Skip to main content

Posts

Link Wray Ascends From Freaks Mountain

 By the time I pulled the plug on the Freaks Hall I thought we'd jumped the shark and let in too many while other obvious names were left by the wayside. Instead of fixing it, I just ended it.  But, I have always been pretty damn proud of our very first, original class of inductees. It was 2014 and we voted on groups and artists who weren't in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (TM) at the time. We ended up with an inaugural class of 16 that has remained unmatched. When you look at the year by year additions, you see a trend downward. We got it just right the first time. I look at it now less as the first class of a hall of fame and more of a Rock 'n' Roll Freaks Mount Olympus. If you need a refresher, our pantheon was,... Lester Bangs Johnny Burnette & the Rock ‘n’ Roll Trio The Cramps Dick Dale Screamin’ Jay Hawkins Love MC5 ? & the Mysterians New York Dolls John Peel The Pretty Things The Seeds The Sonics Paul Revere & the Raiders The 13th Floor Elevators Lin
Recent posts

The Freaks Hall is Dead. Long Live The Freaks Hall.

  Link Wray, #1 vote getter in the #FreaksHall election, 2014 The Rock 'n' Roll Freaks Hall was established by the Rock 'n' Roll Freaks Facebook group in 2014. The idea was to recognize bands and artists who were not, and in most cases, never would be, members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In our first election, we selected 16 of the most popular artists and groups among the Freaks faithful, as well as perhaps the most influential rock critic and disc jockey in rock 'n roll history. We continued electing new classes through 2022, nine of them in all. All of these years later, not a single one of those original 16 have been invited to Cleveland. As the de facto director of this imaginary institution, I have overseen each of those elections and as the years have progressed, and we've moved further up the rock 'n' roll history timeline as far as eligible candidates, there's been less and less enthusiasm among the group members at large, which kind

Class of 2022 Rock 'n' Roll Freaks Hall Announced

The polls are closed, the ballots have been counted, and we are proud to announce that the Rock 'n' Roll Freaks Hall will be adding four new members with our class of 2022.  To be eligible for this year's election, an artist or group had to have made their recording debut no later than 1986 and not already be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. There were 15 nominees with the top three vote getters getting to join the Freaks Hall. This year we had a tie for the third spot, giving us a full class of four for this year. So without further ado,... Welcome our 2022 Freaks Hall inductees!   Moby Grape Formed in San Francisco, CA, 1966 The Music Machine Formed in Los Angeles, CA, 1966 Suzi Quatro Born in Detroit, MI, 1950 Thin Lizzy Formed in Dublin, Ireland, 1969 Final Vote Tally 76 ballots counted Music Machine - 51 Thin Lizzy - 40 Suzi Quatro - 35 Moby Grape - 35 Billy Childish - 34 Husker Du - 34 Minutemen - 31 War - 27 Chambers Brothers - 26 Melvins - 9 Yo La Tengo - 9 Spacem

The Polls Are Open, Vote for the Freaks Hall class of 2022!

The Rock ‘n’ Roll Freaks Hall honors artists, groups and contributors who have not been recognized by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Commercial success and/or critical acclaim are not factors in choosing candidates or inductees. Rather, we seek to spotlight those people who embody the true spirit of rock ‘n’ roll in their recordings, performances, and in the lives they’ve lived. In fact, we often strive to recognize those who are not likely to ever be invited to one of the establishment’s made for TV galas – the forgotten heroes, the renegades, and the free spirits who have left a unique imprint on the history of rock ‘n’ roll. Welcome to the ninth annual Rock 'n' Roll Freaks Hall election - THE POLLS ARE OPEN! HOW TO VOTE: Our 2022 election features a total of 15 nominees. In order to be eligible for the Freaks Hall Class of 2022, an artist or group had to have released their debut recording no later than 1986. In order to vote, you must be a member of the Thee Loyal Order of

Freaks Hall Class of 2021 Inductees Announced

The polls are closed, the ballots have been counted, and we are proud to announce three new members of the Rock 'n' Roll Freaks Hall class of 2021. To be eligible for this year's election, an artist or group had to have made their recording debut no later than 1985 and not already be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. There were 15 nominees and the top three vote getters join our Oldies and Side Performer ballot inductees (Charlie Feathers and Carol Kaye) as the class of 2021, giving us a full class of five for this year. So without further ado,... Welcome our 2021 Freaks Hall inductees!    Bad Brains Can   Lyres

Freaks Hall Class of 2021 Election: The Polls Are Open!

First time nominees Bad Brains The Rock ‘n’ Roll Freaks Hall honors artists, groups and contributors who have not been recognized by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Commercial success and/or critical acclaim are not factors in choosing candidates or inductees. Rather, we seek to spotlight those people who embody the true spirit of rock ‘n’ roll in their recordings, performances, and in the lives they’ve lived. In fact, we often strive to recognize those who are not likely to ever be invited to one of the establishment’s made for TV galas – the forgotten heroes, the renegades, and the free spirits who have left a unique imprint on the history of rock ‘n’ roll. Welcome to the seventh annual Rock 'n' Roll Freaks Hall election - THE POLLS ARE OPEN! HOW TO VOTE: Our 2021 election features a total of 15 nominees. In order to be eligible for the Freaks Hall Class of 2021, an artist or group had to have released their debut recording no later than 1985. In order to vote, you must be a

Freaks Hall Class of 2021 Oldies and Side Performer Inductees

The polls are closed, the ballots have been counted, and we are proud to announce the first two members of the Rock 'n' Roll Freaks Hall class of 2021! In our preliminary round of voting, we cast ballots in two categories - Oldies, which included artists and groups who made their recording debut prior to 1956, and Side Performers - men and women who contributed as session musicians and/or as members of bands that backed some of rock 'n' roll's biggest stars and innovators. The top vote getter in each category gains induction with the class of 2021. So, without further ado,...  Welcome to the two newest members of the Freaks Hall!  Charlie Feathers June 12, 1932 – August 29, 1998. Pioneering rockabilly performer who recorded for labels like Flip, Sun, Meteor, and King. His songs have been covered by a wide range of artists spanning decades, including Elvis Presely (who had a #1 country hit with Feathers' "I Forgot To Remember To Forget"), Johnny Cash, J