Stop Waiting for Artists to Die

Joe Bonamassa implored the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame to reckon with its many eligible artists of advanced age, saying the institution “cannot wait for them all to die” before inducting them.

Bonamassa made his point during a recent Artists on Record episode while reflecting on the death of pioneering British blues guitarist John Mayall at the age of 90. Mayall, whose 1966 album Blues Breakers With Eric Clapton became a blues-rock cornerstone, will posthumously enter the Rock Hall this year as a recipient of the Musical Excellence Award.

“I’m glad he was aware that he was going into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame,” Bonamassa told host Stefan Adika. “I am sad and slightly pissed off that he didn’t live to see it because he deserved to go in decades ago.”

This tragedy, Bonamassa added, is not unique to Mayall. “Same thing with Alexis Korner [who will also receive the Musical Excellence Award this year]. He deserved to go in — these are first, second-ballot people. There’s a lot of omissions that I think they need to start reconciling quickly, because you cannot wait for them all to die to then go, ‘Well, we’re gonna put you in posthumously.’ It means something. It would have meant something to John to get that statue. It would have meant something to people like my friend Chris Squire from Yes. Yes goes in the year after he dies — it would have meant something.”

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Joe Bonamassa Names Other Key Rock Hall Snub

Mayall is not the only rock icon to die shortly after receiving the news of his imminent Rock Hall induction. Dennis Thompson, the drummer and last remaining member of MC5, also died in May, a few months of the proto-punk legends’ long-awaited induction. When he learned of the induction, Thompson reportedly said, “It’s about fucking time!”

Bonamassa said the Rock Hall needs to work to avoid this issue with other senior artists. “There’s a lot of people that are now aging out or becoming in their late 70s and 80s that really should have been in decades ago,” he explained. “They need to get them in because it’s the right thing to do for the artist. And I like the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. They’re very nice people, always had a great relationship with them. Just for their own organization and credibility, something with Paul Rodgers needs to go in the fucking Hall. You mean to tell me Free is not a Hall of Famer? Come on.”

The guitarist had a suggestion for how to accomodate more inductees. “They have to reconcile the TV broadcast as well, because the arguments of, ‘Well, this is a TV broadcast, so we need to stay relevant,’ that’s great,” he said. “You do the TV broadcast. But how about the day before, you have a ceremony, a dinner, and you induct 10 people that maybe are not hip or not active playing-wise so they can’t do the playing? A Mayall, somebody like — how about Los Lobos? Let’s start there. Anything with Paul Rogers. Pick one: The Firm, Free, Bad Company.”