Some may wrongly argue "25!" and, in doing so, point to the Platters, inducted in 1990, which includes Zola Taylor; however, check the Hall's entry for the group and you see "Timeline" lists the births of four members (Tony Williams, David Lynch, Herb Reed and Paul Robi). By the Hall's "Timeline," Taylor clearly isn't seen as important or part of the group's lasting impact. Zola Taylor's greatest "crime" (after being a woman) may have been success. A careful examination of the bulk of women inducted as individual performers demonstrates that "success" in rock is loosely defined. In fact, failure in rock actually may get you into the hall. African-American women who were not "rockers" (or "poppers") and White women who stuck to country have a better shot at getting in than other women. Hence Ruth Brown, Brenda Lee and LaVern Baker.
Rock ("and roll") is an admittedly porous term. But when someone sees Brenda Lee, country twang and all, in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (as a performer, not an 'influence') and sees no Connie Francis (who dominated the charts in rock's earliest era) or Leslie Gore, the same 'criteria' that long kept Dusty Springfield (finally inducted posthumously in 1999) off Mount Rock.
Long before Joni Mitchell was inducted (1997) -- one of the few women to 'ascend' to Mount Rock, Ruth Brown was inducted as a performer. Her run pre-dates the rock era (which is why 'influence' would be a better category for Brown). Billboard charts the rock era as beginning July 9, 1955 with Bill Haley and the Comets taking the number one spot on the charts with "(We're Gonna) Rock Around the Clock." 1955 was the year Brown was ending her chart dominance (R&B) and the hits would become far fewer (she began charting in 1949). From 1957 to 1960 she would land five singles on the Hot 100 with the highest charting making it to number 24 (the lowest to number 96).
Rock's earliest era included a lot of men, no question, but women did exist. The next phase would include girl groups and, to a degree, it's understandable that they aren't better represented. The Dixie Cups, for example, aren't in the Hall and shouldn't be. That's not a critique of the recordings made, it is acknowledging that the Dixie Cups were whomever a producer decided from moment to moment. The Shirelles, Martha and the Vandellas and the Ronettes (actual vocal groups) have been inducted and deservedly so. Though some may argue Martha and the Vandellas actually belong to the next era which would be the British era.
Motown groups and the Beach Boys were among the few acts initially able to compete in 1964. Of the American groups from that era, no one had more success than the Supremes who are in the Hall. But another group from that era, one frequently compared and contrasted with the Ronnettes, isn't. The Shangri-Las were a real vocal group. "Leader of the Pack" was hardly their only hit and they are seen as, along with the Ronnettes, having epitomized female sexuality (as characterized by men) in that time period. Their influence was huge. Why aren't they in the Hall?
This era was more 'poppy' but it was rock (and roll) and a number of (male) artists are included from it in the Hall: the Dave Clark Five, the Animals, the Four Tops, the Temptations, the Kinks, the Rolling Stones, the Beach Boys and the Beatles among them.
Now might be a good time to note how the rules are regularly bent by the Hall for males. Smokey Robinson was inducted into the Hall in 1987 as a performer. While Smokey is intensely talented and has made many real contributions that qualify him for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, there's no denying that he wasn't qualified to be inducted in 1987. The Miracles? Absolutely. Smokey? No. The rules dictate that a minimum of 25 years must have elapsed since your first recording was released for you to qualify. That would mean Smokey Robinson (and not the Miracles or Smokey Robinson and the Miracles) would have had to begin his solo career in 1962. As even the Hall notes, "In July 1972, Robinson parted ways with the Miracles, and both entities enjoyed continued success. " As a performer, Smokey Robinson (solo) was not eligible to be inducted until 1997.
But 'rules' regularly fly out the window when it comes to the men inducted. How else to explain disco's Bee Gees being inducted (1997) or jazz legend (and non-rocker, non-popper) Miles Davis (inducted in 2006)? Or R.E.M. being inducted in 2007 but no word on 10,000 Maniacs to this date? In what has to be the most laughable induction, 1997 saw the Jackson Five inducted -- which raises the question of when do the Monkees get in? The Jackson Five were a bubble-gum group controlled by Motown who were a huge hit with the pre-teen audience. (The Jackson Five refers to the Motown era. The group would become the Jacksons when they -- excepting Jermaine -- moved over to CBS.) If you don't get how offensive that induction is, you need to grasp that Carole King has never been inducted as a performer.
King is a woman and denied access to "Mount Rock" for -- according to Rolling Stone magazine for two decades -- being part of the 'age of anti-rock.' What is bubble-gum pop but anti-rock? It needs to be noted that Rolling Stone also put James Taylor and the Eagles in the same category of "anti-rock"; however, they have been inducted as performers (2000 and 1998 respectively).
In 1986, when the first inductees were made, many criticized the sexism at play (all inductees were male). It was wrongly considered a sign that the Hall was aware of the criticism when, the following year, they inducted Aretha Franklin. The immensely talented Aretha is one of the few women to make it to "Mount Rock." That didn't happen yesterday, Aretha's inclusion was there from the late sixties. Another woman was as well: Janis Joplin. Janis would have to wait until 1995 for induction despite being eligible for induction two rounds prior (Aretha was inducted dating back to her Columbia recordings, they didn't wait for her Atlantic years).
It's worth noting that despite the inductions of Bobby Darin and Al Green, Diana Ross has not been inducted as a solo performer. The Supremes (not Diana Ross & the Supremes) were inducted in 1988. But Diana? Nope. Tina Turner's never been inducted. Ike & Tina, yes. Tina, no? That's not the case for men. Michael Jackson has been inducted as a solo performer and as part of the Jackson Five, Eric Clapton has been inducted three times and there are many others.
But one woman has not been inducted as part of an act or as a solo performer: Cher. As one-half of Sonny & Cher and as a solo artist at the same time, her recordings easily qualified. Sonny & Cher were part of the LA sound -- along with the Beach Boys, the Mamas and the Papas, the Loving Spoonful. For the record, all three acts have been inducted while Sonny & Cher have not. Cher's solo work in the sixties is usually considered "harder" than Sonny & Cher's so why the exclusion of the woman who brought gender-bender onto the charts ("You Better Sit Down Kids")? Cher's not in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame but Bobby Darin is? Cher's not in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame but Johnny Cash is? Cher's not in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame but Ricky Nelson is?
Where's Laura Nyro? More Than A New Discovery (her debut album) was released in 1966. Which means she could have been inducted any year beginning in 1991 and yet she hasn't been.
Nyro was as much an influence as Joni Mitchell (and Nyro influenced Mitchell -- check out Ladies of the Canyon and contrast it with Mitchell's two albums prior). In the Smokey Robinson entry, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame makes much of Bob Dylan once saying that Smokey was one of the best songwriters -- left out is that Dylan has repeatedly stated that was a joke (and, indeed, that entire interview -- a press conference transcribed by Rolling Stone -- was a put-on on the party of Dylan). Dylan actually had praise for Nyro. She gets in when?
There are many women who are qualified for induction in the next round and have been qualified. They include (but are not limited to) Patti Labelle, Linda Ronstadt, Carly Simon, Janis Ian, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Jackie De Shannon, Donna Summer (after the induction of the Bee Gees, there's no reason the Queen of Disco can't be inducted as well), Joan Jett, the Go-Gos, Cyndi Lauper, Pat Benetar, Stevie Nicks (as a solo performer), Heart, Yoko Ono, 10,000 Maniacs, Cass Elliot (as a solo performer), Roberta Flack, Carole King and, as already noted, Laura Nyro, Tina Turner, Diana Ross and Cher.
If the 2009 list of inductees is anything like the most recent lists, there will be only five nominees. And women will be represented in only one slot.
The biggest barrier to women being inducted remains Jann S. Wenner who has misused his influence in the selections and no longer has the check on him that was once present (Ahmet Ertegun). Women like Tina and Cher don't stand a chance while he's being allowed to blackball anyone he wants and he always blackballs women who divorce their husbands. (Whether you consider Jann semi-out of the closet today or still in, there's no question that he hid behind Jane for decades and feels it's woman's 'role' to 'tough it out' no matter what.) Jann's never had any musical taste (Boz Scaggs?) and his tenure at Rolling Stone is more a story of absence than influence. The man who has regularly dropped the magazine to go off into non-musical ventures and whose own musical knowledge is minimal really should not have the impact on the selection of inductees that he does.
In future years, artists such as Tori Amos, Erykah Badu, Tracy Chapman and many more will be eligible. If the current problem is not addressed, these women will have to wait to be inducted because the sole spot for women will have to be used to rectify glaring omissions. The problem needs to be called out now in order to be fixed now. For twenty-one years, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was more than willing to render too many women "non-rock" (while inducting the likes of Johnny Cash and Bobby Darin). Twenty-one years of sexism. It needs to stop now.
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*159 is the number of artists inducted as "performers." Those are individuals, duos and groups.
Phil Ochs has never been inducted into the Hall of Fame. Due to that, we have avoided mentioning women who are known as 'folkies' in our list of omissions. Were Ochs in the Hall, we could easily make the case for the inclusion of Joan Baez, Odetta, Judy Collins and others.