Fame for life Issue #31

Patti Smith and the Ronettes rock 2007’s Hall of Fame list

By Angie Vo
Published: March 1st, 2007 | 12:00am

Patti Smith, renowned purveyor of punk poetry, and the Ronettes, a three-piece from the Girl Group era are now officially rock legends. These innovators are among a handful of musicians who will have their celebrity immortalized in Cleveland, Ohio’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this spring.

Since 1986, music-industry leaders have annually selected a small number of individuals or groups as finalists for that year’s inductees, ultimately choosing six or seven. This year, the 600-member committee, made up of music historians and experts, reduced the number of finalists from the usual 15 to nine. In order to be eligible for induction in the performers, non-performers, early influences, and sidemen categories, an artist’s first album must have been released 25 years prior.

The other 2007 inductees are hip-hop visionaries Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, indie popsters R.E.M., and metal band Van Halen. 2007 finalists passed over for induction include jazz-funk fusion group Chic, British Invasion pop stars the Dave Clark Five, garage rockers the Stooges, and soul/pop artist Joe Tex, but all will be eligible for future Hall of Fame consideration.

At the induction ceremony on March 12, 2007, in New York City’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, Smith and the Ronettes will join the 222 inductees already in the Hall, including Blondie’s Debbie Harry, the Pretenders, and Etta James, among others. The Hall of Fame has faced criticism for its choices; a recent comment on futurerockhall.com stated that, “The pressures of appeasing the infotainment moguls makes for a continuation of the policy of ‘safe and balanced’ choices for the Hall that ignore history.” The inclusion of artists like Patti Smith and the Ronettes are an ongoing testament to the important contribution of women to rock’s storied past.

Not one to rest on her laurels, Smith is currently working on an album of rock covers that will include renditions of hits by Nirvana, Jimi Hendrix, and Bob Dylan. She told Billboard, “I’ve always wanted to do a covers record, but I didn’t think I had the range. But now, I feel really on the top of my game and ready to tackle a lot of different songs I thought had strong and relevant lyrics.”