On this week 1986: First rock and roll hall of fame inductees

On this week in 1986, the legendary ‘Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’ announced its first inductees.

Among those listed were iconic names such as Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, and Elvis Presley.

The idea for this particular hall of fame was conceived by Atlantic Records founder and R&B producer, Ahmet Ertegun.

Ertegun and other music industry luminaries formed the ‘Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation’ in 1983 in the hopes of creating a permanent shrine to rock music.

Many still refuse to recognise such a corporate entity as a fair representation of rock and roll, but, like it or not, there’s no denying the importance of what it represents… good music!

So, what sets names like Holly, Berry and Presley apart from that of their contemporaries when it comes to such renowned recognition?

Although Holly’s rock and roll career was brief, he accumulated a wealth of material. His song, ‘Words of Love’, would help launch the Beatles – whose name was a homage to the Crickets – and ‘Not Fade Away’ would provide the The Rolling Stones with their first top ten hit.

Holly’s approach suggested the shape of rock and roll to come. He wrote his own material, took advantage of studio technology and employed the now-classic two guitars, bass and drums line-up.

In a short span of time, Buddy Holly created something timeless and truly earned the recognition he deserved – but sadly never lived to see – on that night in 1986.

That same night, ‘Stones’ guitarist, Keith Richards, inducted Chuck Berry with what is still one of the more memorable speeches in the Rock Hall’s history,

“It’s very difficult for me to talk about Chuck Berry, because I lifted every lick he ever played.”

Berry was cited for having ‘laid the groundwork for not only a rock and roll sound but a rock and roll stance’, and was considered the ‘archetype’ for the music that would define the twentieth century, influencing everyone from The Beatles and The Rolling Stones to Jimi Hendrix and Prince.

Upon his posthumous induction that same night, Elvis Presley was described as ‘the undisputed King of Rock and Roll’.

Sean and Julian Lennon inducted ‘The King’ on behalf of their late father, John.

Julian Lennon started out with a brief introduction, “Our father was a big fan of Elvis, and, of course, Elvis was loved all over the world, and we are all influenced by him.”

Then he read a direct quote from his iconic father, “Elvis was the thing; whatever people say, he was it. I was not competing against Elvis, rock happened to be the media I was born into – it was the one, that’s all.

“Those people who picked up paintbrushes, like Van Gogh, probably wanted to be Renoir or whomever went before him. I wanted to be Elvis.”

Since this eventful first night, the Hall of Fame has caused quite the controversy in recent years, having inducted certain acts who would not necessarily be considered rock and roll, such as Madonna, Abba, Jay-Z and Eminem, whilst snubbing such worthy potential acts as Iron Maiden, Billy Idol, and Blue Oyster Cult.

In 2006, The Sex Pistols famously refused their induction, having recently reformed for a tour and openly admitting that it was solely for financial reason.

“We’re not coming,” stated singer John Lydon on a handwritten note. “You’re anonymous as judges, but you’re still music industry people. We’re not coming.”

The only question that still remains is… When will Motorhead be acknowledged?

Why haven’t Motorhead been acknowledged already?

At the end of the day, I doubt Lemmy would care – and that’s probably more rock and roll than any award ceremony that charges $25,000 for a table.