Posted on 11/22/2004 8:07:47 AM PST by stainlessbanner
Nobody seems to know much about the "1,000 rock experts" who decide who gets into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame.
This much we do know: They haven't listened to Lynyrd Skynyrd. I mean, really listened. Not just heard a few familiar notes of Freebird or Sweet Home Alabama, pictured rebel flags and Trans Ams, and voted for other bands.
They haven't looked at old footage of packed stadiums. Not just in the South. All over the country.
They haven't paid attention to what a wide range of musicians -- from Hank Williams Jr. to Neil Young (yes, Neil Young) -- have said about Skynyrd's music.
......
Six nominations. No induction.
Eric Verona wants to make sure the seventh time is different. Verona, 38, isn't a voter. He's a fan. He has started an online drive at RockTheHall.com, hoping to push Skynyrd into the Hall. He did the same last year for Bob Seger. And it worked, helping to get Seger into the Class of 2004.
.........
But, let's face it, voters hear Skynyrd and think Southern rock, emphasis on Southern. And although you would think helping to create a genre would be a reason to put a band in the Hall of Fame, in this case it has the opposite effect. And it's a shame. The voters are doing exactly what they accuse Southerners of doing -- stereotyping.
Ronnie Van Zant sang about a lot of things, some that might surprise those who paint a simplistic image of the band. Saturday Night Special is a song about getting rid of handguns. The Ballad to Curtis Loew is a song about a friendship with an old black man.
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(Excerpt) Read more at jacksonville.com ...
1986
Chuck Berry
James Brown
Ray Charles
Sam Cooke
Fats Domino
The Everly Brothers
Buddy Holly
Jerry Lee Lewis
Elvis Presley
Little Richard
1987
The Coasters
Eddie Cochran
Bo Diddley
Aretha Franklin
Marvin Gaye
Bill Haley
B. B. King
Clyde McPhatter
Ricky Nelson
Roy Orbison
Carl Perkins
Smokey Robinson
Big Joe Turner
Muddy Waters
Jackie Wilson
1988
The Beach Boys
The Beatles
The Drifters
Bob Dylan
The Supremes
1989
Dion
Otis Redding
The Rolling Stones
The Temptations
Stevie Wonder
1990
Hank Ballard
Bobby Darin
The Four Seasons
The Four Tops
The Kinks
The Platters
Simon and Garfunkel
The Who
1991
LaVern Baker
The Byrds
John Lee Hooker
The Impressions
Wilson Pickett
Jimmy Reed
Ike and Tina Turner
1992
Bobby "Blue" Bland
Booker T. and the M.G.'s
Johnny Cash
The Isley Brothers
The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Sam and Dave
The Yardbirds
1993
Ruth Brown
Cream
Creedence Clearwater Revival
The Doors
Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers
Etta James
Van Morrison
Sly and the Family Stone
1994
The Animals
The Band
Duane Eddy
The Grateful Dead
Elton John
John Lennon
Bob Marley
Rod Stewart
1995
The Allman Brothers Band
Al Green
Janis Joplin
Led Zeppelin
Martha and the Vandellas
Neil Young
Frank Zappa
1996
David Bowie
Gladys Knight and the Pips
Jefferson Airplane
Pink Floyd
The Shirelles
The Velvet Underground
1997
The (Young) Rascals
The Bee Gees
Buffalo Springfield
Crosby, Stills and Nash
The Jackson Five
Joni Mitchell
Parliament-Funkadelic
1998
The Eagles
Fleetwood Mac
The Mamas and the Papas
Lloyd Price
Santana
Gene Vincent
1999
Billy Joel
Curtis Mayfield
Paul McCartney
Del Shannon
Dusty Springfield
Bruce Springsteen
The Staple Singers
2000
Eric Clapton
Earth, Wind & Fire
Lovin' Spoonful
The Moonglows
Bonnie Raitt
James Taylor
2001
Aerosmith
Michael Jackson
Queen
Steely Dan
Paul Simon
Solomon Burke
The Flamingos
Ritchie Valens
2002
Isaac Hayes
Brenda Lee
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Gene Pitney
The Ramones
Talking Heads
Chet Atkins(Sideman Category)
Aint no hall unless Lyn is in
Church blew up in Birmingham
Four little black girls killed for no goddamn good reason
All this hate and violence can't come to no good end
A stain on the good name.
A whole lot of good people dragged threw the blood and glass
Blood stains on their good names and all of us take the blame
Meanwhile in North Alabama, Wilson Pickett comes to town
To record that sweet soul music, to get that Muscle Shoals sound
Meanwhile in North Alabama, Aretha Franklin comes to town
To record that sweet soul music, to get that Muscle Shoals sound
And out in California, a rock star from Canada writes a couple of great songs about the
Bad sh*t that went down
"Southern Man" and "Alabama" certainly told some truth
But there were a lot of good folks down here and Neil Young wasn't around
Meanwhile in North Alabama, Lynyrd Skynyrd came to town
To record with Jimmy Johnson at Muscle Shoals Sound
And they met some real good people, not racist pieces of sh*t
And they wrote a song about it and that song became a hit
Ronnie and Neil Ronnie and Neil
Rock stars today ain't half as real
Speaking there minds on how they feel
Let them guitars blast for Ronnie and Neil
Now Ronnie and Neil became good friends their feud was just in song
Skynyrd was a bunch of Neil Young fans and Neil he loved that song
So He wrote "Powderfinger" for Skynyrd to record
But Ronnie ended up singing "Sweet Home Alabama" to the lord
And Neil helped carry Ronnie in his casket to the ground
And to my way of thinking, us southern men need both of them around
Ronnie and Neil Ronnie and Neil
Rock stars today ain't half as real
Speaking their minds on how they feel
Let them guitars blast for Ronnie and Neil
~ Drive By Truckers
I actually saw a "Night Ranger Greatest Hits Album"
My only thought was "Why?"
I saw Hatchet a couple of years ago. They have a new lineup, it's not the original crew with DJB as frontman. They are another hard rockin' Florida band. Had a great time at the show.
Night Ranger may be seen as cheesy now, but they sold almost 20 million records. That's nothing to sneeze at. I for one liked 'em, and still do.
Methinks it's the southern confederate image that has PC'd Skynyrd out of mention in the HOF.
Collins, Gaines, Rossington. A combination that was probably the best southern guitar ensemble every created is worthy of a place in he HOF.
it's funny you should mention Molly Hatchet... my youngest daughter was doing a report on Molly Pitcher last week, and everytime I'd try to tell people who her report was on, all that came to mind was Molly Hatchet.. I could picture my lovely little 6 yr old standing before her class singing "Flirting With Disaster"...LOL
But the whole RnR HoF is absurd anyhow. Don't waste your time on it one way or the other.
Re: Blackfoot, Ricky Medlocke has been playing with the contemporary Skynyrd line-up for years now, as does Hughie Thompson from the Outlaws.
"...Night Ranger Greatest Hits Album"
A one-sided 45? And I couldn't name THAT tune!
BUMP!
Skynard belongs in the HoF. I personally can't listen to them anymore--I'm burned out on Skynard. That's a sure sign of a great band--you can't listen to them anymore because you've listened to them too much. It's like Thanksgiving--everything's great, but if you eat too much you're gonna hurl. If I hear 'Gimme 3 Steps' one more time I'm gonna puke.
A lot of the crap from the night ranger are was way cheesy (think flock of seagulls here) but Skynyrd was never cheesy! I love their music as much today as when it was new. Maybe more, given the crap we are subjected to nowadays, like Usher. unnnngh.
Freebird bump for later...
That was supposed to be "era" not "are".
That sure made it hard to read. sorry.
The album Dirt Track Date is probably worth the price of admission.
Heck, I'd vote for them based on just that title alone. =]
bttt - Great Page Shuck!
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