Every Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, ranked
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The "Father of Rock and Roll" Chuck Berry. Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
In honor of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony announcing its latest class, I've taken on the daunting task of ranking every inductee since 1986.
How it works: I ranked only those in the museum's Performers category, who are voted in each year.
- I considered the Rock Hall's criteria of originality, impact and influence.
Yes, but: This is just one person's list, so please be delicate in your reactions and criticism.
The pioneers
1. Chuck Berry
2. Elvis Presley
3. Little Richard
Why they matter: You can debate who invented rock 'n' roll, but Berry and Richard are a great place to start.
- Elvis didn't invent much, but he was rock 'n' roll's biggest star. He elevated it to the kind of pop culture phenomenon a museum can be built around.
The G.O.A.T.s
4. The Beatles
5. Bob Dylan
6. James Brown
You could make the case these are the three most impactful music artists of the past 75 years in terms of influence and body of work.
The icons
7. The Rolling Stones
8. Stevie Wonder
9. Aretha Franklin
10. Ray Charles
11. The Jimi Hendrix Experience
12. Led Zeppelin
13. Buddy Holly and the Crickets
14. Fats Domino
15. The Beach Boys
16. Muddy Waters
17. Prince
18. Michael Jackson
19. Madonna
20. Bruce Springsteen
21. Bob Marley
22. The Velvet Underground
23. Miles Davis
24. Bo Diddley
25. The Who
26. Sam Cooke
27. Marvin Gaye
28. Johnny Cash
29. David Bowie
30. Janis Joplin
31. Ramones
32. Pink Floyd
33. Joni Mitchell
34. John Lennon
35. U2
36. Neil Young
37. Nirvana
38. The Supremes
39. Elton John
40. The Byrds
Each of these artists were inducted either during their first year of eligibility or close to it. Their impact on music is immeasurable.
No brainers
41. R.E.M.
42. The Clash
43. The Kinks
44. Otis Redding
45. Smokey Robinson and the Miracles
46. Sly and The Family Stone
47. The Everly Brothers
48. The Stooges
49. The Doors
50. The Temptations
51. Black Sabbath
52. Run-DMC
53. Ike and Tina Turner
54. Queen
55. Parliament-Funkadelic
56. Public Enemy
57. Talking Heads
58. Roy Orbison
59. Jerry Lee Lewis
60. Fleetwood Mac
61. Tina Turner
62. Paul McCartney
63. Jay-Z
64. Radiohead
65. The Grateful Dead
66. Eagles
67. Aerosmith
68. B.B. King
69. Janet Jackson
70. Simon & Garfunkel
71. Van Morrison
72. Curtis Mayfield
73. Etta James
74. Sex Pistols
75. Eminem
76. The Band
77. Cream
78. The Drifters
79. Nina Simone
80. Frank Zappa
81. Ruth Brown
82. The Yardbirds
83. Jackie Wilson
84. Van Halen
85. The Four Tops
86. Eric Clapton
87. Al Green
88. Tupac Shakur
89. Metallica
90. Lou Reed
91. Beastie Boys
92. The Allman Brothers Band
93. AC/DC
94. Patti Smith
95. The Shirelles
96. Carl Perkins
97. The Isley Brothers
98. Bill Haley & His Comets
99. The Bee Gees
100. Crosby, Stills and Nash
The best of the rest
101. Pearl Jam
102. Creedence Clearwater Revival
103. Nine Inch Nails
104. The Police
105. The Cure
106. Guns N' Roses
107. N.W.A.
108. Elvis Costello & the Attractions
109. Eddie Cochran
110. Big Joe Turner
111. Donna Summer
112. Paul Simon
113. The Notorious B.I.G.
114. Rod Stewart
115. Jefferson Airplane
116. Booker T. and the M.G.'s
117. Lynyrd Skynyrd
118. Steely Dan
119. Deep Purple
120. The Jackson 5
121. Billy Joel
122. Tom Waits
123. Kate Bush
124. Leonard Cohen
125. Roxy Music
126. Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five
127. Ricky Nelson
128. T. Rex
129. Carole King
130. Earth, Wind & Fire
Reality check: As much as we want to argue about the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, most artists deserve to be there.
Solid choices
131. Whitney Houston
132. Santana
133. Martha and the Vandellas
134. Blondie
135. The Go-Go's
136. John Lee Hooker
137. Missy Elliott
138. The Platters
139. Cheap Trick
140. Jimmy Reed
141. Genesis
142. Joan Baez
143. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
144. Mary J. Blige
145. Outkast
146. The Pretenders
147. The Impressions
148. The Ronettes
149. Depeche Mode
150. John Mellencamp
151. The Cars
152. Peter Gabriel
153. ZZ Top
154. Eurythmics
155. Bob Seger
156. George Michael
157. Cyndi Lauper
Sure, why not?
158. Randy Newman
159. Willie Nelson
160. Little Willie John
161. Yes
162. Linda Ronstadt
163. Hall & Oates
164. Albert King
165. A Tribe Called Quest
166. The White Stripes
167. James Taylor
168. Alice Cooper
169. Green Day
170. Isaac Hayes
171. Jackson Browne
172. Wilson Pickett
173. The Animals
174. Sam & Dave
175. Gladys Knight and the Pips
176. Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble
177. Dolly Parton
178. Joe Cocker
179. LaVern Baker
180. Dusty Springfield
181. Rage Against the Machine
182. Soundgarden
183. Foo Fighters
184. Heart
185. Todd Rundgren
186. Duane Eddy
187. Solomon Burke
188. The Mamas and the Papas
189. Buddy Guy
190. Neil Diamond
191. The O'Jays
192. Bonnie Raitt
193. Jimmy Cliff
194. Faces/Small Faces
195. Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps
196. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
197. The Staple Singers
198. Duran Duran
199. Bobby Womack
200. The Spinners
None of these selections wowed me, but I would never lose sleep over their induction.
Love 'em or hate 'em
201. ABBA
202. Rush
203. Journey
204. Def Leppard
205. KISS
206. Red Hot Chili Peppers
You won't find too many acts with more intense love/hate relationships with music fans.
- They could be lower or higher on this list depending on which side you fall on. I tend to think their cultural significance outweighs any career missteps.
Boring but okay
207. Carly Simon
208. The Four Seasons
209. Lloyd Price
210. Kool & the Gang
211. Cat Stevens
212. The Righteous Brothers
213. Peter Frampton
214. The Moody Blues
215. The Flamingos
216. The Zombies
217. Bad Company
218. The Dave Clark Five
Not everyone is the Beatles. Even acts with great careers worthy of the Rock Hall can be somewhat mundane.
Borderline at best
219. The Ventures
220. Bobby "Blue" Bland
221. Laura Nyro
222. Brenda Lee
223. Chubby Checker
224. The Hollies
225. Donovan
226. Pat Benatar
227. Bill Withers
228. The Coasters
229. Darlene Love
230. Dr. John
231. Gene Pitney
232. Dion
233. Little Anthony & the Imperials
234. The Dells
235. Bobby Darin
236. The Paul Butterfield Blues Band
What makes these artists worthier than the long list of snubs you see around the Internet?
There's no good answer to that.
- Every artist in the Rock Hall has done something great, but there are levels to consider when choosing who to induct.
WTF
237. Dave Matthews Band
238. Cher
239. Lionel Richie
240. Sherly Crow
These are the artists I've struggled with in recent years. They're all well-known cultural figures and have strong industry connections, but I can't say their musical output has been earth-shattering.
- I mean, can you name a Cher album?
Short resumes
241. Hank Ballard and the Midnighters
242. Buffalo Springfield
243. Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers
244. Ritchie Valens
245. The Moonglows
246. Del Shannon
247. Percy Sledge
Longevity isn't mandatory for Rock Hall induction (See: Nirvana or the Sex Pistols) but these artists' respective careers were either too short or produced too few notable songs to justify their induction.
Third tier bands
248. Dire Straits
249. Traffic
250. The (Young) Rascals
251. The Doobie Brothers
252. Lovin' Spoonful
253. Electric Light Orchestra
254. Steve Miller Band
255. Chicago
256. Foreigner
The Rock Hall's worst habit is its willingness to induct second or third-tier bands from the 1970s and 1980s rather than top-level acts from the 1990s.
- Older music fans will say, "you had to be there," but I don't wish I was.
One too many times
257. Clyde McPhatter
258. George Harrison
259. Ozzy Osbourne
260. Stevie Nicks
261. Jeff Beck
As of this year, 27 artists have been inducted into the Rock Hall more than once. These are the ones whose solo careers weren't extraordinary enough outside of their core bands to warrant induction.
And then there's…
262. Bon Jovi
Someone must be last. Bon Jovi has a massive fanbase but ultimately didn't change the course of music in any significant way.
Yes, but: At least this means there's hope for Nickelback.
