Miles Nominated For Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame

[Sundog]

Not sure if this has been posted yet......

By George Varga

UNION-TRIBUNE POP MUSIC CRITIC

September 17, 2005

Genre-leaping jazz icon Miles Davis heads the list of 2005 candidates for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The fiery trumpeter, who died in 1991 at the age of 65, changed the face of jazz several times and helped usher in the jazz-rock fusion movement of the late 1960s. He has also been a key influence on a wide array of non-jazz artists, including Prince, Pearl Jam drummer Matt Cameron, Who leader Pete Townshend and the members of Radiohead, whose landmark album, "OK Computer," was greatly inspired by Davis' epic fusion album, "Bitches Brew."

Other first-time nominees include singer-songwriter Cat Stevens (now known by his Muslim name, Yusuf Islam), Blondie, the Dave Clark Five, the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and pioneering Tex-Mex rockers the Sir Douglas Quintet.

Repeat candidates – that is, artists who have previously been nominated but failed to garner enough votes for induction – include Black Sabbath, Chic, the J. Geils Band, Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five, John Mellencamp, Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Patti Smith Group, the Stooges, the Sex Pistols, and Joe Tex.

Being nominated is no guarantee of induction. This marks the eighth time Black Sabbath has been nominated, while Lynyrd Skynyrd was nominated for the seventh time and the Stooges and Sex Pistols have now been nominated five times each.

Artists become eligible 25 years after the release of their first recording. That means performers whose first releases came out in 1980 are eligible for induction for the first time this year.

However, no artists from the class of 1980 were nominated. This suggests that the hall's nominating committee is less than impressed by the likes of X, the Minutemen, the Feelies, Young Marble Giants, Willie Nile, the Plimsouls and the recently reunited Echo & The Bunnymen, all of whom released their debut recordings in 1980.

Nominees are chosen by a committee of music historians, critics and record industry professionals, with ballots going out to approximately 750 voters, including this writer, around the world, and previous inductees. The five to seven nominees who receive the most votes will be inducted. The VH1 televised induction ceremony is usually held in mid-March in New York, not Cleveland, where the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame & Museum opened in 1995. Inductees should be announced within a few months, although no date has been set.

Handicapping potential nominees is difficult at best, especially since many worthy veteran acts, such as Love, King Crimson and XTC, have never been nominated.

The inclusion this year of trumpet giant Davis suggests a broadening of scope by the hall, which has paid little attention to jazz. Singer-songwriter Stevens is the beneficiary of a grass-roots lobbying effort, according to Seymour Stein, the founder of Sire Records and the president of the board of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

"Johnny Ramone, right before he died last year, sent me three letters," Stein said. "One was from himself, one from Eddie Vedder and one from (Red Hot Chili Peppers' guitarist) John Frusciante, all advocating the induction of Cat Stevens, and I agree."

[Michael Fitzgerald]

"The inclusion this year of trumpet giant Davis suggests a broadening of scope by the hall, which has paid little attention to jazz."

Well, duh.

I suggest they broaden their scope and pay some attention to baseball, sculpture, and Thai cuisine.

Mike

[7/4]

"The inclusion this year of trumpet giant Davis suggests a broadening of scope by the hall, which has paid little attention to jazz."

Well, duh.

I suggest they broaden their scope and pay some attention to baseball, sculpture, and Thai cuisine.

Mike

←

and cast metal cars?

[Kalo]

It's about time we recognized Miles David's contributions.

This guy gets no respect--very brave of the academy to rcognize him.

After all, he invented jazz, which was very important as an ancestor to Rock, the ultimate musical form.

[AllenLowe]

actually, I thought Wynton Marsalis invented jazz -

[Alexander]

Yeah, I don't understand why they feel the need to admit every important musican into the R&R Hall of Fame. Miles was wonderful, and he should be recognized for his influence on rock musicians, but he was not a rock musican himself. However he fused it, he was still playing jazz. I feel the same way about Robert Johnson. Very important guy. Should be in the Blues Hall of Fame (do they have one?), but why the R&R Hall of Fame? The genre didn't even exist when he played!

[jazzypaul]

Re: Robert Johnson...Muddy Waters was right. The Blues had a baby and they named it rock and roll. All of the Blues greats should get a nod by the R&R HOF because no blues = no rock and roll. And considering the number of rock icons who would agree with that statement, EC, Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, well, they're only the biggest names in Rock and Roll ever.

Re: Miles Davis...Bitches Brew and especially Jack Johnson are rock if I ever heard it.

Re: Minutemen, King Crimson and The Sex Pistols not getting in: the people at the R&R HOF have got to be kidding me. Each one of those bands re-invented rock and roll on THEIR terms. Not nominating or inducting them is like making indian food without curry.

[BruceH]

It's about time we recognized Miles David's contributions.

This guy gets no respect--very brave of the academy to rcognize him.

After all, he invented jazz, which was very important as an ancestor to Rock, the ultimate musical form.

←

Hey, wait a minute... You mean Ken Burns didn't invent jazz?

[RDK]

Miles shouldn't be in the R&R HOF any more than Steely Dan should be in a Jazz HOF.

Even if one considered Bitches Brew and Jack Johnson as "rock," two albums shouldn't be enough to get someone a HOF plaque.

[AllenLowe]

I don't go for all that 'blues had a baby" stuff - rock and roll is related to the blues, but is an entity in and of itself -

[JSngry]

I just hope that Miles gets into the Miami Vice HOF.

[Stefan Wood]

Sabbath should be in. Period.

[jazzbo]

Miles is already Main Mojo Maker in the Dark Fusion Hall of Fame.

That blows all the other accolades and honors away!

Edited September 22, 2005 by jazzbo

[Michael Fitzgerald]

And besides, he's a Knight of Malta.

I look at this crap as folks trying to co-opt what isn't theirs. What have they ever done for jazz anyway? For whatever it's worth, the rock people got the funding and publicity and their hall of fame is - well, it is what it is. The jazz people haven't gotten their act together so there are probably a dozen halls of fame around and unfortunately, the Lincoln Center one is going to come in and be the 8,000 lb gorilla.

Mike