Why Pearl Jam is a ‘shoo-in’ for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

If there is one sure thing when it comes to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s list of nominees this year, it’s that Seattle has boasting rights. Pearl Jam is among the hopefuls and one expert close to the process says they are as good as in.

“I think they are a shoo-in … I think Pearl Jam is the safest of all the bets on that list,” said Howard Kramer, former Rock & Roll Hall of Fame curatorial director.

When Nirvana joined the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

“I would put them in one of the top five bands in the world and they have been for a very long time,” he said. “When you can headline baseball stadiums, there is no question as to your importance. And they’ve been at that level for a very long time. They are superstars – they are a superstar rock band in an era when there are very few superstar rock bands.”

Pearl Jam is among the list of artists nominated for recognition of their contribution to Rock & Roll. To the Seattle area, the band is among a handful of artists who put the city on the musical map. Whereas the industry never paid much attention to the Northwest city — aside from playing Heart and Jimi Hendrix records — after the ’90s and bands like Pearl Jam, there would be no question as to the artistic wealth of the region.

Heart and Hendrix, along with The Ventures and Nirvana, are the only other Seattle-area artists in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. This is the first opportunity for Pearl Jam to be included. In order to be nominated, the band’s first album must be at least 25 years old. Pearl Jam’s debut album “Ten” was released in 1991. It produced three hits for the band with “Jeremy,” “Alive,” and “Even Flow.”

Beyond Pearl Jam

The competition is steep.

“You look at this group and there are 19 artists, which is the biggest ballot I’ve ever seen – they cover everything,” Kramer said.

This year’s nominees include: Bad Brains, The Cars, Chaka Khan, Chic, Depeche Mode, Electric Light Orchestra, J. Geils Band, Jane’s Addiction, Janet Jackson, Joan Baez, Joe Tex, Journey, Kraftwerk, MC5, Pearl Jam, Steppenwolf, Tupac Shakur, Yes, and The Zombies.

Kramer said Tupac Shakur is certain to cause controversy — he’s a hip-hop artist. The argument will surround what place hip-hop has in rock & roll. But if it were up to Kramer, Tupac would be in. There’s no question.

“In blues, there are a few pillars – Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Willie Dixon, John Lee Hooker. (Tupac) is one of the pillars of hip-hop,” Kramer said. “There’s a before Tupac, and there’s an after Tupac.”

“People are still going to have that argument, though,” he said. “Some people like their Rock & Roll white, with long hair and six strings.”

Speaking of white, with long hair and six strings, Journey is also on the list. But Kramer isn’t so sure about the band that has provided considerable contributions to Trans Am owners and karaoke bars.

“I’ve wondered at the durability of Journey,” he said. “I’ve wondered if they hadn’t used that song on the last episode of ‘The Sopranos,’ if we would even be having this conversation.”

“They’ve endured and I was never a fan,” Kramer said. “Will they get in? I don’t know. I don’t know how well respected they are. It wouldn’t surprise me if they didn’t get in.”

Another standout is Bad Brains — a hardcore punk band that dominated the Washington DC scene since forming in 1977. They are said to have influenced a wide range of artists that followed, from the Beastie Boys to Soundgarden and Jane’s Addiction (also on the list this year).

“The biggest surprise on this list is Bad Brains,” Kramer said. “I don’t think most of the listening audience knows who they are. But to whom it makes a difference, they are a major, major group.”

Kramer thinks one such person who it makes a difference to is why the band made this list — a person also hailing from the Seattle scene. He can’t say exactly who is on the nomination board, however …

“I think Dave Grohl may have a little hand in this,” Kramer said. “He’s a guy that grew up in Washington DC watching Bad Brains. He knows the power of that band. Anybody that’s into hardcore or American indie punk knows that they were one of the greatest bands of that era. They absolutely deserve recognition.”

To make the list this year, the nominees must have put out their first record before 1992. The public can vote online for their top five artists. The ceremony will be at Brooklyn’s Barclay Center and will be shown on HBO.

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