Rockers Recognized

It was nice to hear this week that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will induct six groups who were backups to previous solo inductees.

So the new additions to the Rock Hall will be the Comets (of Bill Haley), the Famous Flames (of  James Brown), the Crickets (of Buddy Holly), the Miracles (of Smokey Robinson), the Midnighters (of Hank Ballard), and the Blue Caps (of Gene Vincent).

“These Inductees are pioneers in the development of the music we call rock and roll,” Joel Peresman, president and CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation said in a news release. “As part of our mission to recognize the most impactful, innovative and influential artists in rock, the committee brought forth these six groups that belong in the Hall of Fame.”
 

They'll join this year's inductees -- Guns N' Roses, the Beastie Boys, Laura Nyro, Donovan, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Faces/Small Faces, Freddie King, Don Kirshner, Cosimo Matassa, Tom Dowd, and Glyn Johns -- on April 14 in Cleveland.

But the question is why some other backup groups weren't included in this year's ceremony -- artists such as the E Street Band (of Bruce Springsteen), the Wailers (of Bob Marley), the Mothers of Invention (of Frank Zappa)? Although Springsteen, Marley and Zappa have great credentials on their own, it's hard to think of them producing their wonderful music without their awesome bands.

Or how about the Silver Bullet Band (of Bob Seger), Wings (of Paul McCartney), Blue Grass Boys (of Bill Monroe), the Drifting Cowboys (of Hank Williams), and the Belmonts (of Dion)?

I would hope that the Rock Hall will induct these and other overlooked backups in future ceremonies.

Until the next time...