Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2009

They've just announced the inductions for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's Class of 2009, and as always, the list of honorees includes a few no-brainers as well as a few head-scratchers.

The only boilerplate "ground rule" for eligibility in the performer's category is that it must be at least 25 years since your debut recording, and since, unlike say, a sports Hall of Fame where statistical standards can be used to assist voters in their assessments, the Rock Hall voting process is a fairly nebulous one.

The nominees this year, in alphabetical order were: Jeff Beck; Chic; Wanda Jackson; Little Anthony & the Imperials; Metallica; Run D.M.C; the Stooges; War; and Bobby Womack.

Of the nine, five--guitarist Beck, doo-woppers Little Anthony & the Imperials, thrashers Metallica, rappers Run D.M.C. and r'n'ber Womack--have been elected as performers, with rockabilly vocalist Jackson to be inducted in the "Early Influence" category. (Additionally, former Elvis Presley accompanists Bill Black (bass), and D.J. Fontana (drums), along with Southern soul keyboardist Spooner Oldham, are being inducted in the non-voted upon "Sideman" category).

I'm probably most satisfied that Little Anthony & the Imperials finally got in, and that Wanda Jackson is finally being, as it were, "semi"-inducted. That's because, as more time goes by and we get further and further down that 25-year rule slope, more older artists who haven't yet been duly recognized for their achievements in increasingly bygone eras will be less likely to get nominated, let alone elected. And unless the Rock Hall establishes some kind of Veteran's Committee a la the Baseball Hall of Fame, that trend may well continue.

More problematic, of course, are artists like Jeff Beck, who, like Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page, has now been elected as a solo artist in addition to being inducted as a member of the seminal '60s band the Yardbirds. Plenty of precedence for this, of course: For example, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison went in as Beatles and as solos, Curtis Mayfield as a member of the Impressions and a solo, Neil Young as a Buffalo Springfielder and a solo, and (my favorite) Paul Simon as half of Simon & Garfunkel and by himself. And Eric Clapton, if I'm not mistaken, has the hall of fame record for being voted in three times (Yardbirds, Cream and solo).

Much as I think Jeff Beck is one of the greatest and most influential rock 'n' rollers of all time, it does seem to me that once a musician gets voted in, either as a part of a group or as a solo artist, that should be the end of it. I'm not holding my breath for any big rule change, though. Especially since Halls of Fame of any sort aren't exactly the kinds of places where you check your ego at the door; they're more the places you get them stamped.

Four Tops Frontman Levi Stubbs Dead at 72

DETROIT – Four Tops frontman Levi Stubbs, whose dynamic and emotive voice drove such Motown classics as "Reach Out (I'll Be There)" and "Baby I Need Your Loving," died Friday at 72.

He had been ill recently and died in his sleep at the Detroit house he shared with his wife, said Dana Meah, the wife of a grandson. The Wayne County medical examiner's office also confirmed the death.

With Stubbs in the lead, the Four Tops sold millions of records and performed for more than four decades without a change in personnel.

"Levi Stubbs was one of the great voices of all times," former Motown labelmate Smokey Robinson said. "He was very near and dear to my heart. He was my friend and my brother, I miss him. God bless his family and comfort them."

The Four Tops began singing together in 1953 under the name the Four Aims and signed a deal with Chess Records. They later changed their names to the Four Tops to avoid being confused with the Ames Brothers.

They also recorded for Red Top, Riverside and Columbia Records and toured supper clubs.

The Four Tops signed with Motown Records in 1963 and produced 20 Top-40 hits over the next 10 years, making music history with the other acts in Berry Gordy's Motown stable.

"It is not only a tremendous personal loss for me, but for the Motown family, and people all over the world who were touched by his rare voice and remarkable spirit," Gordy said Friday. "Levi was the greatest interpreter of songs I've ever heard."

When he and others at Motown first heard "Baby I Need Your Loving," Gordy remembered: "Levi's voice exploded in the room and went straight for our hearts. We all knew it was a hit, hands down."

Their biggest hits were recorded between 1964 and 1967 with the in-house songwriting and production team of Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland. Both 1965's "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)" and 1966's "Reach Out" went to No. 1 on the Billboard pop chart.

Other hits included "Shake Me, Wake Me" (1966), "Bernadette" and "Standing in the Shadows of Love" (both 1967).

The acclaimed documentary film "Standing in the Shadows of Motown," which took its name from the Four Tops song, was released in 2002 and focused on the Funk Brothers, the talented but unheralded musicians who played backup on many Motown recordings.

While Stubbs didn't play a direct role in the film's production, director Paul Justman spoke Friday of the singer's immense talent.

"He was a tremendous artist," Justman said.

Stubbs "fits right up there with all the icons of Motown," said Audley Smith, chief operating officer of the Motown Historical Museum. "His voice was as unique as Marvin's or as Smokey's or as Stevie's."

The Four Tops toured for decades after their heyday and reached the charts as late as 1988 with "Indestructible" on Arista Records. In 1986, Stubbs provided the voice for Audrey II the man-eating plant in the film "Little Shop of Horrors."

The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Stubbs' death leaves one surviving member of the original group: Abdul "Duke" Fakir. Original Top Lawrence Payton died of liver cancer in 1997. Renaldo "Obie" Benson died of lung cancer in 2005.

Stubbs hadn't done much performing in recent years because of his declining health, but was known to step up on stage from time to time when a Motown touring production came through Detroit.

He was born in 1936 and attended Detroit's Pershing High School, where he sang with Fakir. They met fellow Payton and Benson while singing at a mutual friend's birthday party, then decided to form a group.

Stubbs is survived by his wife Clineice, five children and 11 grandchildren.