A while back we took a look at those members of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame who never had a Top Forty hit. Now let's take a look at the flipside: those artists with the most hits who still need a ticket to get into Cleveland. Remember, at this point you had to release your first record in 1983 or earlier to be eligible.
Non-enshrined acts with the most Top Forty hits:
Pat Boone, 38
Neil Diamond, 38
Janet Jackson, 37
Chicago, 35
Connie Francis, 35
Paul Anka, 33
Perry Como, 31
Dionne Warwick, 31
Bobby Vinton, 31
Non-enshrined acts with the most Top Ten hits:
Janet Jackson, 27
Chicago, 20
Pat Boone, 19
Hall and Oates, 16
Connie Francis, 16
Olivia Newton-John, 15
Phil Collins, 14
Donna Summer, 14
Non-enshrined acts with the most Number One hits:
Janet Jackson, 10
Phil Collins, 7
Pat Boone, 6
Hall and Oates, 6
Olivia Newton-John, 5
Barbra Streisand, 5
Lionel Richie, 5
KC and the Sunshine Band, 5
So the question is: What does Janet Jackson have to do to get into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame? Exactly which body part does she have to expose on national TV to get people to pay attention? If I counted songs on which she was featured, rather than Janet solo hits, she'd already lead all three of these lists. I checked to make sure she was really eligible, and yes, Janet Jackson came out in 1982.
Janet will eventually go in, leaving Chicago as the Vada Pinson of rock bands. I figure they have about as much chance of getting in as I do - less, really, because I don't have "Look Away" to live down. Neil Diamond still has a prayer, while Pat Boone has given up, I hope.
Coming up on these lists as their eligibility dawns in the next few years: George Michael, Whitney Houston, Paula Abdul.
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6 comments:
Apart from anti-top 40 rock snobbery, I can't see a good reason for Hall & Oates not to be in. Or why Blondie have so much more cred that they got in on the first ballot (or if not, then nearly).
Leaving aside the merits of "I Can't Go for That," I don't think H&O are very well liked within the industry. Their Rolling Stone cover story of many years ago had what is still my favorite RS headline of all time: "The Self-Righteous Brothers."
Well, Melanie didn't make your list but, I still have hope she'll get in.
Nice read and great info. Thank you,
Jim Baldwin AKA TarBabyJim
Spokane WA
My Rock Hall-Melanie Site:
LetHerIn dot org
What about Neil Sedaka?
no Alan O'Day = no credibility. how many people in the HOF have written a song as great as "Undercover Angel" or "Angie Baby"?
Whitney's already eligible--she sang on a Material album in 1982, which is why she was disqualified for Best New Artist, the biggest Grammy controversy in the years between Toto and Milli Vanilli. Hall & Oates had their hits for the wrong label--how many RCA acts in the HOF?
if Chicago were Vada Pinson they'd be called "Cincinatti," wouldn't they? Maybe they're Ron Santo.
Melanie, the Feist of the early 1970s: Six Top Fortys, two Top Tens, one Number One. I admire your fortitude, Tar Baby Jim, but it's an uphill climb.
Neil Sedaka: 21 Top Fortys, nine Top Tens, Three Number Ones. He seems like a good bet.
Alan O'Day: If you give him credit for "Angie Baby", he's got two Top Fortys, two Top Tens, two Number Ones. But since he never responded to my email asking about Angie's hapless victim, he can stay out of the HoF for all I care.
Chicago can't be Ron Santo, because a lot of people think Santo deserves to be in, while no one aside from maybe Robert Lamm thinks Chicago does. Maybe they're Rick Reuschel.
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