Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame Inductees Announced

[Jahfin]

For Immediate Release:

THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME ANNOUNCES ITS INDUCTEES FOR 2008

New York -- The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation today announced

its inductees for 2008. The inductees will be honored at a ceremony on

March 10, 2008, at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City.

"The 2008 inductees are trailblazers – all unique and influential in

their genres," said Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation President

and CEO Joel Peresman. "From poetry to pop, these five acts

demonstrate the rich diversity of rock and roll itself. We are proud

to honor these artists and celebrate their contribution to rock and

roll's place in our culture."

The performer inductees are:

* Leonard Cohen

* The Dave Clark Five (Dave Clark, Lenny Davidson, Rick Huxley,

Denis Payton and Mike Smith)

* Madonna

* John Mellencamp

* The Ventures (Bob Bogle, Nokie Edwards, Gerry McGee, Mel Taylor,

Don Wilson)

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame also announced the induction of Little

Walter in its sideman category, and the newly named "Ahmet Ertegun

Award" (formerly the non-performer category) will be presented to

legendary producers, Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff.

The 2008 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame performer inductees were chosen by

the 600 voters of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation. Artists

are eligible for inclusion in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

twenty-five years after their first recording is released.

In addition to being honored at the March ceremony, each inducted

artist is commemorated at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in

Cleveland Ohio, which serves as a monument to rock and roll's impact

on our culture. There, this year's inductees will be honored – along

with previous year's inductees and hundreds of other artists – with

exhibits, video and interactive presentations and programs that serve

to tell the story of modern music. The Hall of Fame itself will

include artifacts from this year's inductees, a multi-media

presentation with highlights from each artist's career and their

signatures permanently engraved in the glass walls of the Hall of Fame.

Presenters and performers at the induction will be announced at a

later date. The induction ceremony will again air live on VH1 Classic

on March 10, 2008.

###

More about the inductees:

With the 1966 release of In My Life by Judy Collins, containing

Leonard Cohen's "Suzanne" and "Dress Rehearsal Rag," Cohen became a

folk rock icon of the singer songwriter movement. Already an acclaimed

poet and novelist in his native Canada, Cohen moved to New York in

1967 and released his classic album Songs of Leonard Cohen on Columbia

Records. Its music launched Leonard Cohen into the highest and most

influential echelon of songwriters. Cohen's elegiac work is widely

used in film and covered by artists from Jeff Buckley to Bono to Bob

Dylan to R.E.M. As Kurt Cobain said, "Give me a Leonard Cohen

afterworld so I can sigh eternally."

One of the most successful British Invasion bands of the Sixties, The

Dave Clark Five topped the UK charts in 1965 with their iconic pop

song "Glad All Over." Thundering production set the DC5 apart. Their

slick melodic sensibility masked their boom factor: The DC5 were the

loudest group in the U.K. until the advent of The Who. Drummer,

songwriter and manager Dave Clark provided a perfect foundation for

Mike Smith's soulful vocals. Reaching the Top Forty 17 times in just

three years, with more appearances on the Ed Sullivan show than the

Beatles or the Rolling Stones, the DC5 were an enormous pop phenomenon

before disbanding in 1970. The Dave Clark Five have sold more than 50

million records worldwide to date.

Doors opened wide for Madonna Louise Ciccone in 1982, after five years

as a singer and dancer on New York City's competitive club circuit.

She signed with Sire Records (her label for the next 14 years) where

her idiosyncratic persona exploded onto turntables, dance floors and

airwaves and captured the imagination of the first generation of MTV

viewers. She went on to become the top female star of the 1980s with

seven #1 hits, three #1 albums and seventeen top ten hits in that

decade. In addition to molding her public image, Madonna is a

meticulous studio craftsperson and completely uninhibited stage

performer. From her first #1, 1984's "Like A Virgin" (produced by Nile

Rogers of Chic) to her most recent two year Confessions campaign,

Madonna remains one of the most ferociously original artists in music

today.

Over the course of his career, John Mellencamp has become a symbol of

the hopes, struggles and passions of America's heartland. As a

songwriter, many of his efforts have transcended "hit" status ("Hurts

So Good," "Pink Houses," "I Need A Lover") and have entered the

cultural vernacular. Mellencamp's musical heart is in his ballads and

rock numbers rooted in late 50s and early 60s rock and roll. His music

describes the American experience; the hopes and fears of the common

everyman. As co-founder of Farm Aid, Indiana's favorite son gives

voice to issues that might otherwise be ignored, from our disappearing

farmlands to the role of race and class in America.

From Seattle, The Ventures defined instrumental guitar rock in the

1960s. Their hits bookended the decade, from 1960's "Walk Don't Run"

to 1969's "Hawaii Five-O." Nokie Edwards' twang-guitar and the crisp

rhythm of Don Wilson, bassist Bob Bogle and drummer Mel Taylor gave

every Ventures album their trademark bent note sound. Long admired by

other bands like the Beatles (and especially George Harrison), Stephen

Stills, Joe Walsh, Aerosmith, and others, The Ventures hit the

Billboard chart nearly three dozen times in the 1960s. The transparent

stereo mixes enabled guitarists to isolate and learn every riff, an

idea that fueled 1965's essential instruction LP Play Guitar With The

Ventures. Founders of surf rock, The Ventures inspired a classic line

of Mosrite guitars and have maintained a flourishing touring and

recording career for decades, especially in Europe and Japan.

Little Walter (May 1, 1930 – February 15, 1968) Although Little Walter

might not have been the first person to amplify the harmonica, his

pioneering use of the microphone helped establish the modern blues

harmonica. With a mike clasped to his harp, Little Walter created

echoing, moaning, hornlike sounds that redefined the capabilities of

the instrument. Walter Jacobs had fourteen top ten hits on the R&B

charts in the 1950's including two number #1 songs "Juke" and "My

Babe." Little Walter toured and recorded extensively with blues great

Muddy Waters in the 1950's. He also recorded with Jimmy Rogers,

Memphis Minnie, Otis Rush and Bo Diddley. Little Walter's influence

was pervasive, especially in England where the next generation of harp

players such as Mick Jagger listened to his records over and over.

Songwriters-producers and record label owners Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff

made Philadelphia the soul capitol in the 1970's. Gamble and Huff's

label Philadelphia International had a stable of artists that included

the O'Jays, McFadden & Whitehead, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes,

Lou Rawls and Dee Dee Sharp. Their records featured the duo's

trademark sound: lush string orchestrations, a powerful rhythm

section and a disco beat. They also worked with Dusty Springfield,

Wilson Pickett, and Jerry Butler among others. In 1990, Gamble and

Huff won a Grammy for best R&B song, awarded for Simply Red's cover of

the Blue Notes' 1972 hit "If You Don't Know Me By Know." And in 1999,

they won the Grammy Trustees Award.

[zosodude13]

For Immediate Release:

THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME ANNOUNCES ITS INDUCTEES FOR 2008

New York -- The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation today announced

its inductees for 2008. The inductees will be honored at a ceremony on

March 10, 2008, at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City.

"The 2008 inductees are trailblazers – all unique and influential in

their genres," said Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation President

and CEO Joel Peresman. "From poetry to pop, these five acts

demonstrate the rich diversity of rock and roll itself. We are proud

to honor these artists and celebrate their contribution to rock and

roll's place in our culture."

The performer inductees are:

* Leonard Cohen

* The Dave Clark Five (Dave Clark, Lenny Davidson, Rick Huxley,

Denis Payton and Mike Smith)

* Madonna

* John Mellencamp

* The Ventures (Bob Bogle, Nokie Edwards, Gerry McGee, Mel Taylor,

Don Wilson)

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame also announced the induction of Little

Walter in its sideman category, and the newly named "Ahmet Ertegun

Award" (formerly the non-performer category) will be presented to

legendary producers, Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff.

The 2008 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame performer inductees were chosen by

the 600 voters of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation. Artists

are eligible for inclusion in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

twenty-five years after their first recording is released.

In addition to being honored at the March ceremony, each inducted

artist is commemorated at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in

Cleveland Ohio, which serves as a monument to rock and roll's impact

on our culture. There, this year's inductees will be honored – along

with previous year's inductees and hundreds of other artists – with

exhibits, video and interactive presentations and programs that serve

to tell the story of modern music. The Hall of Fame itself will

include artifacts from this year's inductees, a multi-media

presentation with highlights from each artist's career and their

signatures permanently engraved in the glass walls of the Hall of Fame.

Presenters and performers at the induction will be announced at a

later date. The induction ceremony will again air live on VH1 Classic

on March 10, 2008.

###

More about the inductees:

With the 1966 release of In My Life by Judy Collins, containing

Leonard Cohen's "Suzanne" and "Dress Rehearsal Rag," Cohen became a

folk rock icon of the singer songwriter movement. Already an acclaimed

poet and novelist in his native Canada, Cohen moved to New York in

1967 and released his classic album Songs of Leonard Cohen on Columbia

Records. Its music launched Leonard Cohen into the highest and most

influential echelon of songwriters. Cohen's elegiac work is widely

used in film and covered by artists from Jeff Buckley to Bono to Bob

Dylan to R.E.M. As Kurt Cobain said, "Give me a Leonard Cohen

afterworld so I can sigh eternally."

One of the most successful British Invasion bands of the Sixties, The

Dave Clark Five topped the UK charts in 1965 with their iconic pop

song "Glad All Over." Thundering production set the DC5 apart. Their

slick melodic sensibility masked their boom factor: The DC5 were the

loudest group in the U.K. until the advent of The Who. Drummer,

songwriter and manager Dave Clark provided a perfect foundation for

Mike Smith's soulful vocals. Reaching the Top Forty 17 times in just

three years, with more appearances on the Ed Sullivan show than the

Beatles or the Rolling Stones, the DC5 were an enormous pop phenomenon

before disbanding in 1970. The Dave Clark Five have sold more than 50

million records worldwide to date.

Doors opened wide for Madonna Louise Ciccone in 1982, after five years

as a singer and dancer on New York City's competitive club circuit.

She signed with Sire Records (her label for the next 14 years) where

her idiosyncratic persona exploded onto turntables, dance floors and

airwaves and captured the imagination of the first generation of MTV

viewers. She went on to become the top female star of the 1980s with

seven #1 hits, three #1 albums and seventeen top ten hits in that

decade. In addition to molding her public image, Madonna is a

meticulous studio craftsperson and completely uninhibited stage

performer. From her first #1, 1984's "Like A Virgin" (produced by Nile

Rogers of Chic) to her most recent two year Confessions campaign,

Madonna remains one of the most ferociously original artists in music

today.

Over the course of his career, John Mellencamp has become a symbol of

the hopes, struggles and passions of America's heartland. As a

songwriter, many of his efforts have transcended "hit" status ("Hurts

So Good," "Pink Houses," "I Need A Lover") and have entered the

cultural vernacular. Mellencamp's musical heart is in his ballads and

rock numbers rooted in late 50s and early 60s rock and roll. His music

describes the American experience; the hopes and fears of the common

everyman. As co-founder of Farm Aid, Indiana's favorite son gives

voice to issues that might otherwise be ignored, from our disappearing

farmlands to the role of race and class in America.

From Seattle, The Ventures defined instrumental guitar rock in the

1960s. Their hits bookended the decade, from 1960's "Walk Don't Run"

to 1969's "Hawaii Five-O." Nokie Edwards' twang-guitar and the crisp

rhythm of Don Wilson, bassist Bob Bogle and drummer Mel Taylor gave

every Ventures album their trademark bent note sound. Long admired by

other bands like the Beatles (and especially George Harrison), Stephen

Stills, Joe Walsh, Aerosmith, and others, The Ventures hit the

Billboard chart nearly three dozen times in the 1960s. The transparent

stereo mixes enabled guitarists to isolate and learn every riff, an

idea that fueled 1965's essential instruction LP Play Guitar With The

Ventures. Founders of surf rock, The Ventures inspired a classic line

of Mosrite guitars and have maintained a flourishing touring and

recording career for decades, especially in Europe and Japan.

Little Walter (May 1, 1930 – February 15, 1968) Although Little Walter

might not have been the first person to amplify the harmonica, his

pioneering use of the microphone helped establish the modern blues

harmonica. With a mike clasped to his harp, Little Walter created

echoing, moaning, hornlike sounds that redefined the capabilities of

the instrument. Walter Jacobs had fourteen top ten hits on the R&B

charts in the 1950's including two number #1 songs "Juke" and "My

Babe." Little Walter toured and recorded extensively with blues great

Muddy Waters in the 1950's. He also recorded with Jimmy Rogers,

Memphis Minnie, Otis Rush and Bo Diddley. Little Walter's influence

was pervasive, especially in England where the next generation of harp

players such as Mick Jagger listened to his records over and over.

Songwriters-producers and record label owners Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff

made Philadelphia the soul capitol in the 1970's. Gamble and Huff's

label Philadelphia International had a stable of artists that included

the O'Jays, McFadden & Whitehead, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes,

Lou Rawls and Dee Dee Sharp. Their records featured the duo's

trademark sound: lush string orchestrations, a powerful rhythm

section and a disco beat. They also worked with Dusty Springfield,

Wilson Pickett, and Jerry Butler among others. In 1990, Gamble and

Huff won a Grammy for best R&B song, awarded for Simply Red's cover of

the Blue Notes' 1972 hit "If You Don't Know Me By Know." And in 1999,

they won the Grammy Trustees Award.

what the hell RNRHOF!?!?!?!?

I think each year, the fans should get to choose one band to get in... it may solve the problems regarding bands we KNOW should be in and arnt... the members of the old l-z.com forum may remember the thread we had about this...

the hall is not meeting the desires of the fans and something needs to be changed in the near future

[solar]

* Leonard Cohen

* The Dave Clark Five (Dave Clark, Lenny Davidson, Rick Huxley,

Denis Payton and Mike Smith)

* Madonna

* John Mellencamp

* The Ventures (Bob Bogle, Nokie Edwards, Gerry McGee, Mel Taylor,

Don Wilson)

Very good class, if you ask me. Covers a variety of forms of rock music. Really like the inclusion of The Ventures, surf rock at its finest.

[mos6507]

The term Rock has no meaning anymore if Madonna can be put into the R&R hall of fame. She's never sung a song that even approaches rock & roll or R&B.

[Jahfin]

* Leonard Cohen

* The Dave Clark Five (Dave Clark, Lenny Davidson, Rick Huxley,

Denis Payton and Mike Smith)

* Madonna

* John Mellencamp

* The Ventures (Bob Bogle, Nokie Edwards, Gerry McGee, Mel Taylor,

Don Wilson)

Very good class, if you ask me. Covers a variety of forms of rock music. Really like the inclusion of The Ventures, surf rock at its finest.

What "form of rock music" did Madonna ever play?

[electricmage]

I remember this discussion on the old Zeppelin board....Here we go again. Modonna has done nothing for Rock n' Roll. She has never made any contributions to it at all. She has always been placed in the Pop category.

[zosodude13]

I remember this discussion on the old Zeppelin board....Here we go again. Modonna has done nothing for Rock n' Roll. She has never made any contributions to it at all. She has always been placed in the Pop category.

the problem is the hall cant draw the line as to what rock really is... they should take care of the bands who are rock and should be in and wait on these borderline artists later...

man that was a good thread... i could rescue the link and bring it over here...?

[danelectro]

Who cares who gets into the HOF, it was a bad idea from the beginning and has nothing to do with honor or recognition and everything to do being a music based theme park. Take it for what it is, a place to buy t-shirts, mugs and shot glasses. Who gets or doesn't get inducted doesn't mean squat.

[Joelmon]

What "form of rock music" did Madonna ever play?

Give her a break....she's a Lucky Star,

she got Into the Groove !!!

So...

Papa Don't Preach !!!!!

[59LesPaul]

What "form of rock music" did Madonna ever play?

Fucking whoever she could to try to get ahead?Does that count?

[Joelmon]

Fucking whoever she could to try to get ahead?Does that count?

Now that's RocknRoll !!!!

[The Rover]

Happy for The Ventures.....

Still Glaring as to who has been left out, from the 70's.

The 70's matter much more than the Fucking 80's !!

I think Led Zeppelin just proved that !!

Give the props to the 70's groups FIRST.... and then make your way 'round to the 80's Poppers ..

[solar]

Madonna played the same type of music as current R&R HOF enshrinees:

Etta James

Tina Turner

The Surpremes

Marvin Gaye

Smokey Robinson

Dion

Bobby Darin

The Four Tops

Janis Joplin

etc. etc. etc.

Popular music or not, she's a singer. And popular music is part of the RnR HOF, not solely RnR.

[Jahfin]

The 70's matter much nore than the Fucking 80's !!

I don't think any one decade of music matters any more than the other as each has had it's own contributers to the evolution of rock n' roll, the 80s included. I see the 80s get knocked a lot on this board but there was lot of very good music in that decade. Sometimes when people look back to the 70s all they remember is the disco era. With the 80s it's MTV synth pop and hair metal. As someone that grew up during those time periods I can say those types of music were mere blips on my radar, if even that. The 70s (and even earlier) gave birth to punk which in turn gave birth to New Wave/Post Punk in the 80s. There was also a blues revival in the 80s as well as an explosion of roots oriented music like there hasn't been before or since. Personally, I wouldn't discount the 80s so easily.

[Jahfin]

Madonna played the same type of music as current R&R HOF enshrinees:

Etta James

Tina Turner

The Surpremes

Marvin Gaye

Smokey Robinson

Dion

Bobby Darin

The Four Tops

Janis Joplin

etc. etc. etc.

Popular music or not, she's a singer. And popular music is part of the RnR HOF, not solely RnR.

Janis Joplin in the same breath as Madonna? The hell you say. I've never heard Madonna sing a single note of rock n' roll music, much less belt out the blues. She's a vapid dance/pop performer at best and doesn't even remotely figure as a rock n' roll artist. Never has. Never will. Except for maybe in Jann Wenner's fucked up world.

[59LesPaul]

Janis Joplin in the same breath as Madonna? The hell you say. I've never heard Madonna sing a single note of rock n' roll music, much less belt out the blues. She's a vapid dance/pop performer at best and doesn't even remotely figure as a rock n' roll artist. Never has. Never will. Except for maybe in Jann Wenner's fucked up world.

She probably fucked him,too...

[Joelmon]

Hey !!

Ray of Light by Madonna is fuckin' good !! If you've never heard that Jahfin, you OWE it to yourself to listen. Afterall...how could you make a blanket statement without hearing it ? and if you HAVE and still discount ANY contribution Madonna may have had in 'RocknRoll'...then OK...I'd accept that...otherwise....go listen.

[Jahfin]

Hey !!

Ray of Light by Madonna is fuckin' good !! If you've never heard that Jahfin, you OWE it to yourself to listen. Afterall...how could you make a blanket statement without hearing it ? and if you HAVE and still discount ANY contribution Madonna may have had in 'RocknRoll'...then OK...I'd accept that...otherwise....go listen.

I've heard it and wouldn't consider it rock n' roll. Even if by some stretch of the imagination I did consider it rock n' roll, one song does not a rock n' roll artist make. You have to remember this is the woman that massacred Stairway on national television, not to mention the butcher job she performed on Don McClean's American Pie. She should have her eligibilty revoked just for that. The woman wouldn't know "rock n' roll" if it jumped up and bit her on the ass. Just look at who she signed to her Maverick label: Candlebox. Hell, she doesn't even know good watered down grunge when she hears it.

[Joelmon]

'RocknRoll' is extremely broad in defintion now. It even goes beyond what I consider RnR too. I'd lump alot of electronica in it...as well as some of her 80s material. Then again it IS all subjective...so one's defintion is no better than another's....

I don't consider King Crimson's mathrock....'RocknRoll'...in the sense that it would be easy to follow, a 4/4 beat....or something one could just digest physically, primal-y that is. It's much more, very mental and takes concentration that alot of RnR doesn't....it's beyond RnR....but it IS ROCK ! It just doesn't have the 'roll'.....if you can see what I mean....

Much of what's lumped into RocknRoll transcends that basic definition....but others still see it as that....to each their own....

Afterall, Sonic Youth (Rockers deluxe) even had a 'side' project titled Ciccione Youth...so even THEY give tribute to Madonna....even if it's a 'goof'.....

[Jahfin]

I once saw one of those History of Rock n' Roll specials who's last chapter included rap as part of the "future of rock". As has been discussed here countless times rock has influenced rap and vice versa but I don't see it as extension of rock n' roll by any means, it's a genre of music unto itself. Same thing with Madonna, the music she makes very clearly remains in the dance/pop/r & b realm and doesn't come close to "rock n' roll". If Madonna is going to be inducted as a rock n' roll artist we may as well prepare ourselves now for the inevitable day when Britney Spears is inducted. She is one of very many dance/pop stars I can say has without a doubt been influenced by Madonna. I could say that about very few (if any) rock n' roll artists. Basically what is happening is Jann Wenner and company are taking a huge fucking shit on what was once known as "rock n' roll". What's worse is the amount of times actual rock n' roll artists such as Skynyrd and Sabbath were denied induction yet Madonna gets in during her first year of eligibility. I don't think she should even be eligibile to start with but that fact that she's been inducted while many other far more deserving artists still wait in the wings is a fucking travesty beyond reproach. I blame it on the further corporatization of the music business over the years where it has gotten to the point where it's all pretty much controlled by the same entities: Time/Warner, Rolling Stone, Viacom (which also owns MTV, VH1 & CMT) and everybody's favorite whipping boy, Clear Channel/Live Nation. It's all become so homogenized where someone like Jann Wenner and his gang of assmonkeys can get away with inducting a pop diva like Madonna into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame. To me, that's extremely fucked up and not representative of rock n' roll in the least little bit.

[Black Dawg]

The Ventures are the only true RnR band on the list

[solar]

Ahh, but Janis Joplin sings the blues, not rock and roll in your eyes. So she, too, should have been left out.

Again, what is the difference between Madonna and The Supremes or Martha And the Vandellas or, yes, even Janis Joplin? They are all singers of popular music. And you can't tell me the song Papa Don't Preach when it was released wasn't as incendiary lyrically as any rock song of the '60s and '70s. I'm not a Madonna fan in the least, but to ignore her influence on rock and roll is being obtuse. Simply put, though, none of them played their own music, ergo you can put them all together.

Rock, to me, is an abolition of boundaries. That's why Etta James and REM and Sabbath and Grandmaster Flash and Madonna and The Beach Boys and The Sex Pistols can and should all be under the same musical umbrella. Perhaps the name is the problem and it should be the 20th century museum of popular music.

But under the criteria established by those who created it -- and if it weren't for Jann Wenner and Ahmet Ertegun, there'd be no RnR Hall of Fame -- these people are all worthy of induction. If you don't like it, build a $40 million building, donate your time and money to keep it running and call it the Real Rock Hall of Fame or something.

[Hotplant]

.

Leonard Cohen!!!!!!!!!!

[Jahfin]

The Ventures are the only true RnR band on the list

I'm no fan but what kind of music does John Mellencamp play if not "rock n' roll"? Leonard Cohen is not easily classified but if Dylan is in then Cohen should be as well.

[Jahfin]

Ahh, but Janis Joplin sings the blues, not rock and roll in your eyes. So she, too, should have been left out.

Where did I say Janis Joplin only sang the blues? I didn't. In reference to Madonna, I said: "I've never heard Madonna sing a single note of rock n' roll music, much less belt out the blues." That in no way implies that Janis only sang the blues. In fact she was well versed in several musical forms but the blues were her forte. The fact remains I have never heard Madonna sing one note of rock n' roll, ever.

Again, what is the difference between Madonna and The Supremes or Martha And the Vandellas or, yes, even Janis Joplin? They are all singers of popular music. And you can't tell me the song Papa Don't Preach when it was released wasn't as incendiary lyrically as any rock song of the '60s and '70s.

I can think of lots of other songs that may be controversial but controversy alone doesn't make something "rock n' roll" and Papa Don't Preach is no exception. That song isn't rock n' roll, it's dance/club music, just like the majority of Madonna's recorded output.

I'm not a Madonna fan in the least, but to ignore her influence on rock and roll is being obtuse.

What rock n' roll artists has Madonna influenced? I can think of Sonic Youth namechecking her on one of their albums and Liz Phair (hardly a household name) mentioning her in one of her lyrics but that's it. Madonna's influence has been more on similar pop/dance music performers such as Britney Spears and the like, artists who don't have one ounce of rock n' roll in their blood.

Simply put, though, none of them played their own music, ergo you can put them all together.

Rock, to me, is an abolition of boundaries. That's why Etta James and REM and Sabbath and Grandmaster Flash and Madonna and The Beach Boys and The Sex Pistols can and should all be under the same musical umbrella. Perhaps the name is the problem and it should be the 20th century museum of popular music.

I understand why Grandmaster Flash was put in, because rap had an influence on rock n' roll and vice versa. I fail to see where Madonna has had any influence on rock n' roll at all. Pop/dance/R & B music maybe but not rock n' roll.

But under the criteria established by those who created it -- and if it weren't for Jann Wenner and Ahmet Ertegun, there'd be no RnR Hall of Fame -- these people are all worthy of induction. If you don't like it, build a $40 million building, donate your time and money to keep it running and call it the Real Rock Hall of Fame or something.

No, I don't like the fact that a dance/pop music performer like Madonna is going to be inducted into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame but it doesn't mean I have to start up my own. If she's so "rock n' roll" how come I've never heard her on a rock n' roll station, on the rock n' roll charts or seen her songs listed on any rock n' roll compilation, ever? I know why, because she is not rock n' roll. Never has been, never will be. Wenner and company are taking a great big shit on all that is rock n' roll by inducting someone like Madonna. If you think she's rock n' roll then prepare for the likes of Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake and tons of other pop/dance music performers to be inducted in the years to come.