Important musicians who are outside the Hall of Fame

Mark Evans - AC/DC

Imagine being Mark Evans, the man who played bass with AC/DC from 1975 to 1977. You laid down the groove for everything from "TNT" to "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" and "Let There Be Rock." And in the end, you weren't there for the band's induction into the Hall of Fame in 2003. You'd probably feel like putting the people in charge of the event through something that would make them scream even more terrifyingly than Bon Scott at the end of "Dirty Deeds."

Bruce Johnston - The Beach Boys

Bruce Johnston started filling in for the shy Brian Wilson at Beach Boys shows as early as 1965. He eventually became a member of the band. He's still a Beach Boy to this day. The Beach Boys earned their spot in the Rock Hall in 1988. But Johnston was left out of the Hall of Fame.

Ronnie James Dio - Black Sabbath

Sure, there have been as many singers in Black Sabbath as there have been drummers in Spinal Tap. But when Ronnie James Dio took the reins in 1980, no one had ever filled Ozzy Osbourne's shoes. And no one else ever would with such style. Yet when the band was inducted into the Rock Hall in 2006, it was all about Osbourne. Dio stayed in the shadows.

Gram Parsons, Clarence White - The Byrds

Without singer-songwriter Gram Parsons and guitarist Clarence White, the Byrds could never have achieved such success. Nor would they have shifted so convincingly from folk-rock to twangier tones, putting country-rock on the map. Somehow, this fact was conveniently forgotten when the Byrds' induction came around in 1991 at the Hall of Fame. By then Parsons and White were dead.

Don Airey, Steve Morse - Deep Purple

There have been so many members of Deep Purple that eight were invited to the induction of the hard-rock pioneers in 2016. But those eight didn't include guitar monster Steve Morse and keyboardist Don Airey, current members with a long history with the band.

Bob Welch - Fleetwood Mac

Singer and guitarist Bob Welch was the star who bridged the gap between the Peter Green era of Fleetwood Mac and the mega-platinum Lindsey Buckingham lineup. He wrote and sang some important tunes for the band (including his 1977 solo hit, "Sentimental Lady"). Sadly, Welch – who took his own life in 2012 – got nada from the HoF, despite having helped keep the Mac on track.

Anthony Phillips - Genesis

Flash news: Steve Hackett wasn't the original guitarist of Genesis. Instead, founding member Anthony Phillips appeared on both 1969's "From Genesis to Revelation" and 1970's "Trespass," the latter of which set the stage for their eventual turn toward folk-influenced prog. Phillips went on to a notable solo career afterward. But when the Rock Hall's time came to call, in 2010, his name never came up.

Signe Anderson - Jefferson Airplane

Signe Anderson took the front line of the Airplane alongside Marty Balin on the band's first album, before Grace Slick came along. Balin dominated the record, but Anderson's sweet, folky sounds can't be diminished. Come HoF time in 1996, though, Anderson seemed to be completely forgotten in favor of the successor who helped lead the band to fame.

Bruce Kulick, Vinnie Vincent, and Eric Carr - Kiss

There's been plenty of controversy about inviting Kiss to write a book. But anyone who would dismiss what guitarists Bruce Kulick and Vinnie Vincent and drummer Eric Carr brought to the table when they filled the shoes of Ace Frehley and Peter Criss is living in an alternate reality.

John Rutsey - Rush

Poor John Rutsey (who died in 2008) seems destined to go down in rock history as the Pete Best of Rush. He was the drummer on the band's debut album. He helped launch the career of one of rock's most beloved bands. But where's the love for what Rutsey did? It was nowhere to be found in 2013 when the Hall passed him over after his death.

Doug Yule - The Velvet Underground

Doug Yule didn't go on to become as celebrated a solo artist as his predecessor in the Velvet Underground, John Cale. His bass, keyboards, guitar, and vocals on "The Velvet Underground" and "Loaded" were just as important to the Velvets as anything Cale created. Nevertheless, the band's 1996 induction contained only a small acknowledgment of Yule's contributions.

Kenney Jones - The Who

We get it: he's not Keith Moon. Who is? But the man who had previously pounded the skins for Small Faces and Faces (for which, to be fair, he was inducted in 2012) enabled the Who to carry on for two more albums after Moon's death. Doesn't that count for something? Apparently not.