Jack White Calls Out Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Demands Recognition for Punk and Heavy Icons

Jack White has a long list of artists he says deserve Rock and Roll Hall of Fame recognition, calling out the institution’s neglect of punk and heavier acts.

Jack White used his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction speech to call out what he sees as the institution’s long-running blind spot: the exclusion of punk, heavy, and underground artists who helped shape modern rock.

During The White Stripes’ induction ceremony over the weekend, White took the opportunity to name over twenty acts he believes deserve a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His list covered a wide spectrum of genres, from punk legends and metal pioneers to country and garage rock staples.

Among the names Jack White listed were Death, The Misfits, Fugazi, Black Flag, Minor Threat, The Cramps, The Damned, and Sleater-Kinney, alongside alternative icons like Beck, Pavement, and The Strokes.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has been criticised for years for overlooking heavier and more underground genres in favour of mainstream or classic acts. White’s speech directly addressed that divide, highlighting musicians whose influence runs deep but whose recognition has lagged behind.

Several of White’s picks trace back to his roots in Detroit, including The Gories, The Hentchmen, and The Rats. He also named country legends Loretta Lynn and Merle Haggard, progressive icons Emerson Lake and Palmer, and surf guitar innovator Dick Dale. The list rounded out with garage and alt-rock staples like The Hives, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Breeders, and experimental trailblazer Captain Beefheart.

“To young artists, I want to say, get your hands dirty and drop the screens and get out in your garage or your little room and get obsessed,” Jack White said during his speech. “Get obsessed with something, get passionate. We all want to share in what you might create.”

Reflecting on his own journey, White added, “I myself have been in a lot of bands that you’ve probably never heard of. But for some reason, people especially connected with this one two-piece duo project that I was in called the White Stripes. We don’t know why these things happen, but when they do, it’s the most beautiful thing you can have as an artist or musician when people are responding and sharing with you.”

White’s full list of suggested inductees included:

• The Gories
• The Gun Club
• Loretta Lynn
• Fugazi
• The Misfits
• Emerson Lake And Palmer
• Love And Arthur Lee
• The Flat Duo Jets And Dexter Romweber
• Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow
• The Hentchmen
• Dick Dale
• Beck
• Pavement
• The Strokes
• Black Flag
• Sleater-Kinney
• Death
• The Breeders
• The Cramps
• Merle Haggard
• The Hives
• The Damned
• The Yeah Yeah Yeahs
• Minor Threat
• The Rats
• Captain Beefheart