Ranking Rock & Roll Hall of Famers year by year! (UPDATED VERSION)

Ranking RRHOF inductees year by year! UPDATED VERSION!!!

In regard of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, I'll be ranking the honorees from most to less important in induction years throughout history. 

It would be based on the Hall's criteria: influence, innovation, impact, excellence & originality which is something I've done on several lists & ratings. Also this is for performers only, so side categories will be excluded. 

Let's start shall we. 

1986 

1.) Chuck Berry 

2.) Elvis Presley 

3.) James Brown 

4.) Little Richard 

5.) Ray Charles 

6.) Sam Cooke 

7.) Buddy Holly 

8.) Fats Domino 

9.) The Everly Brothers 

10.) Jerry Lee Lewis 

Starting the Hall inductions is these pioneers who changed the entire landscape of rock & roll & contemporary music due to it's spirit, evolution, attitude & diversity. 

Chuck Berry is considered as a true King when he did it first out of everybody. All are very spectacular in their own right, yet someone has to be last & that's Jerry Lee Lewis. 

1987 

1.) Aretha Franklin 

2.) Muddy Waters 

3.) Marvin Gaye 

4.) Bo Diddley 

5.) Smokey Robinson 

6.) B.B. King 

7.) Roy Orbison 

8.) Jackie Wilson 

9.) Carl Perkins 

10.) Bill Haley 

11.) Ricky Nelson 

12.) Big Joe Turner 

13.) Eddie Cochran 

14.) The Coasters 

15.) Clyde McPhatter 

This second year feels a bit over bloated with fifteen selections, yet almost everyone here are very deserved due to sesmic shift they caused. Aretha Franklin is on top all due to being a first woman to ever be inducted. 

Clyde McPhatter only got in as solo performer based on various reasons that has nothing to do with the criteria I pointed out. 

1988 

1.) The Beatles 

2.) Bob Dylan 

3.) The Beach Boys 

4.) The Supremes 

5.) The Drifters 

This class is the second most recognizable induction in RRHOF history right behind the first year. All five artists definitely earned their honors for the same reason like those in 1986. 

In the grand scheme, ranking The Fab Four at #1 doesn't need any further explanation given their career history as industry leaders & how they changed the world entirely. Others are also groundbreaking & revolutionary, yet somebody gonna be last place & it's The Drifters. 

1989 

1.) The Rolling Stones 

2.) Stevie Wonder 

3.) Otis Redding 

4.) The Temptations 

5.) Dion 

It's a close call between The Stones & Stevie Wonder with their extensive output of work being ahead of time, yet I'll be giving edge to the former since they truly shaped rock & roll as an artform quite like their contemporaries I mentioned previously. 

Otis Redding & The Temptations have songs that stood out the most in current times while same couldn't be said for Dion. 

1990 

1.) The Who 

2.) The Kinks 

3.) Simon & Garfunkel 

4.) The Four Tops 

5.) The Platters 

6.) The Four Seasons 

7.) Hank Ballard 

8.) Bobby Darin 

The Who & The Kinks are bands who inspired everybody to start their own groups while paving way for punk rock & heavy metal scenes in the 70's. Although I'll give the flowers to the latter since they have bigger albums. 

As for others, mostly everybody are pretty solid except Bobby Darin who only had few hits under his name while his resume seems pretty mundane. 

1991 

1. ) The Byrds 

2. ) Ike & Tina Turner 

3. ) Wilson Pickett 

4. ) John Lee Hooker 

5. ) Jimmy Reed 

6.) The Impressions 

7.) Lavern Baker 

Putting a band like The Byrds at top seems pretty accurate due to their lasting impact on the landscape of 60's rock scenes. 

Lavern Baker had a great career who seemed worthy of recognition, yet couldn't find anything that's remotely worth mentioning. 

1992 

1.) Jimi Hendrix Experience 

2.) Johnny Cash 

3.) The Yardbirds 

4.) The Isley Brothers 

5.) Booker T. & The M.G's 

6.) Sam & Dave 

7.) Bobby "Blue" Bland 

Jimi Hendrix & Johnny Cash, two respective artists who shaped the entire course of rock & roll with their albums & songs let alone their solid influence. 

Bobby "Blue" Bland could've been easily inducted under one of the side categories considered that's he's overlooked nowadays. 

1993 

1.) Sly & The Family Stone 

2.) The Doors 

3.) Van Morrison 

4.) Etta James 

5.) Cream 

6.) Creedence Clearwater Revival 

7.) Ruth Brown 

8.) Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers 

From Sly Stone to Ruth Brown, these artists truly served as inspirations for everyone's career paths in the field. 

Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers may have songs that became touchstones in one fashion or another, yet it's like a case with Lavern Baker. 

1994

1.) Bob Marley 

2.) John Lennon 

3.) Elton John 

4.) The Band 

5.) The Grateful Dead 

6.) Rod Stewart 

7.) The Animals 

8.) Duane Eddy 

Bob Marley became the first reggae performer honored & his landmark on the genre is undeniably significant.

Ngl, Duane Eddy has influence on multiple guitarists past & present yet it's impossible to name songs by him on top of our heads. 

1995 

1.) Led Zeppelin 

2.) Neil Young 

3.) Janis Joplin 

4.) Al Green 

5.) Frank Zappa 

6.) The Allman Brothers Band 

7.) Martha & The Vandellas 

You can't go wrong with any selections here. I rank Led Zeppelin first since they changed music entirely since the golden days of those who came before them. 

Martha & The Vandellas are in last, yet I stated you couldn't go wrong with any selections here. 

1996 

1.) The Velvet Underground 

2.) Pink Floyd 

3.) David Bowie 

4.) The Shirelles 

5.) Jefferson Airplane 

6.) Gladys Knight & The Pips 

7.) Little Willie John 

It's a tight race between The Velvet Underground, Pink Floyd & David Bowie, all three put out landmark music that would transcend artists in several generations to come yet I'll give VU a spot since they proved popularity isn't the end all be all of everything. 

I put Little Willie John in last place, sure he did have inspiration for other R&B yet his legacy was often overlooked given his career didn't last long. 

1997

1.) Joni Mitchell 

2.) Parliament - Funkadelic 

3.) The Bee Gees 

4.) The Jackson 5 

5.) Crosby, Stills & Nash 

6.) Buffalo Springfield 

7.) The (Young) Rascals 

Now what do Joni Mitchell, P - Funk, The Bee & The Jackson 5 have something in common: They left an incredible mark on today's popular music with Mitchell having the most out of it. 

Have no idea how The (Young) Rascals even got inducted since I couldn't find anything remarkable about their career. 

1998 

1.) Fleetwood Mac 

2.) Eagles 

3.) Santana 

4.) Gene Vincent 

5.) The Mamas & The Papas 

6.) Lloyd Price 

I'll give Fleetwood Mac a top rank over Eagles & Santana since they evolved throughout their history & also end up released one of the biggest albums in the 70's. 

Lloyd Price had a great career, however he's only known for two songs people cared about. 

1999 

1.) Bruce Springsteen 

2.) Curtis Mayfield 

3.) Billy Joel 

4.) Paul McCartney 

5.) Dusty Springfield 

6.) The Staple Singers 

7.) Del Shannon 

A stellar class with Springsteen, Mayfield, Joel, McCartney & Springfield being stone picks with The Boss being on top for his acclaimed work. 

Del Shannon is one of the interesting cases, however he only had one remarkable song. 

2000

1.) Eric Clapton 

2.) James Taylor 

3.) Earth, Wind & Fire 

4.) Bonnie Raitt 

5.) The Moonglows 

6.) The Lovin Spoonful 

Nothing worth saying about this other than Eric Clapton being a first person to receive a third induction. 

As for Lovin Spoonful, they might had hits & that's it. 

2001 

1.) Michael Jackson 

2.) Queen 

3.) Aerosmith 

4.) Steely Dan 

5.) Paul Simon 

6.) Solomon Burke 

7.) The Flamingos 

8.) Ritchie Valens 

Having Michael Jackson alone makes this more historic with Queen following suit. Both definitely changed music since the golden days of The Beatles.

Ritchie Valens despite his short life & career managed to have a legacy that cannot be overstated yet that's about far as it goes. 

2002 

1.) Ramones

2.) Talking Heads 

3.) Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers 

4.) Isaac Hayes 

5.) Brenda Lee 

6.) Gene Pitney 

No matter what popularity they achieved, Ramones & Talking Heads are bands who shaped their genres into something more major while having albums that made artforms & I'll give the former an edge for their attitude alone.

Unfortunately I couldn't find anything worth noting about Gene Pitney. 

2003

1.) The Clash 

2.) The Police 

3.) AC/DC 

4.) Elvis Costello & The Attractions 

5.) The Righteous Brothers 

Artists/bands including The Clash, Elvis Costello, AC/DC & The Police made their work being celebrated for it's true significance with Joe Strummer, Mick Jones & company having most influence. 

Righteous Brothers certainly made tunes for everyone, whether they truly changed rock & roll is another story. 

2004 

1.) Prince 

2.) George Harrison 

3.) ZZ Top 

4.) Bob Seger 

5.) Jackson Browne 

6.) Traffic 

7.) The Dells 

80's superstar Prince became one of the artists who defined the MTV generation. The way he did it was something that couldn't be replicated. 

I really couldn't make a case for The Dells, nothing against them though. 

2005

1.) U2 

2.) The Pretenders 

3.) Buddy Guy 

4.) The O'Jays 

5.) Percy Sledge 

Well U2 stands out the most, their music speaks to modern generations & sonic landscape is just insane. 

Percy Sledge got inducted for something absolutely ridiculous & his career was somewhat forgotten outside of that one song everyone cared about. 

2006

1.) Miles Davis 

2.) Black Sabbath 

3.) Sex Pistols 

4.) Lynyrd Skynyrd 

5.) Blondie 

I'll put Miles Davis over the four for predating R&R prior to the 50's while evolved throughout his career. 

All five have potential no matter what quantity they had. Blondie had to be put last even though they have a stone legacy. 

2007 

1.) R.E.M 

2.) Patti Smith 

3.) Van Halen 

4.) Grandmaster Flash & Furious Five 

5.) The Ronettes 

Along with U2, fellow stalwarts R.E.M made the alternative rock scene more remarkable by taking the genre into mainstream heights. 

The Ronettes were impactful in some ways, yet doesn't have long lasting effects. 

2008

1.) Madonna 

2.) Leonard Cohen 

3.) John Mellencamp 

4.) The Ventures 

5.) The Dave Clark Five 

Madonna over four others? Well certainly. She made the 80's so much memorable with her constant innovations. 

Hitmakers The Dave Clark Five was the second biggest band of British Invasion in terms of popularity, however that's an only thing general public knows about them these days. 

2009

1.) Run - DMC 

2.) Metallica 

3.) Bobby Womack 

4.) Little Anthony & The Imperials 

5.) Jeff Beck 

Run DMC or Metallica? Both groups made their sound, yet Run - DMC pushed the boundaries even further. 

There's no doubt Jeff Beck is among the most important guitarists, yet this is about his solo work & it's a hit or miss in most cases. 

2010

1.) The Stooges 

2.) ABBA 

3.) Genesis 

4.) Jimmy Cliff 

5.) The Hollies 

Proto - punk legends The Stooges lack popularity yet gained prominence for their sheer influence on the genre. 

I mean what did The Hollies do that's considered lasting remembrance. 

2011

1.) Tom Waits 

2.) Alice Cooper 

3.) Neil Diamond 

4.) Dr. John 

5.) Darlene Love 

Ngl, Tom Waits pretty much is the only artist who has tremendous credentials. 

The rest is somewhat a hit or miss, Darlene Love? I couldn't finger around her honor. 

2012

1.) Beastie Boys 

2.) GNR 

3.) RHCP 

4.) Donovan 

5.) The Small Faces/Faces 

6.) Laura Nyro 

There's no denying Beastie Boys have mixed punk & hip hop into sound thus made them household names. 

Honestly, Laura Nyro should've been honored under Musical Excellence. 

2013 

1.) Public Enemy 

2.) Donna Summer 

3.) Albert King 

4.) Rush 

5.) Randy Newman 

6.) Heart 

Yep, Public Enemy takes over for being a group who revolutionized hip hop as an entity. I couldn't think any act who pushed boundaries for a genre quite like them. 

I can see Heart has inspiration on certain bands & artists, yet they didn't completely changed the course of music.  

2014

1.) Nirvana 

2.) Peter Gabriel 

3.) Linda Ronstadt 

4.) Kiss 

5.) Hall & Oates 

6.) Cat Stevens (Yusuf Islam) 

Nirvana earned this rank for bringing grunge into the forefront along with other bands in the 90's. 

Cat/Yusuf is among the singer - songwriters who made timeless tunes that people remember, yet his overall impact remains 50/50. 

2015

1.) Green Day 

2.) Lou Reed 

3.) SRV & Double Trouble 

4.) Bill Withers 

5.) Joan Jett & The Blackhearts 

6.) The Paul Butterfield Blues Band 

Not a fan of Green Day, although I have to give them a nod for bringing punk into more mainstream heights with their albums taking over pop charts. 

The Paul Butterfield Blues Band made music for the early ages, however time will tell if they extend beyond it. It's not gonna change anytime soon. 

2016

1.) N.W.A 

2.) Deep Purple 

3.) Cheap Trick 

4.) Chicago 

5.) Steve Miller 

Even with only one remarkable album, N.W.A's impact on music & pop culture remains at large. Other four? Not so much! 

Although I'll give credit for Deep Purple & Cheap Trick since they served as inspirations for countless bands & artists in several genres including hard rock, heavy metal & alternative music. Couldn't be said for Chicago & Steve Miller (Band) especially the latter since he doesn't want to be part of it. 

2017

1.) Tupac Shakur 

2.) Pearl Jam 

3.) Joan Baez 

4.) Yes 

5.) Electric Light Orchestra 

6.) Journey 

Tupac Shakur was an artist who's impressive legacy on music in general couldn't be overstated. Pearl Jam followed suit as well. 

Sure Journey made tunes that are very well played everywhere, yet doesn't change anything about their lack of said criteria. 

2018

1.) Nina Simone 

2.) The Cars 

3.) Dire Straits 

4.) The Moody Blues 

5.) Bon Jovi 

RRHOF 2018 inductions proved that classic rock has officially taken over & that doesn't mean it's great or bad. So I'll give Nina Simone a #1 rank over four rock bands for  solid work that transcend movements. 

Bon Jovi has the exact same case as Journey yet they are currently seen as a joke. 

2019

1.) Radiohead 

2.) Janet Jackson 

3.) The Cure 

4.) Roxy Music 

5.) Def Leppard 

6.) The Zombies 

7.) Stevie Nicks 

Artists including Radiohead, Janet Jackson, The Cure & Roxy Music made timeless work that definitely spoke to everybody in the business with RH being the most acclaimed out of everyone. 

Stevie Nicks should've only been inducted once. Yeah she has influence, however most of it has to do with Fleetwood Mac & this is her solo career which isn't that remarkable to begin. 

2020

1.) Nine Inch Nails 

2.) The Notorious B.I.G 

3.) Whitney Houston 

4.) Depeche Mode 

5.) T. Rex 

6.) The Doobie Brothers 

Those ranked from 1 - 5 here are performers whose immense significance on music is very spectacular despite their respective genres. 

The Doobie Brothers proved that even classic rock inductions seem to be overboard. 

2021

1.) Jay - Z 

2.) Tina Turner 

3.) Foo Fighters 

4.) The Go - Go's 

5.) Carole King 

6.) Todd Rundgren 

Jay - Z is an definition of true excellence in modern music. A businessman who made a difference to everything in the industry. 

Todd Rundgren had a great career very worthy of recognition, yet he only had two remarkable albums under his belt & he's more well known behind the scenes for other artists. 

2022

1.) Eminem 

2.) Dolly Parton 

3.) Duran Duran 

4.) Eurythmics 

5.) Pat Benatar 

6.) Lionel Richie 

7.) Carly Simon 

Whether you like him or not, Eminem's solid discography changed the game & made him among the most important figures in history of pop culture. 

Pat Benatar, Lionel Richie & Carly Simon while having songs people listen to didn't have any historic credentials that makes a Hall of Famer. 

2023

1.) Kate Bush 

2.) Willie Nelson 

3.) Missy Elliott 

4.) Rage Against the Machine 

5.) George Michael 

6.) The Spinners 

7.) Sheryl Crow 

The inclusion of Kate Bush proves that any underground artist can make an solid mark on music as a whole. 

As for Sheryl Crow, she has connections yet none of her work seems earth shattering. 

2024

1.) A Tribe Called Quest 

2.) Mary J. Blige 

3.) Kool & The Gang 

4.) Ozzy Osbourne 

5.) Cher 

6.) Dave Matthews Band 

7.) Peter Frampton 

8.) Foreigner 

Tribe & Blige are the only ones whose music can be seen everywhere at anytime, I mean lots of today's artists cited them for their careers getting a start. 

I have nothing against Cher, DMB, Peter Frampton & Foreigner, sure they have large sales & fanbases however they're not The Beatles in terms of seismic shift being caused in history. I mean can you name any albums that spawned mass generations & movements while transcend the entire industry. 

2025 

1.) OutKast 

2.) The White Stripes 

3.) Soundgarden 

4.) Chubby Checker 

5.) Cyndi Lauper 

6.) Joe Cocker 

7.) Bad Company 

A solid yet not spectacular class. OutKast, The White Stripes & Soundgarden carried this one alone so far with their work & tremendous credentials. The others, it's a swing or miss. 

Joe Cocker & Bad Company only got inducted because the Hall is extended the classic rock era to honor more people like them. I wish the institution would close a door so they can finally move on to others who actually are HOF material. 

Very accurate rankings I did. It's a very fun project to create!