Burt Bacharach remembered; Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announces nominees

Burt Bacharach performing on an
ABC television special in 1972.

At first glance, the Feb. 1 announcement of 14 nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's Class of 2023 and passing of legendary songwriter Burt Bacharach on Feb. 8 would seem to have little in common.

Having written a slew of timeless classics — and seen his songs recorded by the diverse likes of the Beatles, Dionne Warwick, Aretha Franklin, Elvis Costello, the White Stripes, Love, Perry Como, Cilla Black, Stevie Wonder and Rod Stewart —  the 94-year-old Bacharach has still not yet been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

But this writer —  having had the good fortune to cover a concert featuring Bacharach and Warwick when they were still at the height of their artistic powers —  believes Bacharach will rank alongside Paul McCartney, Brian Wilson, Donald Fagen and Elvis Costello as one of the great sophisticated songwriters of the 20th century. His passing is also a jab at the Hall of Fame to consider the influence of artists on other musical greats as a key element in the consideration of nominees.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Speaking of the Hall of Fame, the following artists are nominated to be inducted later this year: groundbreaking British songstress Kate Bush; contemporary hitmaker Sheryl Crow; hip-hop icon Missy Elliott; heavy metal pioneers Iron Maiden; tandem alternative rock outfits Joy Division/New Order; singer Cyndi Lauper; pop singer George Michael; outlaw country music great Willie Nelson; rap-metal giants Rage Against the Machine; Seattle grunge champions Soundgarden; rhythm and blues vocal group The Spinners; American hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest; Detroit garage rock revivalists the White Stripes; and American singer-songwriter-musician Warren Zevon.

I am hopeful some of the more veteran artists in that field will be be announced as as the top names in May, and subsequently inducted in fall 2023. Here are the six artists I feel are most deserving of induction.

Kate Bush — Far better known in her native England than in the U.S., Kate Bush has nonetheless found growing acclaim here in recent years — thanks in no small part to her marvelous 1985 single "Running Up That Hill" gaining renewed popularity in May 2022 after it was featured in the plot of the fourth season of the hit Netflix series "Stranger Things." Other great Bush originals include "Cloudbusting," "Don't Give Up" (a duet with Peter Gabriel), "The Man with the Child in His Eyes" and "Babooshka." Her debut single "Wuthering Heights" released in 1978 when she was only 19, marked the first time a female artist had a number 1 hit on the UK Singles Chart with a self-written song.

Iron Maiden — Founded in 1975, English heavy metal heroes have released more than 40 albums. Beginning in the early 1980s, the band released a series of Platinum and Gold albums; the critically-acclaimed 1982 LP The Number of the Beast is among the most acclaimed heavy metal albums of all time and has reportedly sold more than 20 million copies. 

Joy Division/New Order — One of the smartest decisions by the selection committee was to nominate Joy Division and New Order together. Joy Division was an English rock group comprised of lead vocalist Ian Curtis, guitarist/keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris. The group pioneered a melancholy-wrapped style of sparse recordings that made them one of the most influential alternative rockers to emerge in the late 1970s. Sadly, Curtist struggled with a number of health and mental issues; the committed suicide at the age of 23 in May 1980. Later that year, the remaining members regrouped as New Order and went on to find enduring fame with their original mix of electronica and dance music. 

Willie Nelson — Like the late Johnny Cash, 2023 nominee Willie Nelson brings a legacy beyond his parade of celebrated outlaw country albums (Shotgun Willie, Red Headed Stranger, Stardust, etc.). The rare country artist to appear on the main stage at Coachella, Nelson has acted in more than 30 films, co-authored several books and has a signature guitar style as distinctive as his voice. It would be wonderful to see Nelson — who celebrates his 90th birthday on April 29 — be inducted into the Rock Hall.

The Spinners — Formed in Ferndale, Michigan in 1954, The Spinners scored a number of timeless hits during the 1960s and 1970s. Among their biggest hits was "I'll Be Around," "I'm Coming Home," "Then Came You" (the latter a collaboration with Dionne Warwick) and "The Rubberband Man."

Warren Zevon — Since passing away at the age of 56 in September 2003, Warren Zevon's legacy has only grown. A unique artist widely celebrated for his "dry wit and acerbic lyrics," the Chicago, Illinois native's most well-known songs include "Werewolves of London," "Lawyers, Guns and Money" and "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner." He also wrote the Linda Ronstadt 1978 hit "Poor Poor Pitiful Me." Of all this year's nominees, I am rooting hardest for the induction of this singularly unique artist.

Robert Kinsler