2020 Inductee Predictions

Like every year, this year's group of Rock Hall nominees sparked a lot of discussion, and as usual the case, a lot of controversy. I'm with the others: this one was very hard to whittle down to five, and even seven. As always, I try to put myself in the shoes of all of the voters. Of course, besides the living inductees - you also have some other people that us Rock Hall Watchers don't really know much about. Like I don't know the name of the young lady who's a "journalist" but she's younger than me...oh well. Things like that. Who would Jerry Lee Lewis and Mike Love vote for (that's assuming they turned their ballots in!)? More important, you gotta look at the newly enshrined inductees of this year. I'm talking about the surviving inducted members of Def Leppard, Roxy Music and The Cure (that's a total of 22!). I'm sure they would be eager on voting for favorites that have long awaited to get in the Hall. 

I look at my predictions and it's almost like a "Gen X"-type of list. But things do change over time, and as I said above, this list was hard to break down. There were two easy picks (classic rock radio favorites the Doobies and Benatar), but there were a lot of others that made this ballot very competitive. You had the usual acts that appeared on several ballots (Kraftwerk, Rufus & Chaka Khan, MC5). Plus you had some hard-rock acts that just don't stack well with some of these artists. I would just like to say that I'm with the others: they will cancel each other out. I'm not sure how many Eddie Trunk-type people will vote for every single hard-rock group, but I'm betting that a lot will have a tough time deciding on who gets in first before the other. First-timers Motorhead, Thin Lizzy and T. Rex are those kind of musical acts that I would definitely predict as a shoo-in as they are long overdue, but as I said this was a very weird ballot. Weird as in diverse but not diverse. I'm with the others saying there was not enough women or R&B favorites on here. We all hope that will change, starting next fall. But for now, we just gotta deal with the same old thing. It's a popularity contest, and we never know the real results such as vote tabulations among voters. Will voters continue to put in more acts that have now been brought to the table by the NomCom? Or will they finally induct those who have been cluttering the ballots over the years? Their call, I guess. All we really know is: more and more artists and groups waiting to get in, and the gap is getting bigger. 

So, without further adieu, here are my five realistic predictions for who will be enshrined in Cleveland in May. Be sure to scroll all the way down. I also put a bonus prediction. You may or may not agree, but...that's just my gut feeling. 


THE DOOBIE BROTHERS - Some acts get in at perfect timing, and the Doobies are no exception. Next year they will celebrate their 50th anniversary as a band, bringing along several past members including legendary singer Michael McDonald. 2020 will surely be a big year for them.

SOUNDGARDEN - For years ever since they were eligible, people have longed for the NomCom to include them. Even after frontman Chris Cornell's death, it didn't happen. But it all seemed like they were being treated as HOFers already, with a Chris Cornell tribute at the 2018 induction ceremony. One Hall Watcher pointed out that they weren't as big as Pearl Jam and Nirvana. True, but Soundgarden and Alice in Chains make up the "Seattle grunge big four", and I'm positive Soundgarden will get in on first try - maybe not the latter. 

DAVE MATTHEWS BAND - The DMB may be leading the Fan Vote, which to some may be good. But that's not why I'm including them on my Top 5 votegetters list. Some of us know that Dave is widely respected and has a lot of connections in the music world. Just ask the Hall inductees who posed with him on the Rolling Stone 10/14/2004 cover. Dave himself has been on the cover of the magazine five times, with or without the band. And don't forget, he is one of the top live performers of this century, having grossed the most money from 2000-2010. Of course, that will still leave people like me and the other RHWs questioning why he's deserving over many, and that's okay. It sucks that he will likely get in before a lot of other deserving 90s performers and jam-bands, but crazier things have happened as far as Rock Hall inductions.

PAT BENATAR - I'm with fellow Hall Watcher Tom Lane, as this is an easy vote. Someone long-deserving, the same goes for her husband and guitarist, Neil Giraldo. Sure, she hasn't put out a lot of songs or albums that made lists, but Benatar is a true female rock icon. I can't wait to hear her talk about the little amount of female inductees the Rock Hall has. Hey, it could happen!

NINE INCH NAILS - As others have pointed out, Trent Reznor has made such a name for himself with his scoring career. And I can't leave out the whole "Old Town Road" thing, in which he is credited in the song, which was given the "Musical Event of the Year" award at the recent CMA show. He'll definitely have a lot more support than usual - and that's perfect given that he started his music career in Cleveland. 

-Should there be a sixth...-

WHITNEY HOUSTON - No matter what, people will continue to say "The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is a complete sham!", so inducting Whitney will probably add more fuel to the fire for rockists. Everyone has said she is a big name (perhaps too big to overlook), and I'm sure with Janet Jackson being recently inducted this opened the door for the late Whitney Houston. She'll get a nice tribute. And she may pave the way for more divas, like Cher, Gloria Estefan...oh, and her cousin Dionne Warwick, too. 

-Should there be a seventh...-

KRAFTWERK - I'm betting on it's going to be either them, Rufus/Chaka Khan or MC5. Eventually some of those voters will get sick of seeing them on the ballot that they'll vote for them anyway. At least that's what I hope. 😉


Lastly, I predict that Willie Nelson will be getting inducted outside the Performers category. I'm thinking the Musical Excellence Award. As we all know, there were some talks that Paul Shaffer was going to bring his name up into the September discussion. Well, Willie's name did not come up. For most people (including myself), it doesn't really matter how he gets in. Honestly, I don't see him ever getting in the "Performers" category.  It seems very fitting for him since he has so much crossover appeal. Yes, most people identify him as a country legend. But he has released blues, gospel and reggae albums too. So, for that alone he should definitely get that kind of award. I am aware that the Musical Excellence category replaced "Sidemen", as it mostly focused on those that have contributed to other artists behind the scenes. I can't really picture him getting the Early Influence award, but it may happen that way too.