James Brown rocks the house every time he performs. Perhaps since he is the Hardest Working Man in Show Business that he is also the most sampled man in show business. James has had 114 total entries on Billboard's R&B singles charts and 94 that made the Hot 100 singles chart. If oldies stations played music proportionately to proliferation, James would be played more often than any other black performer. He does not get the respect that one should always give to the Godfather of Soul. There are too many great tracks to mention. Off the top of my head come I Got You (I Feel Good), Licking Stick, Mother Popcorn, Superbad, Say it Loud, and Hot Pants.

Ruth Brown definitely belongs in the early influences category but not under the heading of rock performer as she was inducted. Known as "The Girl with a Tear in her Voice", "The Original Queen of Rhythm & Blues," "Miss. Rhythm & Blues," and the well-known moniker of "Miss. Rhythm," the first rhythm-and-blues singer, Ruth Brown is a living legend. Her success helped establish Atlantic Records ("The House That Ruth Built") as the era's premiere rhythm-and-blues label. Her (Mama) He Treats Your Daughter Mean is exceptional.

Jackson Browne at times sounds so fragile with The Pretender, Tender is the Night, and Sky Blue and Black. He reports what he sees in Doctor My Eyes, Lives in the Balance, and For America. Later he is a rocker back on the road in Running on Empty, The Loadout/Stay, and the song he wrote for the Eagles, Take It Easy. He could sing about anything, and often he does just that.

Buffalo Springfield, Richie Furay, Dewey, Bruce Palmer, Stephen Stills, and Neil Young were a supergroup prequel. The band had a brief career, but had many great songs such as Mr. Soul, For What Its Worth, and Broken Arrow.

Solomon Burke would fit best in the early pioneers category. In recent years, as his pre-top 40 years, Solomon has turned to gospel music where his powerful voice is a force with which one should reckon.

The Byrds deservedly are in the hall thanks to that jingle jangle guitar that we heard in the Ecclesiates 3 paraphrase Turn! Turn! Turn!, and Dylan remakes Mr. Tambourine Man, and My Back Pages, as well as Mr. Space Man, and 8 Miles High and more. The band paved the way for the California, country, rock sound of the Eagles and others with Sweetheart of the Rodeo.