Induct Big Star into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Big Star was a Memphis, Tennessee based power pop band formed in 1971 by Alex Chilton, Chris Bell, Jody Stephens and Andy Hummel. The group broke up in 1974, but reunited with a new line-up consisting of Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow of the Seattle based power pop band The Posies, nearly 20 years later. The group continued on until Alex Chilton passed away in 2010.

In its first era, the band's musical style drew on the work of British Invasion groups including The Beatles and The Kinks, as well as The Byrds, The Beach Boys, and other U.S. acts. To the resulting power pop, Big Star added dark, nihilistic themes, and produced a style that foreshadowed the alternative rock of the 1980s and 1990s. Before it broke up, Big Star created a "seminal body of work that never stopped inspiring succeeding generations" in the words of Rolling Stone, earning recognition decades later, according to Allmusic, as the "quintessential American power pop band" and "one of the most mythic and influential cult acts in all of rock & roll".

Big Star's first album1972's #1 Recordmet with enthusiastic reviews, but ineffective marketing by Stax Records and limited distribution stunted commercial success. Frustration took its toll on band relations and by the time a second album was completed in January 1974, both Bell and Hummel had left. Like #1 Record, Radio City received excellent reviews, but record company problems again thwarted salesColumbia Records, which had assumed control of the Stax catalog, effectively vetoed its distribution. After a third album was deemed too uncommercial for release and shelved before receiving a title, the band broke up late in 1974. Four years later, the first two Big Star LPs were released together as a double album. The band's third album was finally issued soon afterward; titled Third/Sister Lovers, it found limited commercial success.

The Big Star discography drew renewed attention in the 1980s when R.E.M. and other popular bands acknowledged its influence. In 1992, further interest was stimulated by Rykodisc's reissues of the band's albums, complemented by a collection of Bell's solo work. In 1993, Chilton and Stephens reformed Big Star with recruits Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow of The Posies, and gave a concert at the University of Missouri. The band remained active, performing tours in Europe and Japan, and released a new studio album, In Space, in 2005.

Big Star's influence on Pop and Alternative Rock was heavy from the 1980s to today's music, and reached many artists and bands such as: REM, The Bangles, The Replacements, Wilco, Matthew Sweet, The Posies, Teenage Fanclub, Elliott Smith, The Jam, Jeff Buckley, Ryan Adams, Pete Yorn, This Mortal Coil.

We feel that Big Star and the members who founded and continued the band, are deserving of a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, due to the massive impact and influence on Rock music, since their inception.

*Credit wikipedia.com with information gathered in this passage.