Ins and Outs of the Hall

Robert Hilburn questions whether the Moonglows are Rock and Roll Hall of Fame material (From the Vaults, Feb. 4). Of course they aren’t, but attributing their election to a “lean crop” of eligible artists is not the answer. How can a list that includes Brenda Lee, Bob Seger, Dave Edmunds and Gene Pitney be considered “lean”?

The problem is that the list is too white for the heavily black-oriented hall. And as long as that is their emphasis, then good-but-not-great acts like the Moonglows and what-have-they-to-do-with-rock-music? acts like Earth, Wind & Fire will continue to water down the hall, while truly great and legitimate rockers will continue to be left out.

MICHAEL HELWIG

Canoga Park

*

I grew up in New York with many of the (black and white) groups and all of them idolized the Moonglows as the very best group there was. The Moonglows’ harmony was impeccable, modern without being pretentious. They excelled on up-tempo rockers like “See Saw,” blues like “I Was Wrong,” standards like “Blue Velvet” and their cover version of Doris Day’s hit “Secret Love” or their own amazing “Most of All,” “In My Diary,” not to mention the classic “Sincerely.” And don’t for one minute think we teenagers didn’t find those records every bit as “exciting” as the Midnighters or as “graceful” as the Impressions.

I don’t know if the Moonglows belong in the Hall of Fame ahead of some others I could think of. What I do know is that, both as a musician and singer myself and as one who listened to them as a teenager, the Moonglows were as great a singing group as ever approached a microphone.

BILLY VERA

Los Angeles

*

The question is not whether the Moonglows are “great” or merely “good.” The question is whether James Taylor, Bonnie Raitt and Eric Clapton as a solo artist are “bad” or merely “boring.”

The Hall of Fame does seem to be running out of deserving candidates, but out of all of this year’s inductees, the Moonglows seem to be the only ones truly worthy of a place there.

EDDIE HANKINS

WEVL-FM, Memphis