The band, of course - you know, Low Rider, Why Can't We Be Friends? They're nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Jeff Beck, Chic, Wanda Jackson, Little Anthony and the Imperials, Metallica, Run-D.M.C., The Stooges and Bobby Womack. Here's why they should get in.
- They were extremely influential. Janet Jackson, Ice-T, Beastie Boys, De la Soul, Portishead and countless rappers you've never heard of have sampled their songs. They broke new ground with their smooth Funk, and no one has done it better.
- Three of their songs are enduring classics: "Low Rider," "Spill The Wine" and "Why Can't We Be Friends?" Other than Metallica and Run-DMC, can you say that about any of the other nominees?
- Eric Clapton, Bob Marley, Jimi Hendrix and many of the other folks who shaped Rock and Roll loved playing with War and drew inspiration from their sound. Hendrix jammed with them the night he died. Bob Marley's "Get Up Stand Up" is based on War's "Slipping Into Darkness."
- Legal issues and lack of a frontman have kept them from getting the attention they deserve. Eric Burdon was the face of the group for 2 years, but most of their hits came without him. It's hard to promote a group when they don't have one guy who represents them. In later years, the name War was awarded to their producer Jerry Goldstein, who allows original keyboard player Lonnie Jordan to tour as War with a bunch of replacement guys. It's a sad case of a legal dispute tarnishing a band's legacy, as the other 4 original living members can't use the name and tour as "The Lowrider Band."
I have a feeling the Rock Hall will trumpet their "diversity" and make a big deal of War being an integrated band (even though just one member is white), but that's missing the point. They should get in because they made outstanding music that has stood the test of time.