Personal Picks: 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

  Below are my Personal picks for the 2024 Rock Hall, listed in alphabetical order.  Most of the 15 nominees could get a "Yes" vote from me in other years. 10/15 nominees are on the ballot for the first time.  4/5 of the returnees are nominated for the 2nd time.  And one is back for their 3rd time in a row. 

  The Hall inducted 7 names from the Performer ballot last year. Plus 6 names in the side categories. This year for the first time the Hall is letting voters choose 7 artists, not 5. 

With each of my picks, I recommend some of their best recordings.

Again, these are my Personal picks, not predictions. 

Top 7

Cher - Her Iconic status as a Celebrity of movies and TV  has masked a music career that is admirably varied.  Whether with Sonny or solo.   First nomination

  

1.  Best of Sonny & Cher (Rhino 1993)

2.  Very Best of Cher (WB 2003)

Foreigner - For nearly a decade in the late 70's/mid-80's they were always good for some classic singles from each album.  "I Want to Know What Love Is" remains a monumental achievement.  Mick Jones & Lou Gramm inducted into the Songwriters Hall in 2013.   First nomination

  1. 4

  2. Complete Greatest Hits

Kool & The Gang - Funk pioneers turned 80's crossover hit machine.  Also arguably the most sampled band in hip hop.  Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2018.  First nomination

  1.  Wild and Peaceful

  2.  Gold

Mariah Carey - We all know she can sing, but she can also write a good song. Inducted into the Songwriters Hall in 2022.  First nomination

  1.  Emancipation of Mimi

  2.  Essential

Peter Frampton - All I can say is you had to be there in 1976-77 when Frampton was a Classic Rock God. And if you combine his years with Humble Pie and his sideman work, then he's had a Hall of Fame career.  First nomination

  1.  Frampton Comes Alive

  2.  Greatest Hits

Sinead O' Connor - A classic case where the death of an artist spotlights just how overlooked and influential they were.  And Sinead falls into that category.  First nomination 

 1.  I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got

 3.  So Far: Best of (1997)

A Tribe Called Quest - If the gangsta rap of the 90's turned you off, then this group, along with De La Soul, was one of the acts to champion.  Cool samples, smart lyrics.   3rd nomination

  1. Low End Theory

  2. Anthology

The Rest

Dave Matthews Band - DMB are probably the archetypical mid-90's Rock band. Their mix of jam band rock, jazz, even World music gave them a devoted audience.  2nd nomination

Eric B. & Rakim - Pioneering rap duo who were an fye nominee in 2012.  Rakim is one of the greatest MC's ever.  2nd nomination

Jane's Addiction -  One could make the case that Perry Farrell should get a Musical Excellence award for his various bands and co-founding Lollapalooza. 2nd nomination

Lenny Kravitz - At his peak in the 90's/early 00's, he was one of that era's biggest Rock stars.  Still going strong some 35 years after his debut in 1989.  First nomination

Mary J. Blige - Now over 30 years into her career, Blige is certainly at the point where it's time to look at her influence on a generation female R&B singers.  2nd nomination

Oasis - 90's Britpop Kings whose first 2 albums remain classics some 30 years later.  First nomination

Ozzy Osbourne - "Crazy Train" remains his greatest solo song.   First solo nomination (Black Sabbath inducted 2006)

Sade -  Nominated as a band. Sade's mix of R&B & Jazz made her (and the band) a mainstay of both Quiet Storm and smooth jazz radio.  Only Sade Adu was voted into the Songwriters Hall in 2023 (to be inducted at a later date).  First nomination