collections of hits from pop’s yesteryear.

Steve Thought O’ The Day — When Jerry Lee Lewis died in October, that meant there were now no living members of the initial (1986) class of inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Other members of that class who had already passed included Buddy Holly, Sam Cooke, Elvis Presley, the Everly Brothers (Phil and Don), Ray Charles, James Brown, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino and Little Richard.

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. He awaits his call for the Quincy Media Hall of Fame.