My chief Rock Hall Inductee question is “how big is your wake?” Or, take them at their own word: “ to recognize the contributions of those who have had a significant impact on the evolution, development and perpetuation of rock and roll.”
Take Tom Petty…ok, he had a few good songs, but he didn’t launch a genre, I never heard any other music cite him as an influence, and nobody copies him. Yet he’s in there.
There are scores of people like Petty in the Rock Hall like that, like Cheryl Crow who was inducted the same year as Missy Elliot who has had a MUCH bigger wake. I guess Jann likes these un-influential bands and performers. Which is why THE ROCK hall is largely a crock.
There is the 25-year rule for the Rock Hall which probably caused what you observed. As for the group you mentioned, Janice, Heart, and Joan Jett all get big YES answers to the wake query. Pat Benetar hasn’t been a massive musical influence IMHO but in the 80s many girl singers in my HS wanted to be her, and she sort of made rocking a cool thing for girls to do. She deserves to be in, as does Madonna even though I detest her as a human being but she launched a whole genre. As a small side note, a goodly amount of Zappa’s sound in the early to mid 1970s was Ruth Underwood’s vibes-she’s not in, but take her out of Inca Roads and it’s not the same.
As for Pink, she’s not on my musical rotation but I respect the influence and wake. She’s remained married to the same man for decades and that may be a strike against her in Wennerworld. I’d happily replace Randy Newman with her.
I’d rather spend a day at Bethel Woods than in Cleveland.
The reference to Madonna was simply that it’s called “the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,” not the “skanky dance music Hall of Fame.”
Oh, and Madonna’s MUSICAL wake is non-existent. In fact, during the 1990s (between Like a Prayer and Ray of Light), I would describe her as merely a gay-worship star, not a music star.
The 25-year rule explains why Pink isn’t in.... but she’d better go in next!