Only One Woman Is In the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Twice

Fleetwood Mac: Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie, Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, John McVie

I read an interview with Stevie Nicks recently.

Written by the fabulous Rob Sheffield in Rolling Stone, Nicks mused about a variety of topics, from her shawls to Prince and Tom Petty, the amazing Christine McVie, and so much more.

It's a great interview and a reminder of why Stevie Nicks is such an icon in rock history. She sounds wonderfully grounded and just as cool as you imagine she would be.

Yes, I've famously said I'd take McVie over Stevie, and I don't deny that. Christine McVie has one of those voices that I'd let sing anything to me.

If Vin Scully could read a grocery list, then Christine McVie could sing it. However, that doesn't mean I don't like Stevie. But come on. Just a small sample tells you her resume is filled with some pretty special songs.

The Chain (yes, a duet with Lindsey Buckingham, but still)
Landslide
Gold Dust Woman
Rhiannon
Dreams

You know, sort of a who's who of Fleetwood Mac. Then there's obviously her solo work, which never quite resonated as much with me (because, frankly, I got sick of them), but there's no denying how important those songs are.

But Stevie is also now the answer to a trivia question, which I gave away in the title of this post.

Stevie Nicks is the first woman to be inducted into the woefully-misguided Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice.

"It’s 22 to zero," she told Sheffield.

It's unofficially called "The Clyde McPhatter Club," after the first person to be inducted twice. McPhatter entered the hall in 1987 as a solo artist, and in 1988 as a member of The Drifters. Eric Clapton was next, having entered in 1992 as a member of The Yardbirds, and 1993 as a part of Cream, before becoming the first three-time inductee as himself.

Some of the others are obvious. There are these guys named John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. They're each in solo and as members of The Beatles.

Then there's Greg Rolie. Who? Rolie was a member of both Santana and Journey. Good timing, indeed.

My point is the names are both familiar and maybe not as much.

This post is not to debate the merits of the Hall of Fame. Anyone knows that it's flawed at best.

No, we're here to figure out what other women should be in more than once.

The first name that came to my mind was Diana Ross. Now, let's not get pedantic about it being called "The ROCK and ROLL Hall of Fame." We all know that's a misnomer, and that train is long gone. Rap, country, bluegrass, pop (Hi, Madonna), jazz, R&B, and gospel acts have all been honored in one way or another. So let's ignore that Diana Ross was anything but rock and roll after her days with The Supremes.

There's no debating Ross is a legend (by the way, she lives in Greenwich, and I got to hear her do soundcheck one night back in 2004 when she put on a free concert. You could hear it from our WGCH's old studio on Dayton Ave).

So I guess I'm surprised she's not in a second time. But beyond her, who?

You need to be in the right places. You need to be a part of a legendary group and have a great solo career. Or, I suppose you could be in a position of power (producer, executive, etc).

Now, I know this can open a rabbit hole of conversation about the lack of opportunities for women, and that's truly and duly noted. My sincere hope is that will one day not be a necessary conversation.

So we have Stevie Nicks. I'm offering Diana Ross. But who else?

I could make a case for The Go-Go's, for instance, but then my head will explode at the lack of respect for Mr. Lewis, Huey and his friends from Marin County, CA in that case. And I can't make a case for Belinda Carlisle's solo career. So, no.

Could Tina Turner go in as a solo artist? There's a case to be made there.

Will it be Beyoncé, along with Destiny's Child (again, forget that the Hall of Fame is named for Rock and Roll)?

Who's that woman (or women) that I'm missing?

*****
Forgive me (someone is bound to be offended), but whenever I think of Stevie Nicks, I think of this funny parody that my first radio buddy Brian played for me back in the early 90's.