Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Snub Week
The Song of the Day is:
Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes – “If You Don’t Know Me By Now”
From the album Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes (1972)
All the things that we’ve been through
You should understand me like I understand you
Now baby I know the difference between right and wrong
I ain’t gonna do nothing to upset our happy home
Oh don’t get so excited when I come home a little late at night
‘Cause we only act like children when we argue, fuss and fight
If you don’t know me by now (if you don’t know me)
You will never never never know me (you’ll never, never know me)
Kenny Gamble – Leon Huff
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has not been exactly welcoming to R&B artists lately. Arguments could be made for Whitney Houston and Janet Jackson, but I think that they were given their eventual inductions due to their influence in pop music. Another case could be made for Nina Simone, though her legacy is so much more than R&B, it’s pop, gospel, folk, and jazz as well. So looking back to a pure R&B performer, you’d find the late Bill Withers in 2015. So that’s one, possibly four, individuals in the last thirty-five acts. The last R&B group inducted, though the term “doo-wop” is more apt, was Little Anthony and the Imperials. In short, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is failing the R&B genre. To their credit, the Nominating Committee has tried get R&B groups inducted, but they keep going back to the same acts that don’t seem to be getting enough traction for induction. I would love to see Rufus & Chaka Khan, the Spinners, War and the Marvelettes inducted, but those groups are not connecting to the voters. I basically made this argument last year on behalf of the Commodores, and I still stand by that. The Commodores will probably be inducted as soon as they are nominated due to the star power of Lionel Richie. Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes have a breakout star as well, though sadly he passed away a decade ago: Teddy Pendergrass. The Blue Notes are one of the finest Philly Soul groups around, a subgenre in the Hall represented just by the O’Jays. The group began in 1954, and had a few singles in the sixties, but the seventies were their prime years. The group was lead by Harold Melvin, who was a talented lead singer, but he realized that the success of the group lay in the forceful singing of their seductive drummer. When Pendergrass took the lead, the group finally found fame. They notched hits like “The Love I Lost”, “Wake Up Everybody”, “Don’t Leave Me This Way” and this sweet soul classic, “If You Don’t Know Me By Now”. The latter two songs also saw hit covers by Thelma Houston and Simply Red, respectively. Through their high energy R&B, they were a pioneering group in subgenres of quiet storm and disco. This lineup lasted through four albums, until the relationship between Melvin and Pendergrass soured. Pendergrass soared as a solo act, making his name as quiet storm superstar with a gruff voice. Melvin continued to lead the Blue Notes, but without their star they faltered. Things were going terrifically for Pendergrass, in fact he was one of the country’s most popular singers, until a 1982 car accident left him paralyzed from the neck down. Pendergrass would still sing, but obviously a major part of his persona was shelved. He died in 2010, and Melvin died in 1997, and really of the numerous members over the years, there are only a handful of members remaining. So while there might not be a huge push to induct a group that is mostly deceased, it didn’t stop Motörhead, Thin Lizzy or T. Rex from getting nominated this past year (and an induction for T. Rex). Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes are every bit as great as the O’Jays, so they should get a shot at induction. Many other classic R&B acts deserve a shot, and the nominating committee would be wise to change it up a bit and give these artists some recognition.
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