Three of the six Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2012 inductees announced today--Guns N' Roses, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Beastie Boys and especially Guns N' Roses--were predictable.
Guns N' Roses, while derivative, was an out-of-the-box hit when its 1987 debut album Appetite For Destruction introduced the world to Axl Rose's distinctive vocal snarl and a hard rock 'n' roll style and behavior respectively worthy of arenas and scandal sheets. The Beasties and Chili Peppers both broke ground in blending rock 'n' roll with punk and hip-hop.
The Small Faces/The Faces were a bit of a surprise, but the double-named English band was an early home of Rod Stewart and Humble Pie's Steve Marriott and is a worthy historical entry.
But the other two new honorees--Donovan and Laura Nyro--are relatively surprising, while eminently deserving. Both epitomize the singer-songwriter genre, though they emerged well before that term was coined and remain very different from what it generally connotes.
Donovan was England's answer to Bob Dylan when he hit first in the U.S. with the folk-flavored "Catch The Wind" in 1965. He topped the charts the following year with his rocker "Sunshine Superman," and shares a memorable scene with Dylan in the famous 1967 Dylan documentary Don't Look Back. But his overall peaceful and mystical vibe distinguishes him as much as his numerous and important hits.
The late Nyro had only three minor hit singles, the biggest being her cover of "Up On The Roof," which reached No. 92 in 1970. But her own compositions yielded classic pop hits for the likes of Barbra Streisand ("Stoney End"), Blood Sweat and Tears ("And When I Die"), The 5th Dimension ("Wedding Bell Blues," "Blowin' Away," "Stoned Soul Picnic," and "Sweet Blindness") and Three Dog Night ("Eli's Coming").
Still, Nyro would likely have been overlooked as a faceless songwriter had she not also evolved into a true album artist, pioneering a mix of jazz and r&b influences and singing in a gutwrenching voice that likewise mixed gospel and the street. There was nothing like her before or after, and The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's nominating committee and voters are to be commended for recognizing and honoring her enormous gifts and influence.
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