10 Women Artists Who Have Yet to be Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

From May 2011 to February 2012, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame featured an exhibit called “Women Who Rock: Vision, Passion, Power.” From September 2012 to August 2014, the exhibit traveled around to various museums in the United States. It made its final stop at The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Mich. where I was given a private tour of the collection from over 70 different performers, from Janis Joplin and Tina Turner to Chrissie Hynde and Stevie Nicks.

While the exhibit’s artifacts dated back to the 1920s and traveled through to the present day, my tour guide made sure to point out that one “unusual” woman from the 1980s was partially responsible for the exhibit’s existence. On a visit to the Rock Hall, Cyndi Lauper took a tour of the museum, and she noticed that something was missing. “She very simply said, ‘Where the women at?!,” said my tour guide, and that was the impetus for that exhibit.

Frankly, the same question can be posed about the Rock Hall inductees in general.

Rock Hall’s new chairman John Sykes has made a point in a number of interviews to point out how the Rock Hall needs to evolve. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Sykes said, “…it’s time to take the Hall to 2.0. That means a more diverse board, that means more women, people of color, people who reflect the kind of music that’s now being inducted. We have to look and feel like the artists that come into our Hall. That’s just the natural transition.”

With the 2021 Rock Hall nominees set to be announced tomorrow (February 10), there will certainly be a lot of scrutiny regarding how many women are included among the nominees. Here’s hoping some of the ten women artists in the gallery below will be included. They all more than deserve it, and there are plenty of others that still do.

• Carole King

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  Carole King should be a double-inductee by now. The fact she isn't is one of the Rock Hall's biggest oversights. She was inducted as a non-performer in 1990 along with songwriting partner Gerry Goffin. However, King should be in the Rock Hall as a performer on the strength of 1971's 'Tapestry' alone, which has sold 25 million copies worldwide. It has some songs you might have heard: "I Feel The Earth Move," "So Far Away," "It's Too Late," and "You've Got a Friend," the latter of which was covered by Rock and Roll Hall of Famer James Taylor. 

• Tina Turner

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  The fact that Tina Turner hasn't been inducted as a solo artist yet, making her a double-inductee, is another one of the Rock Hall's biggest oversights. While she was inducted as part of Ike & Tina Turner in 1991, the duo's success doesn’t even come close to the album sales and tour revenue of Turner as a solo artist.  Her last major tour in 2008-09 grossed a whopping $130 million for over 80 shows in North America and Europe with over one million tickets sold. Oh, and 'Private Dancer' is only one of the greatest comeback albums of all time selling 20 million copies worldwide and features the classic singles like "What's Love Got to Do with It," "Better Be Good to Me" and the title track. And don't forget about hits like "The Best," "Typical Male," "We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)" and "I Don't Wanna Fight."

• The Runaways

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  When it comes to influential women in hard rock, The Runaways should always be part of the conversation. A launching pad for Joan Jett and Lita Ford, the band's four studio albums feature some quintessential '70s hard rock jams including "School Days," "I Love Playing with Fire" and, of course, "Cherry Bomb." Their 1977 live album 'Live in Japan' is incredibly underrated, too. For added measure, a Runaways induction would make Jett a double-inductee.
• Melissa Etheridge

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  Not enough is really said about how Melissa Etheridge came out as a lesbian in January 1993 only to nine months later release 'Yes I Am,' the album that would be her major breakthrough into the mainstream featuring hits like "I'm the Only One" and "Come to My Window." Looking back, that's a mind-blowing feat during a time when coming out wasn't always welcome as it is today. Add to the fact that she's consistently put out quality albums for nearly 30 years, has an incredible, easily recognizable voice and writes music that blurs the lines of rock, pop and folk, it's almost shocking she's never even been nominated.

• Mary J. Blige

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  The Queen of Hip Hop Soul became eligible for induction in 2017, but Blige has yet to be nominated for the Rock Hall despite providing an important female voice in a very male-dominated genre. She's sold 80 million albums worldwide thanks to the strength of her incredible voice and her ability to uniquely blend R&B and hip hop unlike any artist before or after her on tracks like "Real Love," "Not Gon' Cry," "Family Affair" and "Be Without You." While we're on the topic of genre-blending, Blige is the only artist in history to have won Grammys in R&B, hip hop, pop and gospel categories. If that's not worth considering for a Rock Hall nomination, what is?

• Eurythmics

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  Nominated in 2017 and 2018, the Eurythmics' unique blend of rock, pop and new wave with singles like "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)," "Here Comes the Rain Again," "Would I Lie to You?" and "Missionary Man" set them apart from most acts in 1980s. Between the powerful pipes of Annie Lennox and the producing prowess of Dave Stewart, this duo would on the surface seem like a shoo-in for induction, but they have yet to receive that honor.
• Cyndi Lauper

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  Cyndi Lauper asked "Where the women at?!" when it came to representation in the Museum. Well, where Cyndi at in the Rock Hall itself? She's somehow never been nominated, has been ridiculously influential to artists that have followed thanks to many hits like "Girls Just Want to Have Fun," "Time After Time," "She Bop," "Money Changes Everything," "True Colors" and "I Drove All Night." She's also continued to be a force live to this day. Oh, and she's also managed to dominate the Broadway world by writing the music and lyrics for the musical adaptation of 'Kinky Boots.'

• Cher

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  Okay, now for those about to cry foul on this pick, if Madonna is in the Rock Hall, Cher definitely deserves to be in. With a career that spans six decades, Cher has defied the odds, remains one of the most iconic pop stars of all time, and she's managed to do it with a style and attitude all her own. She's won just about every award imaginable, from Grammys to Oscars to Kennedy Center Honors. Fun fact: She also the only artist ever to have a number-one single on a Billboard chart in six consecutive decades. Those number ones include "I Got You Babe," "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves," "Half-Breed," "Dark Lady," "After All," "If I Could Turn Back Time," "Believe," "Strong Enough," "Song for the Lonely," "A Different Kind of Love Song," "When the Money's Gone"/"Love One Another," "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me" and "Woman's World."

• Salt-N-Pepa

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  Let's talk about how much Salt-N-Pepa and DJ Spinderella deserve some recognition from the Rock Hall. With the Rock Hall expanding to recognize the hip hop world, they need look no further than this groundbreaking group of MCs that were not afraid to touch controversial topics in their lyrics and helped pave the way for countless women in hip hop. Decades later, many of their singles like "Push it," "Shoop," "Let's Talk About Sex," "Whatta Man" and "None of Your Business" still sound ridiculously fresh. 
• Pat Benatar

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  Benatar is a real tough cookie with a long history of being ignored by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. While she finally received her first nomination for the 2020 induction class, she's been eligible since 2004!