Wu-Tang Clan with 31 votes.
Joy Division/New Order with 30 votes.
Luther Vandross with 29 votes.
Sade with 28 votes
Mariah Carey with 23 votes.
Lauryn Hill with 18 votes.
Iron Maiden and Oasis with 17 votes.
Phil Collins and Billy Idol with 16 votes.
INXS and New Edition with 15 votes.
Shakira with 9 votes.
The Black Crowes with 8 votes.
Pink with 7 votes.
Jeff Buckley and Melissa Etheridge with 5 votes.
Of course, 8 out of the top 10 made it through. This marks the first time the public polling tracker has closely matched the final results. It comes as no surprise, since John Sykes stated he brought in more young voters. Most young voters have a hipster mindset, they don't care about sales or charts. Instead, they focus more on how a candidate shapes the evolution of music trends, influences other artists styles and sounds, and musical quality. Moving forward, public voting trackers will also prove far more reliable than they were from 2022 to 2025.
Given that some industry exec said INXS were close enough, I guess INXS were #9, Mariah and Lauryn were #10-#11 with no particular order, and New Edition were #12 (probably they got all black votes and some critics, and they could only go this far). Jeff Buckley was #17, and others were #13-#16 in no particular order.
Of course, The Stylistics stand at a slightly lower tier than The Spinners, which explains why The Spinners earned Rock Hall nominations and eventual induction.
Tracks like Rubberband Man and I'll Be Around are far more iconic and instantly recognizable than The Stylistics' hits.
I think if the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame intends to induct another Philly Soul act, Teddy Pendergrass would be the ideal pick. He is way more iconic and influential within the R&B scene. His solo discography boasts five consecutive platinum albums, a milestone rarely achieved by Black artists back then. Moreover, inducting Teddy Pendergrass would effectively honor two legendary Philly Soul outfits at once: his iconic solo career as well as Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes.
Regardless, given the current voting landscape, any 1970s R&B acts whose hits are familiar to older white boomer audiences, such as War, Patti LaBelle, Roberta Flack and Barry White, would be surely voted in easily.
Donny Hathaway is a different story. He is hugely revered within Black music circles, yet he never achieved mainstream crossover success, so it remains uncertain how general voters will view him.
Even lower-tier acts like Teddy Pendergrass, the Ohio Players, The Stylistics and so forth, who did have some hits in that span, still have solid chance to be voted in with current voting body and rule, though they are not lock but they will have good chance.
George wrote: