Who was the first woman to reject the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?
Before Ozzy Osbourne apologised for his scathing comments about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, most people were in agreement that he kind of had a point.
“It’s voted on by the supposed elite for the industry and the media, who’ve never bought an album or concert ticket in their lives, so their vote is irrelevant to me,” he said. “Let’s face it, Black Sabbath has never been media darlings. We’re a people’s band and that suits us just fine.”
The apology that came after made it clear that his bandmates hadn’t been best pleased with his seemingly reckless outburst, but Osbourne’s gripe is also one shared by the many disgruntled legends who have also turned their nose up at the invitation to attend their own induction. And that’s not to even mention the countless who have attended just to air their dirty laundry on stage in front of all to see.
In 2006, past and present members of Blondie shared an awkward moment on stage when old feuds came to light, with former members Frank Infante and Nigel Harrison taking the chance to raise their displeasure at not having been invited on stage to perform, arguing that it was a celebration for Blondie without all members of Blondie reuniting to celebrate the achievement. What ensued was an awkward dispersion on Debbie Harry’s part, with Chris Stein later making it clear that he was not happy with the interruption.
Over the years, more and more musicians have also spoken up against the organisation itself and what it stands for, some mirroring Osbourne’s claims that it is an “elite” club, while others focus on the fact that it means less than it used to, if it ever meant anything at all. Neil Young shared this view, once saying that “there are already too many” of these “cheap awards shows”.
Who was the first woman to reject the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?
Some have also spoken up about gender disparities and how, as Stevie Nicks once said, the Hall of Fame is an “elite” club for women. When you think of the fact that, of the 949 inductees, only 80 are women, the bias speaks for itself. On top of that, Nicks is the only woman to be inducted twice – and the first time was in 1998 as part of Fleetwood Mac.
In 1996, Jefferson Airplane was inducted into the Hall of Fame, though their celebration went without their frontwoman, Grace Slick. In 1989, Slick retired from the spotlight, a promise she’s remained loyal to ever since. This also meant that, when it came to her induction, she made the conscious choice to sit out, saying that being in rock was fun for a while before ageing made it a more embarrassing game.
As she told Forbes in 2015, “I’m not comfortable being an old person on stage. Rock is like sports. You have a certain run, then get out.”
She also reflected on retiring at 50, saying that growing old in the spotlight is a choice that people make poorly, and she was not going to be one of them. “All rock-and-rollers over the age of 50 look stupid and should retire,” she declared.
