It’s the time of year the most opinionated music fans around look forward to, the announcement of the 2025 inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
From the very start nearly four decades ago, Rock Hall organizers have made it clear their definition of “rock and roll” is wide open to interpretation and that the genre was largely built by Black performers. Any combination of factors — chart success, innovation, influence, staying power — are considered for inclusion, which only fuels conversations about who does and does not belong.
And, well, I have opinions to share myself! Here’s my take on the seven inductees in the main category. (Salt-N-Pepa and Warren Zevon are among others who will be inducted into side categories.) I’ve ranked them from least- to most-deserving of one of music’s highest honors.
7. Chubby Checker
While it’s not something I personally endorse, it’s not unheard of for Rock and Roll Hall of Famers to have the stray novelty song in their repertoire. Some examples: Chuck Berry (“My Ding-a-Ling”), Todd Rundgren (“Bang the Drum All Day”), R.E.M. (“Shiny Happy People”), Billy Joel (“We Didn’t Start the Fire”) and the Beatles (most Ringo songs).
As for the man born Ernest Evans, he built his entire career on novelty songs, only one of which — “The Twist” — is remembered (barely by many) today. Checker did actually score a few more hits, including 1961’s “Pony Time,” but “The Twist” was so massive, he couldn’t help but return to it for an increasingly embarrassing string of singles that include “Let’s Twist Again,” “Twistin’ U.S.A.,” “Slow Twistin’,” “La Paloma Twist” and “Teach Me to Twist.”
It’s also not unheard of for artists to, at least initially, dismiss the very notion of the Rock Hall, from Axl Rose to Dolly Parton to Ozzy Osbourne. Chubby Checker, meanwhile, practically begged to get in. He protested outside of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 2004 over the lack of airplay for “The Twist” (which was released in 1960!) and his perception that the Hall of Fame had snubbed him.
Chubby Checker may well be talented, but in no way does he deserve to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. If organizers are thirsty to get some novelty songs represented, they’d be much better off honoring Weird Al Yankovic, who has been doing this stuff for decades.
6. Bad Company
The Rock Hall is notorious in its love of boomer rock, stooping as low as inducting Foreigner and Peter Frampton last year. I guess they can go even lower, as Bad Company is the very definition of dull, middle of the road rock that now exists only on dusty classic rock stations (but not KQRS anymore) and in commercials that have nothing to do with the song. (In 2014, a Craftsman tools ad used “Feel Like Makin’ Love”!)
My guess is that this choice is really meant to honor lead singer Paul Rodgers, a journeyman vocalist who also led Free, the Firm and the Law and spent a brief, ill-advised time touring with Queen. If that’s the case, they should have just went ahead and inducted Rodgers as a solo act.
5. Joe Cocker
To be honest, the ranks for the next few acts could easily be interchangeable. They’re all deserving for various reasons and should already be in the Rock Hall.
Singer Joe “With a Little Help from my Friends” Cocker was the first musician to play at what would become First Avenue. (Valery Hache / Getty Images)
British vocalist Joe Cocker is best known for his bluesy wail and knack for picking songs to cover. After Cocker’s 2014 death, Paul McCartney praised him for his take on “With a Little Help from My Friends”: “It was just mind-blowing (and it) totally turned the song into a soul anthem and I was forever grateful to him for doing that … He was a great guy, a lovely guy who brought so much to the world and we’ll all miss him.”
Local music fans will always have a place for Cocker in their hearts, if only because he was the first act to play what would become First Avenue way back in 1970.
4. Soundgarden
While they never quite reached the artistic peaks of peers like Nirvana and Pearl Jam, Soundgarden was one of the first grunge bands to sign to a major label, A&M Records. (The label had signed locals the Suburbs a few years prior and Trip Shakespeare around the same time as Soundgarden.)
In this Feb. 13, 2013 photo, Chris Cornell of Soundgarden performs during the band’s concert at the Wiltern in Los Angeles. (Chris Pizzello / Invision / Associated Press)
Chris Cornell was often praised for his strength as a true rock and roll singer. Unfortunately, he joined a club that includes Kurt Cobain, Michael Hutchence and Chester Bennington when he took his own life in 2017.
3. Cyndi Lauper
Brooklyn native Cyndi Lauper was a perfect fit for the early days ’80s, when MTV and music videos ushered in a new series of stars.
She filled her 1983 debut album “She’s So Unusual” with bangers, from her signature hit “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” to a savvy Prince cover (“When You Were Mine”) to a No. 3 smash about masturbation (“She Bop”).
Thanks to her kooky outfits and kookier personality, it felt like she may be a one-and-done at the time. But she returned to the charts with the likes of “True Colors,” “Change of Heart” and “I Drove All Night.” When the hits dried up, Lauper continued to record and explore any number of genres, including alt rock, jazz, blues and electronic dance music. Her farewell tour hit Target Center in December.
Lauper also found tremendous success on Broadway with her Tony-winning score for the 2013 musical “Kinky Boots.” Her long-in-the-works musical based on the film “Working Girl” is set to debut in San Diego later this year before moving to Broadway in 2026.
With her Tony, pair of Grammys (best new artist and best musical theater album for “Kinky Boots”) and Emmy (for a guest role on “Mad About You”), Lauper is a mere Oscar away from becoming an EGOT. It’s entirely possible one is within her reach, as plans are underway to adapt the “Kinky Boots” musical into a film. This woman should’ve been in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame years ago.
2. Outkast
Like Lauper, Atlanta hip hop duo Outkast’s entry into the Rock Hall is long overdue.
Starting with 1994’s “Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik,” Big Boi (Antwan Patton) and André 3000 (André Benjamin) released a series of wildly influential and utterly entertaining albums to ever-increasing audiences. The pair peaked in a massive way with 2003’s “Speakerboxxx/The Love Below,” a sprawling, two-hour masterpiece that has been certified platinum 13 times and won two Grammys, including album of the year. It also featured a song called “Hey Ya” that you might have heard.
Outkast’s follow-up, 2006’s “Idlewild,” didn’t enjoy the same success, but much to their credit, Big Boi and André 3000 chose to quit while they were still ahead, leaving one of the strongest legacies in hip hop.
1. The White Stripes
I end with another duo that set the world on fire and did not overstay their welcome.
The White Stripes emerged from Detroit in 1999 with a startlingly minimalist take on the blues that stripped the genre down to just noisy guitar and manic vocals from Jack White and primal drumming from Meg White.
Their first two albums quickly established them in indie rock circles and the rest of the world soon followed thanks to the likes of “Fell in Love with a Girl,” “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground” and “Seven Nation Army.”
During their reign, it drove me crazy hearing guys — and it was always guys — lament that the White Stripes would be so much better if they added a bass player and hired a “better” drummer. As White’s bumpy post-Stripes solo career has proven, the best work of his career was in the White Stripes and Meg White not only brought out the best in him, her drum work was absolutely essential to the duo’s sound.
Given that she was notoriously shy while in the White Stripes and that she has completely disappeared in the years since, it seems unlikely that Meg White will agree to perform at the induction ceremony. I’ll leave it to Rolling Stone’s Andy Greene for the final word: “Let’s hope that Meg at least watches the Disney+ livestream and smiles when the White Stripes are inducted. Great moments don’t always need to play out in public. And Meg White doesn’t owe us anything.”
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