Motown founder Berry Gordy is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but then again there are many Motown artists in the hall. However…
Why are Mary Wells, Lionel Richie and the Commodores, the Spinners, and the Marvelettes are not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? Sure, as a hall of fame voter it might be easy to miss the Marvelettes or Mary Wells; they did not sell a bajillion records or have more than a few top songs on the charts, but frankly their overall contributions to Motown and the sound of 60s is unmistakable.
The real crime is the omission of both the Spinners and Lionel Richie and the Commodores. The Spinners had 17 songs in the Top 40 chart, sold over 25 million records, sustained sell out success for three decades, and made the best music around.
Lionel Richie and the Commodores began when two local bands, the Mystics and the Jays joined forces as students at Tuskegee University in Alabama. The band was nominated nine times for a Grammy, winning in 1986 for “Nightshift,” sold millions of tunes, and gave us Lionel Richie.
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