ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME 2024 NOMINATED INDUCTEES. Continues tomorrow.

Caffè Lattè examines this year’s 15 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame contenders:

THE CLASS OF

2024

We argue the case for each of 2024’s 15 nominees for induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame…

- KOOL & THE GANG -

 

The group’s story began in 1964. Over the next two decades, Kool & The Gang became a leading funk / disco band in the 1970s before serving up slow soul/pop grooves in the Eighties.

The group has two distinct phases. Tracks like “Jungle Boogie”, “Open Sesame”, “Hollywood Swinging” and “Summer Madness” helped create a bridge between soul, disco and funk. Later, Kool & The Gang scored hits with “Celebration”, “Ladies Night”, “Get Down On It” and “Fresh”  before mellowing out with ballads such as “Cherish”, “Too Hot” and “Joanna”.

The group deserves to sit alongside Earth, Wind & Fire in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Hopefully, this year’s nomination will see this come to pass.

 

WHO IS STILL NOT IN THE HALL OF FAME?*

               *Excludes acts nominated for induction in 2024.

Despite being eligible, the following acts are 60 glaring omissions that are yet to be inducted:

KC & THE SUNSHINE BAND

KC & the Sunshine Band differed from most disco groups. Helmed by Harry Wayne Casey (K.C.) and Richard Finch, the outfit wrote the bulk of its hits. This resulted in a string of floorfillers that included 5 US #1 singles: “Get Down Tonight”, “That’s The Way (I Like It)”, “(Shake, Shake Shake) Shake Your Booty”, “I’m Your Boogie Man” and “Please Don’t Go”. In Britain, the group reached the top with “Give It Up” in 1983. As well as being one of the consistent hit-making disco acts, K.C. & The Sunshine Band was one of the most successful multiracial groups; a rarity in the 1970s.

 

OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN

She recorded the top selling single of the 1980s (“Physical”). Prior to that, this British-born Australian-raised talent found success recording a range of genres: country, adult contemporary, disco, soft rock and pop. Olivia Newton-John left an indelible mark on popular culture with the film and soundtrack album ‘Grease’. These spawned the hit singles “You’re The One That I Want”, “Summer Nights” and “Hopelessly Devoted To You”. She would go on to score additional success with “Magic” and the title song from the film ‘Xanadu’. With all of her chart success and enduring popularity, it is baffling why this talented singer is not already in the Hall Of Fame.

 

BLOOD, SWEAT & TEARS

The band Chicago was inducted in 2016. It is arguable that there wouldn’t have been a Chicago without a Blood, Sweat & Tears. Both ushered in the jazz-rock sub-genre. Although they formed in the same year, the latter was off to a strong start first. This was thanks to tracks such as “Spinning Wheel”, “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy” and “And When I Die”. Blood, Sweat & Tears was an innovative and influential group that ought to be acknowledged by the Hall Of Fame.

 

 

SUPERTRAMP

Art-rock, prog-rock and pop all benefitted from Supertramp’s recorded output. The English group made inroads with tracks that included “Dreamer”, “Give A Little Bit” and “Bloody Well Right”. Before the end of the 1970s, the ‘Breakfast in America’ album was unleashed and became one of the decade’s best sellers. Boasting cuts such as “The Logical Song”, “Take The Long Way Home”, “Goodbye Stranger” and the title track, the LP topped charts in America, Australia and in many European countries. With such an individual style, Supertramp remains another of the omissions that make no sense.