Congratulations to the Byrds, Ike & Tina Turner, and Simon & Garfunkel. It’s a good week for ampersands.
Running list of inductees:
Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Buddy HollyJames Brown, Little Richard, Aretha FranklinThe Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Beach BoysThe Rolling Stones, Stevie Wonder, The SupremesThe Who, The Kinks, Marvin GayeThe Byrds, Ike & Tina Turner, Simon & Garfunkel
This week’s ballot has the 1992 inductees, plus carryovers John Lee Hooker, Otis Redding, and The Temptations. Vote for your top three choices.
- Bobby “Blue” Bland
- Booker T and the MGs
- Johnny Cash
- The Jimi Hendrix Experience
- John Lee Hooker
- The Isley Brothers
- Otis Redding
- Sam & Dave
- The Temptations
And it just occurred to me that I could say the exact same thing (give or take a year or two) in defense of my vote for John Lee Hooker!
This is the easiest of the votes for me so far: Johnny Cash, Jimi Hendrix, and John Lee Hooker.
I don’t know Bobby Bland (which probably says more about me than him). Booker T almost gets in on the strength and ubiquitousness of “Green Onions” alone, but it takes more than one song for this poll. I might vote for the Isley Brothers and Otis Redding against lesser competition.
Booker T & the MGs are on nearly every record released by Stax Records; Sam & Dave, Otis Redding, Wilson Picket, Albert King, The Blues Brothers fer-fricken-sake. “One song” is the last phrase that should ever be applied to the MGs. Would you say the Wrecking Crew is just about “one song”?
I don’t know, I have trouble voting for a band based on them being the house band for other great artists. Maybe I should realign my thinking, but that’s how I landed where I did.
I have to agree with @Elmer_J.Fudd on this one. And the RRHOF has a “sideman” category. But since this poll doesn’t, both Booker T. and the Wrecking Crew would get my vote.
Congratulations to The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Johnny Cash, and Otis Redding. This week’s ballot features mostly acts that debuted in 1968, which most people would say was a pretty good year. Lot of tough choices here, including returning candidates The Temptations, Booker T and the MGs, and John Lee Hooker. I personally am going to have to think about this one a while.
Vote for no more than three.
- Booker T and the MGs
- Ruth Brown
- Cream
- Creedence Clearwater Revival
- The Doors
- Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers
- John Lee Hooker
- Etta James
- Van Morrison
- Sly and the Family Stone
- The Temptations
OK, I guess I didn’t have to think about it that long. 
This week we induct Creedence Clearwater Revival, Cream, and The Doors, psychedelic heroes all. We also carry over five other acts to join the 1994 inductees on a very crowded ballot. Vote for no more than three. (By the way, just how the heck are you supposed to alphabetize “Booker T. and the MGs?”)
- The Animals
- The Band
- Booker T and the MGs
- Duane Eddy
- The Grateful Dead
- John Lee Hooker
- Elton John
- John Lennon
- Bob Marley
- Van Morrison
- Rod Stewart
- Sly and the Family Stone
- The Temptations
It’s a tough ballot, and I hate to abandon my campaigns for John Lee Hooker and the Temptations, but the top three seem pretty clear-cut to me.
The Band is far less deserving than the Animals. They were good, but I would put them John Lee Hooker also.
Elton John is the only easy vote for me. Grateful Dead obviously deserve to be in, but I’ll let others who like them vote them in.
John Lennon…maybe? Would I vote for him if he was a true standalone artist with no association to the Beatles? Probably not.
I guess my other two are Bob Marley and Sly and the Family Stone. Music today would be different if those never existed.
Marley should be a no brainer and so far is.
I agree about the Dead but did vote for them. Their impact and legacy is something else.
The Animals don’t get enough recognition.
Thanks for adding all the links to the OP, WE!
I don’t think this should really count as a factor in HoF inclusion, but at 79 years old Elton John continues to influence music through his Rocket Hour podcast. Every week, he’ll talk to guest stars and play a curated list of new music across genres. I recommend it if you want to find new music but don’t know how – I’ve discovered a lot of new artists through it.
Massive plumes of smoke emerge from the roof of the ornate SDMB Rock Hall, signifying that Bob Marley and the Grateful Dead have been inducted. Also, Elton John.
The Band, Rod Stewart, Sly and the Family Stone, The Temptations, and The Animals return for another bite at the apple, joining the 1995 inductees for yet another highly competitive ballot. Vote for no more than three.
- The Allman Brothers
- The Animals
- The Band
- Al Green
- Janis Joplin
- Led Zeppelin
- Martha and the Vandellas
- Rod Stewart
- Sly and the Family Stone
- The Temptations
- Neil Young
- Frank Zappa
In my mind, there are five absolute top-tier acts on this ballot. I’ll vote for The Band, Janis and Zappa, and trust others to elect Zeppelin and Neil Young, or at least keep them around for next week.
For me 3 clear cut choices:
- The Allman Brothers
- The Animals
- Led Zeppelin
Zep is as clearcut as the Beatles or the Stones.
Why the Band? What is their legacy? What did they contribute? I don’t get it.
Janis & Zappa I get.
I would like to vote for Led Zeppelin, Janis, Sly and the Family Stone, Neil, and Frank.
Of those, Zep is the only one that I both personally love and feel is obvious HoF material. Janis, Neil, and Frank are obviously all HoF worthy, but I never play their records on repeat. Sly is somewhat a favorite and somewhat worthy, but probably not enough of either to get a vote.
So after Zep, I guess I’ll vote Frank in case he’s too weird to get enough votes from other people. Janis would be my next vote, but she’ll get in without help. I’ll go with Neil as the Godfather of Grunge.