*Why was Donna Summer, who died Thursday of lung cancer, never inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?
Longtime member Elton John weighed in almost immediately following the singer’s death, calling the snub “a total disgrace.” Now, the person in charge of nominations to the Cleveland-based Hall has issued a blunt statement, blaming voters for the “error,” reports Billbaord.com.
“There is absolutely no doubt that the extraordinary Donna Summer belongs in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,” Jon Landau, the chairman of the nominating committee, told the New York Times. “Regrettably, despite being nominated on a number of occasions, our voting group has failed to recognize her — an error I can only hope is finally and permanently rectified next year.”
Summer was nominated for this year’s class, but was passed over. Inductees included Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Faces, Guns N’ Roses and The Beastie Boys.
The issue with voters could very well be the genre of music Summer is most associated with, disco, which has a quiet presence in the museum. A scan of members reveals only two groups that could be categorized as “disco,” The Bee Gees (1997) and ABBA (2010) — however, both have diverse pop portfolios, much like Summer, who thrived in dance-pop and rock after disco fizzled out in the late-1970s.
Landau is correct in saying Summer “belongs” in the Hall, having earned 32 hit singles on the Billboard Hot 100 in her career, with 14 of those reaching the top 10. Her biggest singles include her four No. 1s “MacArthur Park,” “Hot Stuff,” “Bad Girls” and “No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)” with Barbra Streisand. In 1983 she returned to the Hot 100′s top 10 with the No. 3 anthem “She Works Hard For the Money.”
One dance group that many believe should join Summer soon is Chic, the Nile Rodgers-led band behind hits like “Le Freak” and “Good Times.” They’ve been nominated for inclusion seven times since 2003.
LOL
I knew Elton John’s rant was gonna start major drama the minute I heard about it. Good for him.
Way to go Elton John.
I think what makes me angry is the fact that enetrtainers who have paid their dues have to get sick and die before proper respects are paid. Inducting Donna next year just to fix things will only make the Hall Of Shame ooops Hall Of Fame look worse. You are suppose to show love and support while a person is alive to show you care not after they are gone. Sorry Hall Of Fame it’s to late to fix this Huge Mistake.
Also think the people who are voting are mostly white men who are into rock and roll and many black acts get looked over because no doubt Donna Summer should have been inducted. Now they are going to induct her while she isnt even here anymore to receive the praise.
Who the fuck are ‘The Faces’?!
I was wondering that too.
The Beastie Boys before Donna Summer….oh yeah please do clear up the error! LOL
The Beastie Boys have paid their dues too. Donna Summer should have been inducted but it doesn’t have to be at the expense of other artists.
Suprisingly, there are a lot of people that don’t and never have like disco and Donna is in that lump, even though she’d crossed over after disco died.
p.s., where/when do we cast our ballots?
Oh, now one day after Donna Summer’s passing “Rock Hall Scrambling to Explain Rejection of Donna Summer.” Very sad when an artist like this has passed away, and all of a sudden the subject becomes a real concern to question and look into.
The “Faces”, aka “Small Faces” were a British “Blues-Rock” band notably featuring Jeff Back on Guitar, and Rod Stewart as the vocalist. I think that former or present Rolling Stones guitarist Ron Wood also played on guitar. I can’t presently think of any song that they performed, but they did have some hits. Overall I think that they were more known for who was in the band instead of producing any notable hits.