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

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
Luther VandrossAaliyah
Charlie ParkerThe Marvelettes
The CloversMary Wells
Barry WhiteThe Funk Brothers
Donny HathawayNew Edition

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 (2025)
  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 (2025)
  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 (2025)
  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 (2024)
  26. Pavement
  27. Rufus with Chaka Khan (2023)
  28. Chubby Checker (2025)
  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 (2023)
  45. Rick James
  46. Alice In Chains
  47. Bad Company (2025)
  48. The Guess Who
  49. Billy Wright
  50. Phish