Rock and Roll Hall of Fame??

I was elated to hear that , finally, Oklahoman Leon Russell would be inducted into the 2011 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Pretty cool and long overdue.
Not only because I have managed to see a lot of Leon shows over the years, including a tour rehearsal in an auction barn in Glenpool, Ok., but also the cred this man has racked up
Not only does Leon have a great history, as a young man he took the chance moving from "Dusty Oklahoma" to California where he struck musical paydirt. He soon became a regular musician on Shindig with fellow Okie Carl Radle. he played back up to visiting musicians, and also some of his own tunes. he produced music for Gary Lewis and the Playboys ( "This Diamond Ring" and :she;'s Just my Style"), and ended up meeting people like Clapton and the the Beatles.
Leon not only wrote tunes for Joe Cocker, but also organized, played in and directed the music for Cocker's famous "mad Dogs and Englishmen" tour.
From there, Leon released a series of weell known LPs and singles, including ."Home Sweet Oklahoma," "Lady Blue" and Masquerade." He co-wrote and performed with Bob Dylan. One of my personal Dylan Favs is "watching the River Flow" with Leon on Piano. Leon appeared on George Harrison's "Concert for Bangla Desh." he also produced and played on Eric Clapton's first solo LP.
Why did it take so long for this master of Space and Time to finally make it into the Hall as a "sideman" while other acts, some short lived and less talented, made it in early?
Leon joins a few other notables in this year's inductees. Congratulations to them, but what speaks volumes is the people who have not been inducted. I went to the Hall web site and looked at the list. pretty amazing collection of talent there and most, undeniably, belong in that number.
The ones that puzzle me are the individuals and groups that made it there with less sales, longevity or impact than some of those who still sit, waiting, as some lesser talents make their way into the Hall. It's almost as if there is an attempt to include some of the lesser acts in order to placate the fringe and gain support for the hall from people of different generations.
As I look at my CD, LP and DVD collection, I see a host of worthy occupant of the Hall of Fame who have as of yet been denied while others slipped by.
Some of these notables include KIss, the Moody Blues, Rush, Def Leppard, Blue Oyster Cult and Todd Rundgren. . While these performers have been bypassed, other acts That I consider less deserving have been inducted.
Let's take Blondie, the Rammones and the Pretenders for example. each of these, good acts and sold music in their time, but lacked the longevity and wide base of appeal that many of the omitted acts have had. Blondie was basically an overrated band living off the sex appeal of their lead singer, Deborah Harry and willing to adapt to whatever musical form was getting airplay- for example, their 'rap' song "Rapture" and disco tinted "Heart of Glass.: As a live band , they were sloppy and forgettable, yet somehow are displayed in the Hall of Fame while a band like the Moody Blues is not. The Moody Blues produced hit after hit ranging from early blues tinged music to later progressive rock hits such as "Nights in White satin" and :Story in your Eyes." They had :greatest Hits while Blondie and Ramones were still flipping burgers. The Moody Blues produced radio hits while the Stooges gained an audience through shock and irreverence. The Moody's were a tight band while these others sucked in their live performances, hoping to make up for lack of skill through bloodletting, power chords and skimpy costumes.
I love the Pretenders and Chrissie Hynde, and saw them live a couple times. First time I saw "Brass in Pocket" on MTV in the 80's, I was a fan. But, does the band deserve to be in the R and R Hall while KIss is not? Kiss has continually produced massive live shows, drawing millions to their events over the years.
what do the Ramones have that Kiss does not? And whatever the Ramones have, Kiss has more. The funny thing is, if you check my CD collection, I have more Ramones than I have KIss, but seeing KIss live was truly an event. T This is not to say the Ramones were not an entertaining band, but that when it comes to being recognized in a Hall of Fame, they should still be waiting.
And that brings me to a couple of my personal Biases. The hall has ignored Rush, Def Leppard and Blue Oyster Cult, These bands have produced some of the seminal cuts of Rand R. Rush's career has spanned into now 5 separate decades. They still blow the roof off in their live shows, cranking out "Tom Sawyer" and The Spirit of radio." They are still used in movies and played on radio. Def Leppard still tours, filling stadiums. "Pour Some Sugar on Me" and "Rock of Ages:" still rock the airwaves. BOC, along with these others, created some of the most recognizable cuts from rock music. Who doesn't recognize the opening guitar riffs of "Don't fear the Reaper?" each of these bands dominated play lists back when music television still played music instead of reality shows.
But, the prince of the passed by, the czar of the ignored is TTodd Rundgren.
Todd started his career in the late 60's as guitarist, vocalist, writer for the Nazz. After 3 LPs, Todd went solo, starting a career than has made creative twists and turns while producing pop masterpieces and electronic works of rt. He is creative and innovative. He really is a Wizard, a True Star.
Songs by Todd litter movie soundtracks and sports arenas. His "Hello it's Me" is a pop classic. His "Bang the Drum All Day" roars out from arena sound systems. His musical compositions are found everywhere from off broadway ("Up Against It") to TV and movies("Pee Wee's Playhouse" and "Dumb and Dumber."). He has produced his own music since the early 70's along with Def Leppard, the Tubes and even Meat Loaf's original "Bat Out of Hell" LP on which he also plays and sings. He has produced Badfinger and Cheap Trick.
He has dabbled in electronic and synthesized music , fronted the band Utopia, and even took over Ric Ocasek's place as the lad singer of the Cars in their 2010 tour. He has performed in vegas in Beatles revues. He self produced the first digital video ever shown on MTV ( day one, 1981 - "Time Heals the Wounds.") He produced tones and programming for Apple and also created the first interactive Musical CD "No World Order." Todd started Patronnet, the 1st direct patron system for fans to invest in and receive direct products from their favorite musician.
Todd still tours, plays and produces. What does it take to put someone like this guy in the Hall of Fame??
The Dve Clark 5? I loved "catch Me if You Can." What was their lasting impact? The Young Rascals, Bonnie Riat, Rod Stewart....All people I like to listen to, but why are they in the Hall while other deserving and accomplished acts are not?

Bad Company, Badfinegr, Cheap trick, Deep Purple, Electric light Orchestra, Peter Frampton, Humble Pie, Grand Funk, Kansas, Monkees, Nugent, Nilsson, Styx, Joe walsh, etc.
Waiting Waiting Waiting.Each of these with equal or superior credentials to some of the acts already in the Hall.