And now, the 1962 election. Select the ten most deserving artists, based on records released through the end of 1961.

To see a list of noteworthy pre-1962 candidates, as well as our discussion of them, check out this thread. For a reminder of who’s already been inducted, see the results thread.

For your ballot to be eligible, you must submit a ranked list of your ten most deserving artists. Also, for your top FIVE artists (at least), you must explain why they deserve to be in the HOA.

In addition, you may nominate up to three people for the Backstage Wing. This is optional; your ballot will still be eligible even if you don’t vote for Backstage candidates.

Deadline for ballots is 12:00 noon GMT (6:00 am where I am), Tuesday, August 5.

Voting is now open.

1. Everly Brothers- The songs were amazing for their time. If you asked me who was more important for early 60's pop, Buddy Holly or the Everlys I'd have a tough decision. Buddy Holly had more songs but the Everly Brothers had the best songs. My answer would probably be that the Everlys were easily as important and some days I might even say that they were more important.

2. Bill Evans- Two of my favorite jazz albums became eligible this year. Waltz For Debbie and Sunday at the Village Vanguard. He's in for sure.

3. Art Blakely- One classic album with other work that is pretty good should get you into the hall and Moanin' is one classic album.

4. Nat King Cole- Seems to be relegated to Christmas time but this guy was almost as good as Frank when it comes to crooning.

5. Harry Belafonte- He's to calypso what Bob Marley is to reggae. There might be equals but when you say reggae people say Marley. When you say calypso people say Belafonte.

6. Coasters
7. Jackie Wilson
8. Lloyd Price
9. Charles Mingus- I wanted to wait to put him in to honor the masterpiece, but I can't find anybody else to put in.
10. Woody Guthrie

Actually when you say calypso I say 'Uhhhh whaat?'

Calypso is great
belafonte was OK but Caribbean calypso was something too, with great bands from Trinidad or Jamaica, people like Growling Tiger (too bad they don't have the clip on Youtube)
Sometimes it is mistaken as a music for tourists but it's more than that
there's agreat Trojan box set about Jamaican calypso but the best bands are from Trinidad : LOrd Kitchener, Growling Tiger et al.
You can hear it in Cuba too

Calypso is the most rock/pop friendly music of Latin music I think. Harry Belafonte's classics are more like folk songs. I'm sure you've heard Day-O or Jamaican Farewell Midaso.

i missed last round's vote but i was happy with the inductees, although i agree with schleuse that miles might've been a little premature...anyway, i'm gonna try to be a little more objective here (if i weren't, believe me, orbison would be #1) and vote for the real giants, progenitors, etc. before we get into the mid-'60s and pick up some more voters and "forget" about the early guys

btw, this one's coming to you from alaska's kenai peninsula, which i think makes me currently the most northernmost, edging out frazze by a mere 1 degree of latitude! cheers y'all

1) Robert Johnson - provided over half a century's worth of rock bands with at least a dozen "rite of passage" standards to cover

2) Duke Ellington - using schleuse's criterion of "what rocks more" i would say swing/big band rocks more than bop or modal jazz, so i'll be probably considering goodman and basie before coltrane, monk, mingus, etc.

3) Woody Guthrie - funny and righteous...a folk hero in more ways than one

4) Louis Armstrong - great voice, great trumpet, great personality

5) Bill Monroe - given the influence of bluegrass on country, folk, and lots of rock, particularly at the end of the '60s, he should really be a shoo-in

6) Jimmie Rodgers
7) Roy Orbison
8) Muddy Waters
9) Johnny Cash
10) Ray Charles

backstage

1) Alan Lomax
2) Hoagy Carmichael
3) Cole Porter

1. Robert Johnson : Imagine the HOA with no bluesman. I just can't. Hope the vacations, (fewer voters) + my friend Greg + very welcome other voters will help Mr Johnson win.
2. Muddy Waters : For his first press conference in the US, Mick Jagger told the press the first thing he wanted to see when arriving was Muddy Waters, and a journalist answered "Where's that ?"
3. Ray Charles : He was about to issue his last masterpiece (Modern Sounds..) but he had done so much before 1962 that he deserves this spot. A fantastic singer and musician.
4. Georges Brassens : No chance to win for a French guy but he's my favourite singer (after Bruce of course). Fabulous poet and musician, difficult to get into for non-French speakers. In 1962 he had done his best work already although he kept on recording with an increasingly slow pace due to illness that took him away in 1981.
5. Leadbelly : copy/paste of my previous post : My favourite pre-rock artist. I don't know exactly why. Probably because his songs are so simple, so full of life, his voice so expressive, and also because it is raw. Nothing between the singer and the listener. I love that. Real folk music (nothing to do with Bon Iver's constipated music). And his life is the novel I would love to write one day.
6. Jimmie Rodgers
7. Rev. Gary Davis
8. Erik Satie
9. Eddie Cochran
10. Boris Vian

Here are wikipedia links on
Brassens

and Vian

Here's Vian in "Je Bois" ("I Drink")

1962 BALLOT

We have about four more elections (including this one) before the Deluge of 1965…so I’m making my choices very carefully.

1. RAY CHARLES. Ray jumps to the top of the list of eligibles this year, and he also vaults Duke and Bo to claim my top spot, with solid work in 1961—“Hit the Road Jack” isn’t really his best song, but I think it’s good enough to nudge him to the top. I’ll reiterate what I said last election: Brother Ray could do it all.

2. DUKE ELLINGTON. I’ve said just about everything I have to say about Ellington, so here’s a fun stat: he might end up as the only (non-backstage) member of the HOA born in the nineteenth century. Although on my ballot, Jimmie Rodgers and two of the original three Carters are of similar vintage, I have a feeling they’re longer shots.

3. BO DIDDLEY. I made an arbitrary decision at the start of HOA voting that I would never have a jazz artist in my top slot, and if Ray hadn’t pushed his way to #1, I would have slotted Bo ahead of Ellington. And, frankly, he would have deserved it. “Hard-driving” is an overused adjective in rock & roll, but Bo Diddley really did invent it.

4. JIMMIE RODGERS. I recently found a list created by some obsessive-compulsive person (like draws to like) which shows the U.S. states most frequently mentioned in country songs. #1 and #2 are Texas and Tennessee, both of which get name-checked in the first line of Jimmie’s first “Blue Yodel.” More proof, if it were needed, that the Singin’ Brakeman is country’s founding father. (I realize George Strait has a similarly-themed song which mentions both states, but let’s not hold that against Jimmie.)

5. ROBERT JOHNSON. Someone on the forum once opined that Johnson was really no better and no worse than a dozen other Delta bluesmen. I’m not really qualified to say whether or not that’s true, but if somebody has to carry the blues flag for the HOA, Robert Leroy Johnson is the obvious choice. And his influential compilation album was released in 1961, so now both “realists” and “idealists” can vote for him!

6. LOUIS ARMSTRONG. Paul, if last election’s voting holds, it looks like Satchmo and the Duke might both get in this year. Seems fair, yes?

7. JOHNNY CASH. I wonder if “Ring of Fire” will get him in two years from now (iirc, that song didn’t do real well in bracketology).

8. FATS DOMINO. On this one, I’ve let myself be influenced by a couple of people I know who were actually teenagers in the 1950’s—my parents. For them, the Fat Man was just about synonymous with rock & roll.

9. MUDDY WATERS. With Bo so high on my list, Muddy couldn’t be far behind.

10. THE CARTER FAMILY. Here’s another vote for the first family of country music.

(Two of our regular voters will be pleased to hear that, as of right now, my next two artists in line are the Everly Brothers and Thelonious Monk. I also considered Roy Orbison and Patsy Cline, but they’ve got a few more good years in ‘em, so I decided to err on the side of caution.)

****

Backstage:
1. LIEBER & STOLLER
2. WILLIE DIXON
3. DEWEY PHILLIPS

sorry

backstage

1. Alan Lomax
2. Willie Dixon
3. John Hammond (Sr)

1. ROBERT JOHNSON: Who else created such a legacy with a total recorded output of only 100 minutes? No one.

2. BILL EVANS: Deserves a spot if not for his stamp on Kind of Blue (both his performance and his creative vision, which are underrated), but for being one of the most colorful and minimalist jazz pianists of his time. The French impressionist (read: Debussy) influence is obvious from listening to him; the ability to create such wonderful moods using minimal yet impeccably timed chord figures was his greatest talent. Portrait and Village Vanguard are outstanding jazz recordings.

3. JOHN COLTRANE: Unlike Miles Davis or Bill Evans, Coltrane's specialty wasn't subtlety -- his own brand of virtuosity came by way of lightning-fast tenor sax runs ("sheets of sound"). Blue Train is an essential document of his work as a band leader; Love Supreme is simply glorious. Sax wanking at its finest.

4. LEADBELLY: Nobody laughs at my jokes around here. Obviously, Ledbelly DIDN'T have a guitar tech; I imagine he barely made enough to support himself and family, let alone a roadie. Broke as a joke and in-and-out of prison, the guy was hard-as-nails and his guitar technique was incredible (one of those "hey, I can do that"... "oh wait, no I can't" styles).

5. LOUIS ARMSTRONG: Like I said last week, immeasureable talent and influence.

6. MUDDY WATERS:
7. THELONIOUS MONK: See comments on Bill Evans playing style. Now, think: exact opposite.
8. SAM COOKE
9. JOHNNY CASH
10. DUKE ELLINGTON

1. Fats Domino - Still on top with the same set of classics

2. Roy Orbison - Even with out Pretty Woman, he jumps to the top with Cryin', Runnin' Scared, and all the great songs (not in AM top 3000) that he's released so far.

3. Del Shannon - The only songs I have heard are Runaway and Hats Off to Larry, but among pre-1962 pop music it's nearly enough. Of course it's the Moog (or mellotron?) that seals the deal, with Shannon's voice a perfect compliment to the crazy octave shifts of that instrument.

4. Blind Willie McTell - Overlooked him last year. I have not dug into formative blues musicians from the early rock n' roll era, but I really get a kick out of hearing McTell's 12-string make a man and a guitar sound like a whole ragtime band. Amazingly, hearing Pinetop's Boogie Woogie I started to hear the larval beginnings of hip-hop, with the steady groove and spoken commands to dance. I need to hear more of him... all I have listened to is the collection Atlanta 12-String.

5. Everly Brothers - Not much new in their catalog, but their hits are still timeless.

6. Jerry Lee Lewis

7. John Coltrane - With My Favorite Things he has proven that you can viciously deconstruct a melody and still remain heartfelt and joyful.

8. Sonny Rollins - Saxophone Collosus and St. Thomas, jazz in it's purest form.

9. Ray Charles

10. The Platters

1. Louis Armstrong -- This is the year. Come on people. Vote for Satchmo!

2. Ella Fitzgerald -- Am I tilting at windmills here? Should I start knocking her down? Sigh.

3. Duke Ellington

4. Ray Charles

5. Django Reinhardt -- Django drops from lack of interest.

6. Dinah Washington

7. Roy Orbison

8. John Coltrane

9. Jerry Lee Lewis - Is he a better piano player than Monk? Maybe with his feet he is.

10. Thelonius Monk - Bird drops out as Coltrane releases My Favorite Things and Schwah starts listening to Monk.


Backstage:

1. Cole Porter
2. George Gershwin
3. Alan Lomax

1. Louis Armstrong - Arguably the most important jazz musician. Schleuse, I hope you are correct!
2. John Coltrane – Stands right next to Miles. Died too young.
3. Duke Ellington – The greatest jazz composer.
4. Thelonious Monk – Another great jazz composer and player.
5. Jerry Lee Lewis – If Little Richard and Buddy Holly are in, so should Jerry. He was a maniac during his rock’n’roll years.
6. Bill Monroe – In the world of country music, he is one of the true giants. Unfortunately (or fortunately?), we do not live in the world of country music.
7. Johnny Cash
8. The Everly Brothers
9. Robert Johnson
10. Leadbelly

Backstage:
1. Cole Porter
2. George Gershwin
3. Harry Smith

1. Woody Guthrie - Besides being hugely influential, I also really like his music. He's funny, a good songwriter and a pure joy to listen to.

2. Muddy Waters - I'm going for the "idealism-approach", cause Muddy Waters really belongs in the HoA. Right now.

3. Ray Charles - He already released both his best songs and best album. Induct him already!

4. Bo Diddley - A lot of fun and a great artist. Not much more to say.

5. Louis Armstrong - I've only recently discovered this fantastic artist, and his songs hold up so incredibly well.

6. Robert Johnson

7. Johnny Cash - I realize much of his best work is yet to come so I'm going to move him down a little to make some space for Bo, Louis and Robert.

8. Duke Ellington

9. Bill Monroe

10. Fats Domino


Backstager:

Cole Porter

1. Bill Monroe - Still my number one. Gets ten points for his importance to a genre and the enjoyment I find in listening to him.
2. Patsy Cline - With I Fall To Pieces, she moves up to number one. Nobody sings like Patsy. It's full of heart.
3. Del Shannon - Why? Only because he sung the best pop songs of his time.
4. The Carter Family - Still the first superstar country group, and an inspiration to both me and some of my favourite artists.
5. The Shirelles - Great pop songs, simple and square. There should have been more bands like this. Oh wait, there was... only they weren't as good.
6. Kitty Wells
7. Roy Orbison
8. Jerry Lee Lewis
9. Dion
10. Bessie Smith

01. GEORGES BRASSENS: a French singer-songwriter (simultaneously a poet and an entertainer) that displays a wider range of sensations and attitudes than most of the Anglo-Saxon artists, from sarcasm to compassion, from harshness to gentleness, from rollicking fun to delicious poetry.
My favourite album: Chante les chansons poétiques (et souvent gaillardes) (1953).
My Top 5 Songs: La mauvaise réputation (1952), Pauvre Martin (1953), Le parapluie (1952), La marine (1953), Marinette (1955).

02. RAY CHARLES: the blues of the gospel.

03. DUKE ELLINGTON: we inducted the King already, why not the Duke now?

04. THE EVERLY BROTHERS: the impeccable fusion of country, pop and rock ‘n’ roll, the easy combination of power and beauty and, above all, those heavenly tight harmonies are enough reasons to induct them.
My favourite album: The Everly Brothers (1958)
My Top 3 Songs: So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad) (1960), Bye Bye Love (1957), All I Have to Do Is Dream (1958)

05. ROBERT JOHNSON: last year’s surprise was “King of the Delta Blues Singers”, an album that revealed the existence of a blues singer owner of a sound simultaneously natural and strange, simultaneously earthy and otherworldly. Some people say that this sound came directly from The Devil, who met Johnson in a crossroad at night.
My favourite album: King of the Delta Blues Singers (1961)
My Top 3 Songs: Cross Road Blues (1936), Love in Vain (1937), Sweet Home Chicago (1936)

06. LOUIS ARMSTRONG.
07. JERRY LEE LEWIS.
08. WOODY GUTHRIE.
09. CHARLIE PARKER.
10. MUDDY WATERS.


And at the backstage:
01. COLE PORTER.
02. JERRY LEIBER & MIKE STOLLER.
03. GEORGE (& IRA) GERSHWIN: George was the music brother, the one who easily travel from classical to popular music with deep influences of jazz and blues, and Ira was the lyricist brother, and together they created wonderful classics. Favourite song: ELLA FITZGERALD & LOUIS ARMSTRONG “Summertime” (1957).

Honorio

All I can say is bravo ! (pour Brassens bien sûr !)

Merci, Nicolas. Surely Brassens won’t be inducted, but with our combined votes he will reach a notable position.

1. Robert Johnson – He made fewer recordings than anyone else eventually destined for this Hall, but their impact on blues and blues-based rock is incalculable. Without Johnson, there would be no Rolling Stones, no Eric Clapton, etc., etc.
2. Louis Armstrong – The most influential jazz musician ever. His early recordings are to jazz what Chuck Berry’s are to rock – they set the template for everything that followed, no matter how widely others have diverged from it.
3. Fats Domino – No one ever made great music sound more effortless than the portly, courtly New Orleans master.
4. Duke Ellington – The brilliant pianist, bandleader, and composer (usually in collaboration with the equally brilliant Billy Strayhorn) had one of the longest careers of the jazz greats.
5. The Everly Brothers – The kings of close harmony had an unparalleled string of pop hits that never strayed too far from their country-folk roots and were all the better for it.
6. Bo Diddley
7. Jerry Lee Lewis
8. Ray Charles
9. Charles Mingus
10. Ella Fitzgerald

BACKSTAGE WING
1. Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller
2. Harry Smith
3. Rudy Van Gelder [the great jazz engineer whose New Jersey studio was home to an astonishing percentage of the music's most legendary sessions]

I’m waiting until next year to elevate Brother Ray, but I have a feeling he may make it this year.