by Russ Austin

Created on: February 10, 2009

Yes, the Hall of Fame is there, as far as I know. I understand it's in Cleveland, Ohio. Should the Hall be there? After all, Alice Cooper, who has never been inducted, is from Detroit. KISS, who has never been inducted, is from New York. RUSH, who has never been inducted, is from Canada. Thin Lizzy, who has never been inducted, is from Ireland. I can go on and on, but I guess that makes Cleveland the ideal place for a Hall? "Cleveland Rocks!"

Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against Cleveland. I know they love their Sports. Where else do people throw dog bones at football teams opposing the Cleveland Browns? From Paul Brown to Otto Grahm to Jim Brown to Ozzie Newsome, Pittsburgh's arch-rival has a rich history. And let's not forget the 21st century great Lebron James of Basketball's Cleveland Cavaliers. He's brought a lot of attention to Northern Ohio's lakefront city. If memory serves me correctly, Trent Reznor of the great Nine Inch Nails is from Cleveland. So, I don't think Drew Carey's hometown is the problem.

Is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame legitimate or a joke? Well, the great Eric Clapton has been inducted 3 times. He's there with The Yardbirds, Cream, and as a solo artist. Steve Ray Vaughn, like Eric Clapton, was heavily influenced by the Blues. Both have a Pop/Rock appeal and crossover. Vaughn and Clapton were friends and toured. Stevie was fairly prolific in his short life and sold a lot of albums. Vaughn, like Clapton, is credited with giving the Blues a more mainstream acceptance. So with all that said, why isn't Stevie Ray Vaughn in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?

I've read and heard other people say that errors will be corrected in years to come as new people become in charge of selecting inductees to the Hall. Really? The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was established in 1983 by "leaders" in the music industry. Have things changed? One of 2009's inductees was Jeff Beck. Granted, he's a legendary guitar player, even though I don't think his solo career was very prolific or commercially successful. Of course, Beck was the replacement for Eric Clapton in The Yardbirds. Wait, The Yardbirds are already in the Hall. So, if Jeff Beck gets to be inducted twice, then what about Ozzy Osbourne? Yeah, he's already in with Black Sabbath, but what about as a solo artist? His career has been very prolific and very commercially successful. Ozzy's first solo album was released in 1980 or 1981... There's so much to say.

It's just hard for me to take the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame seriously. It seems like a way for Baby Boomers to hold on to power and their youth. With such glaring ommissions as Deep Purple, Judas Priest and many others, you won't see me hopping on a red-eye to Cleveland anytime soon. Yes, I feel the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a joke.

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