Jan & Dean in the RNR HOF

[David Beard]

http://www.examiner.com/article/jan-dean-s-contributions-still-ignored-by-the-rock-and-roll-hall

[Bitman]

Well...they are in the Hit Parade Hall of Fame

David

[Ban n Bean]

It's a shame really.  The RnR HOF induction process is truly a mess.  They've overlooked artists that have had members that died but later inducted such as the Dave Clark Five, Jan & Dean, The Monkees (yes).  Classic artists are dying off faster than the RnR HOF can induct them while other less listenable (let alone worthy) artists get their foot in with big fanfare at the first year of eligibility.

Someone in the HOF should sit down, make a list of those remotely worthy, sort it out by age and medical condition and proceed.  Quickly.

[Moon Dawg]

  Dave Marsh - a Jan & Dean fan - has some pull with the Hall but apparently not enough to overcome the bias of Rolling Stone tyrant Jann Wenner. Rock & Roll once symbolized freedom but Wenner runs the Hall like some elitist country club.

  The Dave Clark 5 made the Hall. OK then, let's compare their legacy to that of Jan & Dean. J & D were hitmakers from 1958-66. The DC5? 1964-66. The DC5 had their share of hits but none with the continuing mythical pull of "Dead Man's Curve" or "Surf City". Did the DC5 have a member whose talents were comparable to Jan's? IMO, nope.

 So, the Hall has inducted DC5, Cat Stevens, and Grandmaster Flash, but not Jan & Dean. It's all very political, not to mention shameful. Wenner should be removed from his position of control re the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

[jdman]

  Dave Marsh - a Jan & Dean fan - has some pull with the Hall but apparently not enough to overcome the bias of Rolling Stone tyrant Jann Wenner. Rock & Roll once symbolized freedom but Wenner runs the Hall like some elitist country club.

  The Dave Clark 5 made the Hall. OK then, let's compare their legacy to that of Jan & Dean. J & D were hitmakers from 1958-66. The DC5? 1964-66. The DC5 had their share of hits but none with the continuing mythical pull of "Dead Man's Curve" or "Surf City". Did the DC5 have a member whose talents were comparable to Jan's? IMO, nope.

 So, the Hall has inducted DC5, Cat Stevens, and Grandmaster Flash, but not Jan & Dean. It's all very political, not to mention shameful. Wenner should be removed from his position of control re the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Well said Moon Dawg! Even if they don't think the 1963-64 hits were enough. The 1958-1962 stuff was very influencial in their own right. I hear Jan & Dean's early music in the early Beach Boys, Paul Simon, early Punk groups, etc. When you add the early years to the 1963-64 classic hits and albums and then throw in Jan's Pop Symphony-how are they not in the Hall???

[jdman]

Tell me if you think Jan & Dean's early records had an affect on Paul Simon and The Beach Boys


Motorcycle Tico & the Triumphs 1961 Amy 45 835

Tom & Jerry (Simon & Garfunkel) - Baby Talk 1959 45rpm

*Rare* Recording Of "Surfin" - The Beach Boys

[Moon Dawg]

  True re the influences. As a big Brian Wilson/Beach Boys fan, I used to think in terms of Brian "making" Jan & Dean. This is a common misperception. J & D were making hits in 1958, at least 3 years before Brian and Mike wrote "Surfin". No doubt that Brian's association with J & D was beneficial to the duo, but Brian learned a trick or two from Jan as well.

  The qualifications for an act making the Rock Hall of Fame seem very arbitrary and intangible. I was never upset about the exclusion of Kiss, but did not have serious issue with their recent induction. (Dave Marsh certainly did, sparking an online "war" with the Kiss Army.)

 It would be nice if someone connected with the Hall could simply explain why Jan & Dean are not worthy in their eyes. Again, I return to The Dave Clark 5, Grandmaster Flash, and Cat Stevens. If they are in, then Jan & Dean should make the cut.

[Mike1965]

[Garneau Mike Woonsocket]

It makes no sense that Jan & Dean aren't in the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. But the R&RHOF makes no sense either. I don't see how Grandmaster Flash and Run DMC are 'Rock & Roll' or 'Rock'. I think the Sex Pistols had the right idea when they were inducted.

[Mike1965]

Let's hit them up! 

http://www.rockhall.com/contact/

[Mike1965]

I sent an email today to the RNR HOF asking why Jan & Dean have not been added and I received this email reply:

Michael, thank you for taking the time to contact us about the election of Jan and Dean to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. We respect and share your passion for rock and roll, from those blues and R&B artists who help lay the foundation for the music we celebrate every day at this great Museum to the musicians who continue to reinvent the genre more than a half century later.
 
Like you, rock and roll is part of our being, so we understand your passion about who gets inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Music – and by extension rock and roll – is a highly personalized experience. No two people feel exactly the same way about an artist, a band, an album, a song, live performance or a riff. With such powerful and deeply personal connections to the music, every fan believes his or her opinion is uniquely compelling and definitive. Artistic merit simply cannot be measured by statistics, album sales, Number One hits or concert attendance.
 
The Hall of Fame's nominating and induction process is detailed on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum's website: http://www.rockhall.com/inductees/induction-process/
 
Rock and roll is all about bringing people together, finding common threads that unite us. We're lucky to have experienced and shared this great music together – and will continue to do so. Thanks for keeping the spirit of rock and roll alive. We are honored to be entrusted with preserving it!

Thanks
Michael


Michael Sims | Manager of Visitor Services

MY REPLY:

Thank you for your reply Michael.  Do you like Jan & Dean's music?  I do for many reasons.  Jan and Dean were on the scene making music in 1958, three years before the Beach Boys.  Jan Berry of the group had an estimated 185 i.q. and was definitely a music genius.  Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys has mentioned many times that Jan taught him how to arrange and produce music.  This is just one example.  I could go on and on and do understand that a person's music taste is very individual like you mentioned but for the life of me cannot figure out why the original Surf Duo are not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame after all of these years.  It would be great to have Jan & Dean in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame while Dean is still alive so that he can accept on behalf of himself and Jan.

Would you please answer one question for me?  If you received hundreds of thousands more nominations for Jan & Dean than any other group this year would they be added to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame or is there more to it than that?

[Moon Dawg]

 Hey Mike-

 I just sent them an e-mail as well. I'll let everyone know what sort of response I get - probably the same generic reply you received. But intend to follow up regardless.

  The best thing we can say right now is that the general public seems to be questioning the nature and obvious bias of the process. Wenner has never liked surf music, and the tone of his mag makes it a safe bet he is not a Republican. Personally I do not care who is (or is not) a Republican or a Democrat, but maybe the political views expressed by Jan in certain tunes ("Universal Coward" and "Only A Boy") put the proverbial burr up Wenner's butt?

[Mike1965]

I know what you are saying Moon Dawg.  I will let you know he answers my question:

"Would you please answer one question for me?  If you received hundreds of thousands more nominations for Jan & Dean than any other group this year would they be added to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame or is there more to it than that?"

[Kann]

I gave them a nice reply asking them 5  days ago but nothing! No response! I am sure they are getting sick of us! So lets keep up with emailing them! 

[sunny13]

I sent my letter to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, 1290 Avenue of Americans, New York, NY 10104.  I haven't received a response; however, I am getting some important names who makes the decisions and will be trying to stay in contact.   Thanks for this info.  I will also send an e-mail.