Five Thoughts for the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductions 

Rock At Night Editorial

April 28, 2025 Tampa Earl Columns, Featured Columns, Hot News, USA
Paul Rodgers. Photo by Chyrisse.

By “Tampa” Earl Burton 

For some reason (the second year in a row), Disney forced the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame to announce the inductions for 2025 on a live edition of American Idol. Now, this isn’t the spot for my diatribe on this shit (it is MUCH better to hear the inductions, and the interviews, on SiriusXM), but the only reason that this is done is because Disney+ is the live broadcast outlet for the Hall ceremonies. As such, the Hall must acquiesce to Disney and give them the rights to unveil the newest immortals in rock’s Parthenon.  

There is going to be a lot of screaming about how the Hall went backward, choosing fewer females and taking a more rock-centric approach. But this was to be expected; after a few years of extremely populist and pop-centric entries, there was bound to be a year that the needle moved back towards the rock vein of history. With that said, there are five thoughts that I had when I first saw the newest inductees for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame last night.

1. ABOUT DAMN TIME for Warren Zevon (and Others)  

I have the same feelings about the induction of Carol Kaye, the legendary bassist from The Wrecking Crew, who will be inducted through the Musical Excellence category. My only question with Kaye’s induction is…where are the rest of The Wrecking Crew? There is no exact “roster” for the session musicians who played on most of the popular music of the Sixties, but such names as drummer Hal Blaine, guitarists Tommy Tedesco and Glen Campbell, and pianist Leon Russell all could claim membership in The Wrecking Crew. Why are we limiting it to just Kaye?  

  1. The Fan Vote is NOT A GUARANTEED ENTRY

Before the announcement of the inductions, the Hall allows the fans to make their voice heard through the Fan Vote. When this voting process ended, the Top Seven finishers in the voting got ONE additional vote towards the final totals that the Voting Committee presented. For only the second time ever, the leading vote getter in the Fan Vote did not earn induction to the Hall.  

First, fans who believe this is an automatic induction need to check themselves. The Fan Vote is a gauge of fan sentiment, and they get the same vote that ANY living member of the Hall gets – one vote. Second, I am pleased that there isn’t any (OK, hardly any) whining about Phish not being inducted – what this says is that the fans hold Phish in a much higher regard than those who are the professionals hold the band.  

  1. Better Luck Next Time…
Chris Robinson. Photo by Chyrisse

Seven nominees did not get the nod, and you’ve got to wonder if we are going to see a few of them ever again. The Black Crowes are a great band, but what did they do to break out from the Eighties rock scene? The same could be said of Billy Idol – what did he do that Iron Maiden and Ronnie James Dio didn’t do first? I always believed that Maná was more of a “thanks for being here” pick for the international scene; I doubt we will see them again.  

The final three are ones that got to be asking, “What do I have to do?” Mariah Carey, Oasis, and Joy Division/New Order were all overlooked – each for the second time – all have the credentials for entry, so you’ve got to wonder just what the holdup is for the Hall to recognize them. With Carey, it might be simple – she has pissed off everyone in the industry with her diva-ish behavior. Oasis and JD/NO are cursed by the fact that they are British, and British acts have an extremely tough time getting induction into the Hall (Cliff Richard is over in the corner nodding sadly).  

  1. And Why Now?

On the heels of the snubs for induction, some of the inductions must also be questioned. Why are Chubby Checker and Joe Cocker getting induction, and why now? Cocker has a better argument for induction in this case, having stood on the stage of Woodstock in 1969. But his career overall wasn’t remarkable, replete with cover songs from other artists, and did not have any impact on rock history other than the spasmodic approach to performing he employed. That’s not exactly Hall material, in my thoughts.  

Checker shouldn’t have even been on the ballot. Yes, he was a part of the “early days” of rock and roll. Yes, “The Twist” was an iconic song. But that is ALL that Checker is noteworthy for; he tried to repackage his novelty dance song into SIX other incarnations, not exactly demonstrating that he was a wellspring of inspiration for future generations. The Hall would have been better off just leaving “The Twist” in the honored Singles category – this reeks of a “Clyde McPhatter” type induction, being inducted “just because” they were there at the start.  

  1. The Rest? Solid but Not Spectacular
Cyndi Lauper. Photo by Chyrisse.

The other five members of the 2025 Induction Class for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame were all solid choices, but they aren’t spectacular. I have long contended that Bad Company didn’t deserve entry – not nearly the length of resume you would want and, if you want to honor Paul Rodgers, then do it through Musical Excellence – but I am not distraught over their induction. Cyndi Lauper falls in this category, too – not a horrendous error, but not exactly my first choice (Annie Lennox as a solo artist might have been more worthy).  

Outkast, Soundgarden, and The White Stripes were all more than worthy options, but they are also not going to be “WOWING” the fans. Soundgarden finally made it in after a LENGTHY process (a la Rage Against the Machine), and Outkast was also long overdue. The White Stripes, while critical to the development of garage rock in the 21st century, are also nice additions, although not earth-shattering ones.

As a whole, that might be the best way to put this year’s class for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame – nice, not earth-shattering, and not making any waves. Maybe chairman John Sykes and the Powers That Be at the Hall needed a year off to prepare for other inductions in the future that will roil the blood of Hall aficionados.  

Tampa Earl
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