Days after the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame announced their 2020 nominees, criticism has seen the nomination of Motörhead amended to add overlooked members.
Last week, the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame announced the list of artists who had received nominations for its class of 2020. In addition to “frequent flyers” like Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails, Rufus featuring Chaka Khan, MC5, and the six-time nominated Kraftwerk, more than half of the list was made up of debut nominees.
In fact, the list of first-timers featured huge names like Pat Benatar, Dave Matthews Band, The Doobie Brothers, Whitney Houston, Motörhead, The Notorious B.I.G., Soundgarden, T.Rex, and Thin Lizzy, while Judas Priest and Todd Rundgren entered the list for the second time.
While it was amazing enough that artists like The Doobie Brothers and Motörhead had never scored a nomination (despite having been eligible since 1996 and 2002, respectively), the latter’s appearance resulted in quite a bit of criticism directed towards the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.
Check out Motörhead’s ‘Till The End’:
The issue in question stemmed from the fact that the only three members of Motörhead who scored a nod were the late Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister, “Fast” Eddie Clarke, and Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor.
While both Clarke and Taylor were members of the band’s lineup during the release of their first album, their contributions only saw the former in the band for a total of six years, while the latter was in the lineup for a total of 14 non-consecutive years.
Many fans soon spoke out about the fact that guitarist Phil “Wizzö” Campbell (who had been in Motörhead for 31 years) and drummer Mikkey Dee (a member for 23 years) were blatantly overlooked, with Dee discussing the matter with Billboard last week.
“That is pure wrong, I would say, and I know Phil will be very disappointed, too,” he explained. “We’ve been carrying the flag for 25 years together, and actually brought Motörhead to what it was. We did 25 years out of the 40.
“The original band lasted just a few years,” he continued. “They started it off, but as Lemmy said himself they wouldn’t have lasted another six months doing that lineup. I don’t think we would’ve been where we are today without the 25 years we spent touring.”
Thanks to everyone who spoke up loudly.
Thanks to the #ROCKHALL2020 for listening and adding Phil & Mikkey.
All for one and one for all! #motörhead
vote here, everyday: https://t.co/LADluKBFch pic.twitter.com/TENlq2wPlF— Official Motörhead (@myMotorhead) October 20, 2019
However, following outcry from fans of the band, the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame nomination has since been altered to include both Phil Campbell and Mikkey Dee, and referring to the band as having two distinct “eras” of their lineup.
“Motörhead experienced two distinct eras, first in the ‘70s and then in the ‘80s, ‘90s and beyond,” the bio now reads. “Phil Campbell (guitar) and Mikkey Dee (drums) joined the band in that second era and pushed their sound into new directions.”
If you’re following the Rock Hall happenings, fans can have their say about who should be inducted at the official website, while the voting pool will consist of more than 1,000 artists, historians, journalists, and music industry insiders all picking those who will make up the Class of 2020.
The new inductees will be announced in January, with an official ceremony set to take place on May 2nd, 2020. Stay tuned for more controversy in regards to snubs, and to see which artists will perform at next year’s ceremony.
Check out ‘Ace Of Spades’ by Motörhead:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWB5JZRGl0U