Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame

Well, it's about time - the mighty Canadian progressive-rock trio Rush has finally - finally! - been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And announced on 12/12/2012, which isn't quite Rush Day but it's close enough.

Also, Heart. It's about time the girls got their due as well.

Southern Man's musical tastes have varied over the years, but those two have been in his top-ten list since - well, high school. He saw Heart on their very first solo national tour, way back in the day; they put on an absolutely terrific show and were so overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of our Southern City crowd that they played a seventy-minute encore. A hundred concerts later, that one still ranks as one of the best. Back then you could get a concert ticket and a t-shirt and get change back from a ten-dollar bill. And Rush is a constant favorite; Southern Man sees them any time they're within a few hundred miles of Southern City.

So in celebration here's some Rush. And some Heart. And tomorrow we'll examine the bands that should be in the R&R HoF and are not (number one on that list must be Kiss) and others that are and shouldn't be.


Not many bands can make a song from Morse Code...


...or use trees for social commentary...


...or write wonderful epic-length songs that will never get airplay...


...or get inside Southern Man's head the way this long-time favorite does.


Heart's first concert appearances were as the opening act for Led Zeppelin, which is why they do so many Zep covers.


And here's a Heart song that you've probably never heard. It's one of Southern Man's favorites. Here's a post by songwriter Sue Ennis on how they wrote that one.