Freaks Hall Class of 2019 Election: Oldies and Sidemen Ballots

Big Jay McNeely

It's Labor Day, and it's time to kick off our Rock 'n' Roll Freak Hall election season for the class of 2019!

Starting this year, we're making some changes in how we select our inductees. The biggest change is going to be our primary eligibility requirement. For the first five years of the Freaks Hall, we made artists and groups eligible 35 years after their first release, basically with the idea that we were going to give the "real" Rock Hall a full decade to do the right thing by the artists before we fixed their mistakes. Well, from now on, we're dispensing with that courtesy, and we're going to the same 25-year requirement for our 2019 election, considering artists and groups that made their debut in 1993 or prior.

But before we get to that, our first order of business is a couple of preliminary votes in two categories: the Oldies Ballot, which is made up of artists and groups who made their recording debut prior to 1954; and the Sidemen Ballot, made up of musicians who spent considerable portions of their career playing behind other artists on stage and in the studio. In next year's election, the Sidemen Ballot will be replaced with a Contributor Ballot election, and the two will alternate every other year.

HOW TO VOTE:

Each ballot contains ten nominees. Select up to FIVE (minimum three) per ballot, and send your votes for each to rocknrollfreaks@gmail.com to be counted.

The top vote getter in each category will join our class of 2019. If there is a tie for the top vote total, all nominees with the top amount of votes will join the class.

Oldies Ballot (recording debut came prior to 1954)

Johnny Ace
Roy Brown
The Clovers
Guitar Slim
Lightnin' Hopkins
Amos Milburn
Little Esther Phillips
Big Jay McNeely
Sonny Boy Williamson II
Chuck Willis

Sidemen Ballot

Lee Allen
Mickey "Guitar" Baker
Mike Bloomfield
Glen Campbell
James Cotton
Nicky Hopkins
Al Kooper
Billy Preston
Robert Quine
Mick Ronson

VOTE TODAY! Polls close at 12 noon EST on Sunday, September 30.

Al Kooper and Mike Bloomfield

Comments

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

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The Clovers I t's Labor Day, and that means that it's time to kick off our Rock 'n' Roll Freaks Hall of Fame election season for the class of 2020! Our first two orders of business are preliminary votes in two categories: the Oldies Ballot , which is made up of artists and groups who made their recording debut prior to 1955; and the Contributors Ballot , made up of people who made their mark behind the scenes - producers, managers, disc jockeys, rock journalists, and others who contributed to rock 'n' roll history. To be eligible for this year's Contributors Ballot, the nominee had to have begun their career in music no later than 1984. HOW TO VOTE: Each ballot contains ten nominees. Select up to FIVE (minimum three) per ballot, and send your votes for each to rocknrollfreaks@gmail.com to be counted. The top vote getter in each category will join our class of 2019. If there is a tie for the top vote total, all nominees with the top amount of

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

The Rock 'n' Roll Freaks Hall

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