A two-generation look at rock music’s unsung heroes

When I contacted my buddy Levine about this idea of looking at some of the rock era’s most underrated artists, he sent the following email: I think the word “underappreciated” is better than “underrated.” But what do I know?

I chalked it up as one of those “poe-tay-toe”/“poe-tah-toe,” agree-to-disagree kind of things and left it at that. The priority was to make a case for some of rock music’s “unsung” (mmm, how’s that Levine?) heroes. Here, then, a look at artists from two very distinct eras — early ’50s and ’60s and late 1960s to 2000s — who deserve more credit for the body of work and the influence they’ve had on rock and roll.

THE EARLY YEARS

CHUBBY CHECKER: The “King of the Twist” is the only rocker to have a song reach the top of the charts on two separate occasions with “The Twist.” He also had Top 5 hits with “Pony Time,” “Let’s Twist Again,” “The Fly,” “Slow Twistin’” and “Limbo Rock.”

The morons who vote for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees have repeatedly chosen to ignore Checker despite his successes. This NEVER will be a true Hall of Fame until the man is inducted.

BEN E. KING: He has been inducted into the Rock Hall twice — as a member of the renowned Drifters and as a solo performer. Among the Drifters’ hits on which he sang lead are “There Goes My Baby,” “Save the Last Dance for Me,” “This Magic Moment,” I Count the Tears” and “Some Kind of Wonderful.”

As a solo artist, he had six Top 20 hits including “Spanish Harlem,” “Stand By Me” and “Don’t Play That Song.”

While King was one of the most talented singers of the late ’50s and early ’60s, he has never really received the recognition for the greatness he showed during that span.

LENNY WELCH: One of the greatest voices of the 1960s, Welch had three Top 40 hits: “Since I Fell for You,” “Ebb Tide” and “Breaking Up is Hard to Do.” His signature song — “Since I Fell for You” — reached No. 4 in 1963.

The smooth R&B singer is completely ignored on most lists of the great singers of the ’60s.

ROY HAMILTON: Talk about underrated, Hamilton is a virtual unknown in his hometown of Leesburg.

Hamilton had three Top 15 hits during the mid-1950s: “Unchained Melody,” “Don’t Let Go” and “You Can Have Her.” How can he not be considered underrated when you get a blank stare when you ask the people in his hometown who he was?

GOGI GRANT: Her signature song, “The Wayward Wind,” was No. 1 in the nation for six weeks during the summer of 1956 and it reached the apex between two of Elvis Presley’s biggest hits: “Heartbreak Hotel” and “I Want You, I Need You, I Love You.”

Grant’s star burned out after “The Wayward Wind,” but she could really sing and most music fans have never heard of her.

JIMMIE RODGERS: From the middle of 1957 to the middle of 1968, Rodgers was one of rock’s hottest singers. “Honeycomb,” his first release, peaked at No. 1. He followed with “Kisses Sweeter than Wine,” “Oh, Oh I’m Fallin’ in Love Again” and “Secretly.” The Washington state native then had 10 Top 40 hits, none of which reached the Top 10.

For some inexplicable reason, Rodgers’ career virtually died after the 1960s. That, however, should not diminish his accomplishments from 1957 to 1968.

DEL SHANNON: As with Rodgers, Shannon’s first hit — “Runaway” — exploded to the top of the charts for four weeks in 1961. He had nine Top 40 hits, two of which besides “Runaway” climbed into the Top 10. “Hats Off to Larry” rose to No. 5 in 1961 and “Keep Searchin’” to No. 9 in 1964.

Shannon was a skilled singer who has virtually been forgotten.

CHUCK JACKSON: He was a member of the Del-Vikings from 1957 to 1959 and performed with the group when it had its two Top 10 hits in 1957: “Come Go with Me” and “Church Bells May Ring.” The Del-Vikings were one of the first integrated groups in the early years of the rock era. Jackson left the Del-Vikings in 1960 to become a solo performer and had a pair of Top 40 hits: “I Don’t Want to Cry” and “Any Day Now.”

Yet ask rock fans today who he was, and his name will draw blanks.

JIMMY CLANTON: One of the many stars who hailed from Louisiana, Clanton enjoyed moderate success, charting seven Top 40 hits, three of which climbed into the Top 10: “Just A Dream,” “Go, Jimmy, Go” and “Venus in Blue Jeans.”

Even though Clanton will celebrate his 75th birthday in September, he still is doing concerts and playing “oldies” shows on a regular basis. Yet he never received the fame he earned.

FREDDY CANNON: Nicknamed “Boom Boom” because of the big bass drum used on his records, Cannon achieved moderate success charting eight Top 40 hits, including three in the Top 10: “Tallahassee Lassie,” “Way Down Yonder in New Orleans” and “Palisades Park.”

Cannon, unfortunately, has become a forgotten name in rock history.

AFTER THE PIONEERS

THE KINKS: The songs — “You Really Got Me,” “Dedicated Follower of Fashion,” “Lola” among them — are classics, but the Kinks all but created the crunching, hard-rock guitar sound that survives some 50 years after they unleashed it. Many who followed immediately after them up to today’s artists list the Brits among their influences. Others just copped their sound and tried to pawn it off as their own. Shame.

THE ANIMALS: Singer Eric Burdon’s voice is the epitome of white-boy soul, and immitators like Hall and Oates owe much to the band that made such enduring ’60s hits as “We Gotta get Out of This Place,” “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood,” “It’s My Life” and others.

PARLIAMENT/FUNKADELIC: There’s not a modern R&B/hip-hop or especially funk group that does not owe a great big royalty check to George Clinton, Bootsy Collins and their ever-changing band of misfits who unleashed such funk as “One Nation Under a Groove,” “Give Up the Funk,” “Bop Gun” and other such classics on the music world.

CHICAGO: This band is not in the rock Hall of Fame! How is that possible? Their always clean, sometimes rocking, but never derivative body of work — which features smashes like “25 or 6 to 4,” “Questions 67 & 68,” “Make Me Smile” and a dozen or so other Top 10 hits — defines pop music of the ’70s.

BADFINGER: Maybe they were overshadowed because they were an Apple Records band that wasn’t The Beatles, but songs like “No Matter What,” “Come and Get It” and “Baby Blue” are among the tunes that show these dudes deserve way more credit.

DEEP PURPLE: How can we talk about heavy metal or hard rock without Ian Gillan, Ritchie Blackmore and Deep Purple being in the mix? “Highway Star” and “Hush” are classics, and there’s no greater, better known guitar riff ever than the opening chords of their classic “Smoke on the Water.”

JETHRO TULL: To much consternation and gnashing of teeth, these prog rockers won the first-ever hard rock Grammy. They don’t fit in that category, but their “Aqualung,” “Bungle in the Jungle” and “Living in the Past” are an excellent part of an amazing catalog.

AMERICA: At a time in the ’70s when soft rock ruled the airwaves, none were better than these guys, whose hits included such memorable classics as “Horse With No Name,” “Ventura Highway” and “Sister Golden Hair.”

GRAND FUNK RAILROAD/STEPPENWOLF: These two are iconic heavy rockers whose tunes — GFR’s “Closer to Home,” “Mean Mistreater” and “American Band” are representative, while the Wolf’s “Monster,” “Born to Be Wild” and “The Pusher” are classics — became the template for late ’70s and ’80s heavy metal.

THE DOOBIE BROTHERS: The Brothers’ classic hits, including “Long Train Running, “Another Lonely Park, Another Sunday” and “What a Fool Believes,” are still inspiring rock and country artists 30 to 40 years after their heyday.

And, lest we get caught up in a Top-10-numbers-type thing, the list of unsung rockers would be incomplete without The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, The MC5, Gram Parsons, NWA, Three Dog Night, The Guess Who, Warren Zevon, War and the Electric Light Orchestra.