Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland, Ohio | ©F11photo|Dreamstime.com

Spilling A Little Tea: ‘The List’ Lacks Diversity and Representation of Female Music Legends

By Tiffany Young and Raoul Dennis

The ceremonial induction of the 2021 Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Class, which aired on HBO Nov. 20, was as hot as ever but some of those who were brought in raised even more questions about those who still aren’t - and why.

In 2001, American singer-songwriter, Alicia Keys wrote a song entitled: “A Woman’s Worth.” The lyrics begin with, “You could buy me diamonds, You could buy me pearls, Take me on a cruise around the world, Baby you know I'm worth it.”

It might be worth sending Keys’ lyrics to the RRHOF Induction Committee because they need to take a page out of her book. For decades, the Hall’s new inductees lacked female legends and this year’s inclusion of the Go-Gos, while exciting for many, actually creates more questions about the standard that legendary, iconic women have to bear in order to get in.

No offense to the Go-Gos. Their hard-driving, “We Got The Beat,” and their two other hits “Our Lips Are Sealed,” and “Head Over Heels” were big fun. Sure, “Cool Jerk” was a hit but it doesn’t count since it wasn’t an original Go-Gos song. They did it as a cover. (It was first done by The Capitols, an R&B band in 1966.)

**CHER ©Sbukley|Dreamstime.com** **Not yet in the RRHOF.**

In all, the Go-Gos sold just over seven million records worldwide. They did four studio albums, three compilation albums and 14 singles. They have one Grammy Award nomination for Best New Artist in 1981.

But when compared to others, it makes one wonder. Singer/Actor Cher has sold more than 100 million records worldwide and is recognized as one of the world's top-selling female recording artists of all time. She’s had 7 Grammy Award nominations and won one Grammy for “Believe.” Cher, a cultural icon and rock legend, completing 26 studio albums, ten compilation albums, two soundtrack albums and three live albums still waits for the nod. And by the way, didn’t Cher set fashion and cultural trends from her stages as a rock Goddess for some four decades? And yet, no doors open for her at the RRHOF. Cyndi Lauper has released 11 studio albums, six compilation albums, five video albums and fifty-one singles. Worldwide, Cyndi has sold approximately 50 million albums. She’s had 16 Grammy Award nominations and won two. Neither of them are in the Hall as yet.

Then there’s Pat Benatar with 12 albums (two multi-platinum), five platinum and three gold albums and 15 Top 40 singles.

Gloria Estefan | © Fabio Diena | Dreamstime.com **Not yet in the RRHOF.**

Patti LaBelle is still waiting in the wings, too. Despite topping the charts for over 50 years, 18 studio albums, three live albums, and 14 compilation albums, Patti isn’t in the Hall. While some have the nerve to form their lips to say that Patti isn’t rock n roll (although there are plenty of others in the Hall who aren’t pure rock), the music industry has cashed in on her 50 million records sold. Patti is a two-time Grammy Award-winning (and 13-time Grammy-nominated) artist who has contributed to every valued form of American music there is for half a century.

Considered the Queen of Latin Pop, Cuban singer, actress and businesswoman Gloria Estefan – has released 17 albums which have sold more than 50 million copies worldwide. She’s had a total of 15 Grammy and Latin Grammy Award nominations winning three of each. She also holds a Presidential Medal but she’s not in the Hall.

The list goes on: Karen Carpenter, Queen Latifah, India Irie, Anita Baker, Tracy Chapman, Mary J. Blige, Salt N Pepa, Chaka Khan and Sheila E. --- none of whom are in the RRHOF.

Not only are the numbers of female musicians inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame low, it also does not represent the most talented and groundbreaking female artists in the world. Ignoring these women and others at their level puts the long-term legitimacy of the Hall in peril.

“Ignoring these women and others at their level puts the long-term legitimacy of the Hall in peril.”

So what is the criteria to get in? The rules are questionable if there are any rules at all. The list has some one-hit wonders; too many artists in the Hall that arguably don't belong there - all while legendary greats continue to wait. One could say it's pretty much a popularity contest among the selectors, several of whom are not musicians, like Jan Wenner, Suzan Evans and Dave Marsh. If Rolling Stone Magazine never liked you, the Hall of Fame ignores you.

In 2019, Forbes reported that women make up 21.7 percent of artists, 12.3 percent of songwriters, and 2.1 percent of producers and only 69 of the 888 inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. That's just 7.7% in over 35 years.

There are far more outstanding women artists who are eligible. But here’s how it works.

To be eligible for induction, artists must have released their first record 25 years earlier (Alicia will be eligible in 2027) and "have created music whose originality, impact and influence has changed the course of rock & roll," according to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The foundation's nominating committee, comprised of rock historians, selects nominees each year in the performer category, who are then voted upon by an international body of some 500 rock experts. The next step doesn't take much for someone to finally get inducted. Those nominees with the highest vote total (and more than 50 percent of the total vote) are inducted.

**Cyndi Lauper | © Featureflash | Dreamstime.com .** **Not yet in the RRHOF.**

That’s it. Basically, five to seven performers are chosen each year. Through the years, tension has grown between commercial success and reverence by critics in the selection process on top of the committee being criticized by some for its alleged music industry bias.

In 2019, Chic’s Nile Rodgers explained the discrepancy to ABC News Radio this way when discussing why Cher and artists like her have yet to be inducted:

**Queen Latifah still isn’t in the RRHOF**

“Unfortunately, I think that it's too many people trying to prove that their teenage years were cooler than the other person's teenage years," Rodgers told reporters at the Songwriters Hall of Fame gala recently. "Because I think that things like Halls of Fame should be based on statistics, and what people have actually accomplished. Not what you think -- it's actually what you do," Rogers added.

More About The Women Behind The Music

The women musicians who were nominated this year, but not inducted were Mary J. Blige, Kate Bush, Chaka Khan, and Dionne Warwick. Chaka has been nominated three times as a solo artist and four times as a member of Rufus. While for decades women have made outstanding contributions to the music industry, the numbers are still not adding up on the list.

**Patti LaBelle | © Michael Bush | Dreamstime.com. Not in the RRHOF.**

Then, there’s a host of minority women singers and songwriters missing off the list. Everyone knows the amazing voice of Patti LaBelle. Patti began her career in the early 1960s as lead singer of the band Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles. A decade later the group changed their name to LaBelle and recorded the hit song "Lady Marmalade." Patti became a solo artist in 1976 and her debut album was another success. In a career that has spanned seven decades, she has sold more than 50 million records worldwide.

Most African American households are familiar with the sounds of Anita Baker (especially on ‘Saturday Chores’ day). The beautiful voice can be heard blasting over the sounds of the dishwasher and vacuum cleaner. ‘Rapture’ is the second album by American vocalist Anita Baker, released in 1986. This became Baker's breakout album, selling over 8 million copies worldwide (of which 5 million in the US) and earning her two Grammy Awards.

**Tracy Chapman | © Fabio Diena | Dreamstime.com.** **Not in the RRHOF.**

Recently, Patti and Gladys Knight went toe to toe in the popular ‘Versus’ battle. Gladys has sold 70 million copies as a solo and group artist. Singer Tracey Chapman sold over 20 million copies worldwide and is one of the first albums by a female artist to have more than 10 million copies sold worldwide – and she was born and raised in Cleveland, where the RRHOF is based.

The main problem with the way inductees get into the RRHOF is the lack of transparency. There is considerably a lot more appreciation that the committee has diversity in the induction class this year, but there is a lot more to be done. Rock on!