The Biggest Rock Hall Snubs

There are many great artists who have been overlooked by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The vast majority of these artists have never been nominated for induction. Each year, the final ballot of performers is selected by the Rock Hall Nominating Committee, then sent to the larger Voting Committee for election.

Here are the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's biggest snubs:

ArtistYears Snubbed# of Years Nominated
Afrika Bambaataa201
Alice In Chains100
Anthrax170
Aphex Twin90
The B-52's220
Bad Brains181
Bad Company261
Barry White370
Bauhaus210
Beck71
Belle & Sebastian40
Big Star280
Billy Idol191
Björk230
Black Flag220
Blue Öyster Cult280
Blur100
Boston240
Brian Eno260
The Buzzcocks230
Can320
Captain Beefheart340
The Carpenters310
The Chemical Brothers50
Chic2311
Coldplay30
The Commodores260
Connie Francis420
Cyndi Lauper172
Daft Punk60
The Damned240
De La Soul120
The Dead Kennedys210
Devo233
Diana Ross300
Dick Dale380
Echo and the Bunnymen210
Emerson, Lake & Palmer300
Eric B. & Rakim142
Faith No More150
Fiona Apple40
The Flaming Lips160
Fugazi120
Gloria Estefan130
Gram Parsons333
The Guess Who350
Harry Nilsson330
Hüsker Dü190
Ice-T180
INXS200
Iron Maiden212
The Jam230
Jan & Dean400
Jane's Addiction132
The Jesus and Mary Chain160
Jethro Tull320
Jim Croce340
Johnny Burnette and the Rock N Roll Trio440
Joy Division/New Order222
King Crimson310
Lauryn Hill30
Love340
Mariah Carey102
The Marvelettes392
Mary Wells391
Massive Attack120
Megadeth150
The Monkees340
Mötley Crüe190
Motörhead231
My Bloody Valentine150
Nas80
Neu!280
New Order190
New York Dolls273
Nick Cave160
Nick Drake310
Oasis62
The Offspring120
Outkast71
Pantera170
Pavement110
Pet Shop Boys160
Peter Tosh240
Peter, Paul & Mary380
Phil Collins190
Pixies130
PJ Harvey90
The Pointer Sisters270
Procol Harum331
Queen Latifah110
Queens of the Stone Age30
The Replacements191
Roberta Flack310
Rufus with Chaka Khan274
The Runaways240
Sade161
Salt N Pepa140
Scott Walker340
The Shangri-Las350
Silver Apples320
Sinead O'Connor131
Siouxsie & the Banshees220
Slayer170
Sleater-Kinney60
Smashing Pumpkins100
The Smiths172
Snoop Dogg70
Sonic Youth180
The Sonics350
Soundgarden143
Sparks290
The Specials210
Steppenwolf321
Stone Roses150
Stone Temple Pilots80
Suicide230
System of a Down30
Tears for Fears190
Television250
Thin Lizzy301
Three Dog Night310
TLC80
Tommy James & the Shondells340
Tool80
Toots & the Maytals380
Tori Amos90
War293
Warren Zevon311
Weezer60
"Weird Al" Yankovic210
The White Stripes32
Wilco60
Wire230
Wu-Tang Clan80
X220
XTC230

The artists listed above are currently eligible for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and were selected by Future Rock Legends commenters on the Rock Hall Revisited and the Rock Hall Projected pages.


Backing Groups

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has inducted only the lead performer of certain notable groups, with Smokey Robinson and The Miracles being the most famous example. (Update: In 2012, the Rock Hall inducted The Blue Caps, The Comets, The Crickets, The Famous Flames, The Midnighters, and The Miracles, so they have been removed from the list below. The E Street Band was inducted in 2014.) Here are a list of Rock & Roll Hall of Famers with (arguably) snubbed backing groups. Rock Hall Monitors has a comprehensive look at this issue.

Bob Marley & The Wailers
Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band
Dion & The Belmonts
Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention
Janis Joplin and Big Brother and the Holding Company
Patti Smith Group
Paul McCartney & Wings

Influences

Here are some additional notable candidates who deserve consideration for the Rock Hall because of their influence on the rock era.

Amos MilburnBing Crosby
Blind Lemon JeffersonBlind Willie Johnson
Buchanan & GoodmanCab Calloway
Celia CruzCharlie Parker
Chuck WillisCount Basie
Crew CutsDizzy Gillespie
Django ReinhardtDuke Ellington
Eddie LangElla Fitzgerald
Emmylou HarrisEsther Phillips
Fela KutiFrank Sinatra
George JonesGlenn Miller Orchestra
Herbie HancockIvory Joe Hunter
Jacques BrelJohn Cage
John ColtraneJohnny Ace
Karlheinz StockhausenLightnin' Hopkins
Lonnie DoneganLoretta Lynn
Memphis MinnieMerle Haggard
Mississippi John HurtOdetta
Patsy ClineRavi Shankar
Roy BrownSarah Vaughan
Scott JoplinScreamin' Jay Hawkins
Serge GainsbourgSon House
Sonny Boy Williamson IISun Ra
The Carter FamilyThe Clovers
The DominoesThe Four Freshmen
The Kingston TrioThe Mills Brothers
The RavensThe Weavers
Thelonious MonkTom Lehrer
Townes Van ZandtW.C. Handy
Waylon JenningsWendy Carlos
Wynonie Harris

Country Artists

Here are the most likely Rock Hall candidates from the arists inducted in the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Merle HaggardPatsy Cline
Loretta LynnGeorge Jones
Garth BrooksGlen Campbell
Emmylou HarrisThe Carter Family
Kris KristoffersonWaylon Jennings
Roy AcuffTammy Wynette

R&B Artists

Here are the most likely Rock Hall candidates from the arists inducted in the R&B Hall of Fame.

Ella FitzgeraldBen E. King
AaliyahCharlie Parker
Chubby CheckerLuther Vandross
The MarvelettesMary Wells
The CloversBarry White
The Funk BrothersDonny Hathaway

After the 2018 inductees were announced, the Cleveland Plain Dealer staff (led by Troy Smith), put together a list of their 100 biggest Rock Hall snubs (Update: Artists honored subsequent to 2018 are noted with their induction year):
  1. Kraftwerk (2021)
  2. Janet Jackson (2019)
  3. Radiohead (2019)
  4. The Smiths
  5. Carole King (2021)
  6. Judas Priest (2022)
  7. King Crimson
  8. Roxy Music (2019)
  9. Nine Inch Nails (2020)
  10. John Coltrane
  11. Iron Maiden
  12. The Cure (2019)
  13. Whitney Houston (2020)
  14. Sonic Youth
  15. The New York Dolls
  16. Big Mama Thornton (2024)
  17. Chic
  18. T. Rex (2020)
  19. Warren Zevon
  20. Soundgarden
  21. Tina Turner (2021)
  22. Gram Parsons
  23. Link Wray (2023)
  24. Jethro Tull
  25. Mariah Carey
  26. Joy Division
  27. The Shangri-Las
  28. Rage Against the Machine
  29. The Replacements
  30. LL Cool J (2021)
  31. Pixies
  32. MC5 (2024)
  33. Mary Wells
  34. Joe Tex
  35. Dr. Dre
  36. Chuck Willis
  37. Joe Cocker
  38. The Spinners (2023)
  39. Dick Dale
  40. Black Flag
  41. Depeche Mode (2020)
  42. Eric B. & Rakim
  43. Eddie "Guitar Slim" Jones
  44. Smashing Pumpkins
  45. Eurythmics (2022)
  46. Willie Nelson (2023)
  47. Def Leppard (2019)
  48. The Zombies (2019)
  49. Captain Beefheart
  50. Big Star
  1. Junior Walker & the All-Stars
  2. Connie Francis
  3. Peter Tosh
  4. Peter Frampton
  5. Wyonnie Harris
  6. Jane's Addiction
  7. The Marvelettes
  8. The Clovers
  9. Screamin' Jay Hawkins
  10. Procol Harum
  11. Motörhead
  12. New Order
  13. Jan and Dean
  14. Salt-N-Pepa
  15. Slayer
  16. The Runaways
  17. Ben E. King
  18. Pat Benatar (2022)
  19. Duran Duran (2022)
  20. De La Soul
  21. The B-52's
  22. Fugazi
  23. Lonnie Johnson
  24. Ozzy Osbourne (2024)
  25. A Tribe Called Quest
  26. Pavement
  27. Rufus with Chaka Khan (2023)
  28. Chubby Checker
  29. Sade
  30. The J.B.'s
  31. The Dominoes
  32. The J. Geils Band
  33. Afrika Bambaataa
  34. Devo
  35. Roy Brown
  36. Todd Rundgren (2021)
  37. Leroy Carr
  38. Peter Paul & Mary
  39. Pat Hare
  40. Ice Cube
  41. The Doobie Brothers (2020)
  42. Megadeth
  43. The Meters
  44. George Michael
  45. Rick James
  46. Alice In Chains
  47. Bad Company
  48. The Guess Who
  49. Billy Wright
  50. Phish