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A group of devotees has started an online petition demanding The Guess Who be considered for induction into the Cleveland-based institution's legion of honour, and guitarist Randy Bachman says he's happy and grateful that fans have taken the initiative to honor the group.
"I think it should be totally the fans who say who they want in the Hall Of Fame, not a bunch of guys who own record labels, lobbying to get their bands in there," Bachman told JAM! Music prior to an online chat on Thursday.
"I have been very disappointed in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, in that they tend to favour British and obviously Americans. I even look at some of the Americans they do (induct), or some of the bands that go to play at the ceremony ... It is a little bit unbalanced."
Ironically, when the Hall Of Fame first opened, he said he was contacted by a representative from the museum and asked to donate a hand-written set of lyrics to "Takin' Care Of Business." But nothing ever came of it.
"As you guys know with the Grammys and Junos, there is political stuff out there," he said.
Whatever forces are at work in preventing The Guess Who from getting a spot in the Hall Of Fame, the group's online fans hope an overwhelming show of support will result in the group being inducted.
"The Guess Who paved the way for other rock acts to follow from Canada, opening doors and showing that bands from Canada could be a success all over the world," the petition declares, adding that in 1970, The Guess Who out-sold The Beatles.
The petition (http://www.PetitionOnline.com/tfh1/petition.html), which has already attracted close to 700 online signees, trumpets the band's summer reunion tour, rhymes off their parade of hits and asks the Hall Of Fame's selection committee to consider the band for membership "so this obvious oversight can be corrected as soon as possible."
Calgary-based fan Sue Markowski told JAM! Music the petition was started by 200 members of a Guess Who message board last week.
"It annoys me terribly (that the band isn't in the Hall Of Fame). Lenny Kravitz has validated their influence on the music industry by recording 'American Woman,' and the music industry in the States should take a long look at why they are not in the Hall Of Fame," she said.
"To me, their sound is different. It is easily recognizable. I don't understand with the amount of product they have sold that they are not in there. I believe it is political."
To further bolster The Guess Who's chances, Cleveland-based fan Mark Chadbourne is directing fans to an online poll being conducted by the Cleveland Plain Dealer newspaper, asking readers to select their picks for this year's nominees. (Among them are Aerosmith, AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Lou Reed and Steely Dan.) The Plain Dealer poll provides space for un-nominated, write-in candidates, and Chadbourne is calling on Guess Who fans to submit the group's name, in the hope of getting the Hall Of Fame's attention.
"The Guess Who have no artifacts or contributions displayed in the Hall of Fame Museum. I have been pushing for a Canadian Rock Invasion exhibition there for quite a while and would hope the Guess Who would like to contribute to the Museum and get the attention they deserve," Chadbourne told JAM! Music via e-mail.
Guess Who fans aren't the only ones going after the Hall Of Fame for neglecting their heroes. Fans of Rush have started a similar online petition, hoping to get the power trio recognized for their influence on a generation of hard rockers. As of yesterday, 570 fans had endorsed the campaign for the band.
The Hall Of Fame Foundation's selection committee -- which is composed of "rock and roll historians," according to the hall's website -- hasn't been anti-Canadian in the past. Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and Zal Yanovsky (as a member of The Lovin' Spoonful) have all been inducted. Calls to the Hall Of Fame Foundation weren't returned Thursday.
Both The Guess Who and Rush meet the Hall Of Fame's minimum requirement: that nominees must have a 25-year track record.
More problematic would be the issue of their influence on music in general. Although The Guess Who and Rush have sold more records than other inductees -- including Buffalo Springfield, Parliament-Funkadelic and Bobby "Blue Bland -- the argument would likely be made that those artists were more influential.
Although that still wouldn't account for the fact that a trifling pop act like The Young Rascals warranted induction, while Rush and The Guess Who have been ignored.
There are signs that the tide may be turning for the bands. Rush is increasingly mentioned as an influence by younger rock bands, while The Guess Who's catalogue has finally been getting the deluxe-reissue treatment. The group is even affectionately name-checked in the current hit film "Almost Famous."
Whatever doubts there might be about the group's importance stateside, the significance of Rush and The Guess Who to Canadians is beyond doubt. When JAM! Music asked readers to name the most important Canadian band of all time in our millennium poll, Rush was the overwhelming winner.
Earlier this year, when JAM! Music and the Sun newspapers asked readers to vote for their favourite Canadian song ever, "American Woman" came out on top.