So, for the fourth installment of looking at how to address the backlog of worthy acts deserving induction into the R&RHoF, I will be looking at creative use of the special categories, what I derisively call "creative shoehorning". I have to be upfront, I do not. . .

. . . approve of this method for a number of concerns, but I promise until I get to those concerns at the end of these tweets that I will be nice (and the RHWs all said yeah right. . . ). You be judge.

For non-RHWs, in short, one way the R&RHoF has been inducting acts, often but not necessarily snubbed by the voters, is to include them into the special categories. The special categories currently are Early Influences, Musical Excellence (which now includes everyone. . .

. . . previously inducted under the Sideman Category, and the Ahmet E. Ertegun Award (which I have started calling the AEE Award - it includes everyone inducted under the non-performer category and the AEE Lifetime Achievement Award category). The rest of my tweets will. . .

. . . deal with the nuts and bolts and details of the special categories and how they have been used in the past to induct extra inductees, so those who are already bored can tune out and those who are curious can read on. . . .

I've organized things this way: (1) when did rock start?, (2) the definitions of the categories, (3) how the categories were used during Ahmet Ertegun's oversight of the R&RHoF, (4) how the categories were used during Jann Wenner's oversight of the R&RHoF, (5) my concerns. . .

. . . (that's where I stop being nice) and (6) a bonus discussion of actual shoehorns. I'm being nice! . . .

It's important when discussing using these special categories as ways of inducting worthy acts who otherwise may prove difficult inducting as performers by looking at when rock and roll started and how long ago those acts inducted as performers issued their early releases, . . .

. . . especially considering the category of "early influences". The thing is, everyone has an opinion as to when rock and roll started it seems. There is even a book dedicated to finding the first rock and roll record. No, I haven't read it. https://www.amazon.com/What-First-Rock-Roll-Record/dp/0571129390

Some people feel the rock era started when Elvis Presley had his first #1 single - "Heartbreak Hotel" in 1956. Some people feel it started earlier when "Rock Around The Clock" was re-released went to #1 when the movie Blackboard Jungle came out (14 May 1955). . . .

Some point to Billy Ward & the Dominoes (who have been nominated once and never inducted) when they crossed over to the pop charts with the raunchy "Sixty Minute Man" (1951 #17 Pop / #1 14 wks R&B). Others will say rock and roll really started when Wynonie Harris turned. . .

. . . down a song by an unknown Roy Brown, so Roy Brown turned around and had a hit with "Good Rockin' Tonight" in 1948 (#13 R&B, re-entered 1949 and reached #11), prompting Harris to reconsider and releasing his version (1948 #1 R&B). What Roy Brown did was to take. . .

. . . jump blues and its sexual innuendoes, emphasize the rhythm even more and sing the words like he was singing gospel music. This last part was controversial, as many people recognized what he was doing and considered it sacrilege. Other people would say rock & roll. . .

. . . started with a tune Benny Goodman and Lionel Hampton wrote called "Flying Home". When Hampton released his version in 1942, it featured for at the time a wild saxophone solo by Illinois Jacquet, who used a style that would come to be known as honking. Honking. . .

. . . saxophone solos would become a fixture in rock & roll until the electric guitar solo took over, and even then continued over the decades. Besides these examples, there are many other records many people pointed to as the first rock and roll record, most of which. . .

. . . were included in an update to the R&RHoF's Songs That Shaped Rock & Roll list that has disappeared and seems to have been replaced by Steven Van Zant's Singles Category (I am still being nice. . . ).

It appears that the acts that have been inducted as performers that have the earliest first releases conform to these various definitions of when the rock era started. The earliest R&RHoF performer inductees are Big Joe Turner (first release was in 1941, and he had a lot. . .

. . . of releases throughout the 40s, although his best known songs were released in the 50s starting with "Chains Of Love" in 1951), Miles Davis (first release 1946), Muddy Waters (first release 1947, excluding a one-off for the Library of Congress in 1941), Bill Haley. . .

. . . (first release with the 4 Aces in 1948; he released a number of recordings with the 4 Aces and the Saddlemen in the late 40s/early 50s until he put together the Comets in 1952), John Lee Hooker (first release 1948), Ruth Brown (first release 1949), B.B. King (first. . .

. . . release 1949), Fats Domino (first release 1950) and Ray Charles (first release 1951). So, for the most part, we're talking about 1947-1951 as being the earliest an act could have its first release to be still distinguished as a performer instead of an early. . .

. . . influence, with the sole exception of Miles Davis, who was probably put as a performer because he developed jazz fusion, a combination of rock and jazz, in the 60s, but mostly because he's f**king Miles Davis so induct him as a performer. . . .

So, let's move on to definitions of the special categories. I mean, if you're going to get creative with the special categories to induct extra inductees, you first have to know what those special categories were originally set up for, right?

Here's the definition for the Early Influence category: Honoring the artists that pre-date the birth of rock & roll, but have had a profound impact on music's evolution and its iconic artists. You can read it here:

https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/categories/early-influences

Here's the definition for the Award for Musical Excellence: Honoring performers, songwriters and producers who have changed the course of music history. These artists have dedicated their lives to creating influential, important music infused with originality, and have . . .

. . . achieved a level of timeless distinction. You can read that definition here:

https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/categories/award-musical-excellence

Here is the definition of the AEE Award: Honoring songwriters, producers, disc jockeys, record executives, journalists and other industry professionals who have had a major influence on rock & roll. You can read that definition here:

https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/categories/ahmet-ertegun-award

Now, when Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun presided over the R&RHoF, when was the first time he used the special categories to induct an act that was snubbed by the voters? Well, it happens to be one of the sorest points among just about all RHWs. . .

Carole King was on the nominee ballot in 1989. She was passed over by the voters in favor of Dion, Otis Redding, the Rolling Stones, Stevie Wonder and the Temptations. It seems instead of putting her back on the ballot, they inducted her with her songwriting partner and. . .

. . . ex-husband Gerry Goffin, and they called it good. Now, we can go on about how Carole King deserves to be inducted as a performer, and others, such as @mb1a32 , have spoken at length about this, but for this discussion I'm holding her up as the first time the R&RHoF. . .

. . . got creative with one of the special categories. The next act AEE got creative with was Howlin' Wolf. Howlin' Wolf started recording in 1951, and so his entire output was concurrent with the rock era, not to mention his much earlier Chess labelmate Muddy Waters. . .

. . . was inducted as a performer. So where did AEE wind up inducting him? In the Early Influence category. This caused more consternation when it happened than it seems to now among RHWs. The next one, though, continues to cause RHWs to scratch their heads. Why Dave. . .

. . . Bartholomew was simply put in the non-performer - NON-PERFORMER - category without even being nominated for the performer category is mind-boggling considering he was the complete package - a bandleader, a trumpeter, a producer, a songwriter. I would guess nowadays. . .

. . . he would be inducted in the musical excellence category because that encompasses EVERYTHING Dave Bartholomew did because Dave Bartholomew did EVERYTHING. But that category didn't exist back then. It still doesn't explain why a trumpeter who was a bandleader was. . .

. . . inducted as a non-performer. I'm guessing someone had the clout and urgency to make Bartholomew's induction a priority, so AEE made it happen, although I have no idea who that would be. Next, another in the category of being more controversial then but not so much. . .

. . . now, Dinah Washington was inducted as an early influence in 1993. Now, I can understand why some objected to this, because Washington's crossover hits, and arguably her biggest hits, were in the late 50s and early 60s before she overdosed on alcohol and pills. But. . .

. . . Washington seems to have had as many hits in the 40s as she did in the 50s and early 60s. Washington is an act I call a "straddler" - she could have been inducted as a performer as easily as an early influence because her heyday was both before and during the rock era. . .

. . . As such, I'm not concerned about this induction, I don't see anyone else nowadays concerned about it, and Washington will be the only straddler I will mention in these tweets. Next is another bandleader and a vibrophonist, as well as a songwriter, producer. . .

. . . and talent scout, Johnny Otis. Okay, everyone sing "Willie And The Hand Jive". . . Why did they induct him in the NON-PERFORMER category in 1994, or even why did they wait until 1994 to induct him, are good questions. Like Bartholomew, I would feel Otis would. . .

. . . best fit into the Musical Excellence category, except that category didn't exist back then. But NON-PERFORMER for someone with 17 top ten R&B hits (many with the longtime snubbed Esther Phillips) and one top ten pop hit? . . . And continuing on this theme, the next one. . .

. . . is another New Orleans great, Allen Toussaint. Now, his recordings didn't chart like Otis', but like Bartholomew he recorded many recordings throughout his life, as well as produce and write songs. I feel he would have better fit the Musical Excellence category, but. . .

. . . again, that category didn't exist, so AEE inducted him in 1998. Around this time, they introduced the Sideman Category, which brings us to King Curtis. Curtis was nominated 5 times in a row. . . 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989 and 1990. . . and for whatever reason, they. . .

. . . decided not to nominate him two more years in a row (it is very difficult, as you see, to nominate an act seven years in a row), and didn't nominate him again until 1996. When they created the sideman category, he was among its first inductees. Now, yes, . . .

. . . this may be the best fit for King Curtis, since his biggest claim to fame was all the tremendous saxophone solos he created for many of the greatest hits of the 50s, while as a performer he had two top ten R&B / top forty pop hits ("Soul Twist" and "Memphis Soul. . .

. . . Stew"), it's not what he's best noted for. So, his inclusion is only that they tried SEVERAL times to induct him as a performer, and it's obvious they strongly felt he belonged (and rightly so), so they used the Sideman Category to induct him. This is probably. . .

. . . the best fit out of all of these, I feel. Anyway, Ertegun did not use the special categories to induct any other problematic acts before he died in 2003, at which point Jann S. Wenner took over the R&RHoF. Now, Wenner got more flack for doing the same thing as AEE, . . .

. . . even though Wenner only did it seven times like Ertegun did. Why? I'm guessing it's because Ertegun's choices at least made a lot of sense. Many of us felt and still feel Wenner's choices smacked more of "let's get them in - let's do it this way" with little. . .

sense. As such, this will probably be the most negative I will be before I express my concerns, but it's difficult to talk about these and not mention most of our objections. First up, Ringo Starr, inducted in 2008 in the Musical Excellence category.

Paul McCartney, who I call Macca, calls up Ringo for his birthday and asks him what he wants. Ringo said he wanted to be inducted solo into the R&RHoF. Macca calls Bruce Springsteen and talks to him about that, and Bruce said he would see what he could do. Suddenly Ringo. . .

. . . Starr is inducted in the Musical Excellence category. In an attempt to limit the negativity, I will leave that one right there. . . . Then there is Wanda Jackson. A priority for Elvis Costello, Wanda Jackson was nominated in 2005 and 2009 but passed over by the voters.

. . . She was then inducted as an Early Influence in 2009, purportedly because she was an early influence on women, which is completely true. But the person who got her into rock and roll was none other than Elvis Presley, and her entire recording work dates from 1954 on. . . .

. . . As such, she better fits performer than early influence. Next was the biggest touring act of the early 70s - Leon Russell. Yes, he was bigger than anyone back then. But he also had a long list of recordings from the 60s and on where he lended his keyboard. . .

. . . prowess to. Elton John found him in the 2000s playing bars and in horrible health, and helped rehabilitate him with a new album, Grammy appearance, Grammy Award and an induction as a sideman in the R&RHoF. Now, should a major act who is also a major sideman. . .

. . . be inducted as a performer or as a sideman? I guess it depends on if you were into music from 1971 to 1975 or not. I do feel if Leon Russell was nominated back then, the voters would have inducted him as a performer. We'll never know. . .

. . . Freddie King was inducted as an early influence in 2012. His first release was "Country Boy" in 1957, and his greatest and most influential records were released from 1960 on. What's more, he was nominated in 2012, but the voters snubbed him, so it seems there was. . .

. . . some urgent imperative to induct him, and so they used the early influence category to do so. To put an exclamation point on that, Albert King, whose first release was in 1953, was inducted as a performer the next year. . . . Quincy Jones fits in with Bartholomew, . . .