Non-Hall of Famers to perform at the Rock Hall 25th Anniversary Concerts

The big Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25th Anniversary concerts are this week in New York City, and new names are being added to the lineup almost daily. While all of the headliners are Hall of Famers, some of the more recent additions to the lineup aren't yet eligible for the Rock Hall. Does participation in an event like this bode well for an artist's chances of getting inducted into the Hall of Fame in the future?

Let's take a look at who these artists are:

  • Tom Morello (performing with Bruce Springsteen) - His best shot at induction is clearly with Rage Against the Machine, not with the now-defunct Audioslave. Morello inducted the Clash into the Rock Hall in 2003, so he's no stranger to Rock Hall events.
  • John Legend (performing with Stevie Wonder) - It seems like Legend is always available for big industry events such as this, but he has a long way to go before he becomes a serious Rock Hall contender himself.
  • Lenny Kravitz (performing with Aretha Franklin) - The Rock Hall won't hold it against you if you've sold a lot of records, but that certainly doesn't guarantee induction. Kravitz's career got off to a quick start, but has gone off the rails a bit this decade.
  • Annie Lennox (performing with Aretha Franklin) - The Eurythmics have been eligible since 2006, and have been seriously considered by the Nominating Committee, so they have a very good chance at getting in someday. Lennox's solo career has been good, but not Hall of Fame-worthy (yet).
  • Update: Darlene Love (performed with Bruce Springsteen) - Love is nominated this year for the Rock Hall, so she may be a Hall of Famer soon enough.
  • Update: Peter Wolf (performed with Bruce Springsteen) - Wolf is close friends with the many of the guys on the Nominating Committee, and the J. Geils band was nominated a few years ago, so it's always a possibility he could get in.
  • Update: Black Eyed Peas (performed with U2) - The BEP are currently touring with U2, so that's likely how they got involved. Future Rock Hall prospects are pretty slim.
Here is the list of participating Hall of Famers: Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Simon and Garfunkel, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Metallica, Jeff Beck, Aretha Franklin, U2, Little Anthony & the Imperials, Dion, Billy Joel, Ozzy Osbourne, Smokey Robinson, Sting, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, John Fogerty, Ray Davies, BB King, Buddy Guy, Mick Jagger, Billy Gibbons, Lou Reed, Jackson Browne, James Taylor and Bonnie Raitt.

The concert won't be televised or webcast live, but there will be a four-hour HBO special in November and a DVD release next year.

blog comments powered by Disqus