re: Patty Smith...I knew who she was, but looked her up a while back when the nominations first came out...her hippyish, no makup, stringy haired, 'dirty', I'm a woman, therefore grooming is not required attitude and looks, reminded me much of the same in Janice Joplin...record execs today would never sign on these women. While they may have been 'icons', they would have been rejected by today's music industry.
Was Patty Smith worthy of The Hall of Fame at this point in your opinion? I recognized the first song she sang but don't know anything else about her.
Or do you think there is someone else / another band that should've gotten in first?
You are so right! Video killed the radio star. It's all about looks today. They've got very few decent new female singers these days. And the ones they've got: Christina Aguilera, Beyonce, Carrie Underwood, etc have to keep their weight down and look beautiful. How many women better than them didn't make it cuz of their looks and/or weight. There's the one girl from Dream Girls (and man alive can that chick sing!), but she's a bit on the heavy side and so they'll probably "put her on the treadmill". I've always thought that the heavier women were the better singers. Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight. They don't make em like that anymore. But the girl from Dream Girls (not Beyonce the heavier one) has the makings to be like them. Just can't remember her name....