Another very interesting read to close out 2013.

[timmyfunk]

http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/the_music_club/features/2013/music_club_2013/the_rock_hall_of_fame_and_the_billboard_hot_100_wh ere_were_the_black_acts.html

[splanky]

It did make an interesting read even though I 1) Never gave much a damn about the R&R Hall
of Fame and 2) haven't cared about what Billboard says in more than 30 years. I guess a list
of all of this year's nominees would help me to form a better opinion but for the most part
I'm sure there were more influential artists from that era than Chic. Correct me if I'm wrong.
As far as Billboard I think more than couple of truly talented black artist are not hitting their
charts or getting much attention among so-called R&B, or Soul critics. The biggest collectors,
buyers and supporters of black music in a variety of genres today, are middle aged to elderly
white men and women....

[soulster]

This has a lot to do with who's on that voting committee. If it isn't because the voters are ignorant of legacy Black artists, it is because I think they want to deny them any victory while they are alive, much like they want to deny Obama any success.

I think it must be the former. the truth is, most white people just aren't too familiar with Black artists or R&B/funk/disco, and don't really learn about it until that artist dies. That could account for the posthumous honors.

Another is that Chic was going to be nominated, but, someone decided to appease the Kiss Army.

[splanky]

soulster said:
think it must be the former. the truth is, most white people just aren't too familiar with Black artists or R&B/funk/disco, and don't really learn about it until that artist dies. That could account for the posthumous honors.

Maybe where you are that's the case but in many places I've lived in or visited I've found the
exact opposite to be true. In fact I've known many white dudes who knew more about
classic soul, funk, blues and black jazz history than a lot of brothers my age and almost all
of those 10 to 25 years younger. Some of, in truth much of the best books I've read on black
artists in different genres have been written by white writers. After years of waiting for someone to finally tell the story of one of my favorite musicians, jazz pianist and harpist,
Alice Coltrane [[RIP) I was a bit surprised to find it written by a white woman. I still reference it.....

[Jerry Oz]

My opinions on the R&R HOF are strong and pretty much all negative. For Guns 'n Roses and Nirvana to warrant inclusion with a handful of [[admittedly good) albums over a band like Chic who stayed on top of the charts for nearly a decade says a lot about the selection committee. No disrespect intended, but Hall & Oates and KISS should have beat both of those bands in by ten years. It's bullshit, purely; simply. I live two hours away from the hall of fame and I will not set foot into it.

Pertaining to the article, I enjoyed it. However, my own very biased opinion holds that there is very little that is unique about "Black" music in the 21st century, so I'm not surprised that Black acts failed to top even the R&B charts. Our music has become so blasé and homogenized, it's easy for white artists to riff it. The thing is, they steal the beats, but they can't steal the soul because most of what is left of our best-selling output doesn't have soul anymore. I submit that Darius Rucker and Gary Clark, Jr. have more soul in their country and rock/blues music than the top 20 popular "R&B" or hip-hop artists.

To be sure, there are still soul musicians, but they don't use autotune or have their producers create their beats on an iPad, which is what the public seems to want. Billboard doesn't represent as much as it used to anymore because one download can supply an entire clique with the song. Consequently, the amount of downloads doesn't reflect the popularity of the song, only who is going to make money off of it.

[soulster]

Maybe where you are that's the case but in many places I've lived in or visited I've found the
exact opposite to be true. In fact I've known many white dudes who knew more about
classic soul, funk, blues and black jazz history than a lot of brothers my age and almost all
of those 10 to 25 years younger. Some of, in truth much of the best books I've read on black
artists in different genres have been written by white writers. After years of waiting for someone to finally tell the story of one of my favorite musicians, jazz pianist and harpist,
Alice Coltrane [[RIP) I was a bit surprised to find it written by a white woman. I still reference it.....

It seems that the HOF opened up the voting to the fans last year.


Leaders in the music industry joined together in 1983 to establish the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation. One of the Foundation’s many functions is to recognize the contributions of those who have had a significant impact on the evolution, development and perpetuation of rock and roll by inducting them into the Hall of Fame.
PERFORMERS

Artists become eligible for induction 25 years after the release of their first record. Criteria include the influence and significance of the artists’ contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock and roll.
The Foundation's nominating committee selects nominees each year in the Performer category. Ballots are then sent to an international voting body of more than 600 artists, historians and members of the music industry. Those performers who receive the highest number of votes are inducted. The Foundation generally inducts five to seven performers each year.
Beginning in 2012, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame opened Nominee voting to fans around the world. The Top Five Nominees as voted by the fans count for one ballot entry, which is weighted the same as individual ballot entries submitted by members of the international voting body.

http://rockhall.com/inductees/induction-process/


Knowing this means that it may be a loooong time before Chic gets in there now. No wonder Kiss got in there!

[Jerry Oz]

I can see KISS's induction. There was a period in the '70s when they were the most popular band on the planet. They had a movie, comics, a cartoon, plans for a television show and sold out huge arenas. Their output was always crap, but their fans were loyal and they've lasted for 40 years. But if the fans are the deciding factor, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame should change it's name to the NBA: No Blacks Allowed.

[soulster]

Oh, I remember Kiss! I do like some of their songs and have a couple of their albums. They were huge during my jr. high years. Half of all the white guys had their "Kiss Alive" album. The rest were into Earth, Wind & Fire, Commodores, and Ohio Players.

[JIVE FIVE Mary G.]

soulster said:
think it must be the former. the truth is, most white people just aren't too familiar with Black artists or R&B/funk/disco, and don't really learn about it until that artist dies. That could account for the posthumous honors.

Maybe where you are that's the case but in many places I've lived in or visited I've found the
exact opposite to be true. In fact I've known many white dudes who knew more about
classic soul, funk, blues and black jazz history than a lot of brothers my age and almost all
of those 10 to 25 years younger. Some of, in truth much of the best books I've read on black
artists in different genres have been written by white writers. After years of waiting for someone to finally tell the story of one of my favorite musicians, jazz pianist and harpist,
Alice Coltrane [[RIP) I was a bit surprised to find it written by a white woman. I still reference it.....

Totaly agree with your second paragraph, Splanky. This is very true in Europe where people love R&B/soul/vocal harmony even more than they do in the states.

~~Mary~~

[smark21]

I can see KISS's induction. There was a period in the '70s when they were the most popular band on the planet. They had a movie, comics, a cartoon, plans for a television show and sold out huge arenas. Their output was always crap, but their fans were loyal and they've lasted for 40 years. But if the fans are the deciding factor, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame should change it's name to the NBA: No Blacks Allowed.

I think you misunderstand the weight of the fan poll vote. The top 3 acts in the fan poll receive one vote apiece. Another thing to take into consideration when it comes to the Hall is that it's a tourist attraction. I don't know what the visitation levels have been like in recent years, but I bet one thing some voters consider is what acts will bring a lot of visitors. From that perspective, the induction of acts like Kiss and Rush, both of which have rabid fan bases, make sense, though such choices tarnish what prestige the Hall may have.

[Jerry Oz]

I'm okay with both Kiss and Rush being in. My first criteria would be legacy and how long acts were viable since there's no accounting for taste. As I stated before, Kiss was the biggest act in the world in the mid-'70s and they have teen fans to this day. And Rush [[in spite of Geddy Lee's voice) might be the most storied rock trio since the '70s. They have a strong, if small, fan base and they are good musicians. I'm surprised they made it in, but I'm also glad that they did.