As one of the bands that helped usher in the Metal ideal (they have received credit for being one of the links between the Psychedelic sound and Metal) Vanilla Fudge was a very interesting band that was at its most basic, a loud band. Like future Metal and Hard Rock acts, Vanilla Fudge was at their when they played their high decibel songs on a slow tempo building up an acid induced release. An intriguing choice should the Hall look to induct Tim Bogert and Carmine Appice who have a level of reverence in Rock and Roll lore.

With an angelic voice, Emmylou Harris picked up where the legendary Gram Parsons left off. Her blend of Progressive Country music has been capable of eliciting any kind of emotion she wanted to. As such, the contributions of Emmylou Harris to contemporary music were astounding and the respect she has within the industry is stratospheric. Despite the perception of casual fans that she was primarily a Country artist, the music industry has not pigeonholed her there and an induction for Emmylou Harris is not as left field as people would think.

An early Funk pioneer who did not find success in the music world until in his late 30’s, Lee Dorsey was symbolic of the Louisiana Sound. His gritty, playful voice was a perfect match for New Orleans R&B. His music showed swagger (before that was really thought of) and although he did not have as much commercial success as he may have been entitled, he could be the representative of New Orleans that the Hall is missing.

The Bullet Points:

Eligible Since:

1986

Country of Origin:

U.S.A. (New Orleans, LA)

Nominated In:

Never

NIHOF’s Favorite Album:

Ride Your Pony (1966)

NIHOF’s Favorite Song:

For argument’s sake we are going to combine the collective works of Manfred Mann’s various bands and include the Earth Band as one progressive link. Chances are; it is only going to be him who would get inducted anyway. If they did, they would be inducting an artist who transcended infectious British Invasion Pop to the fringes of Progressive Rock. He may have never dominated the charts, but the length of his career was impressive and he would not be out of place in the Hall.