On Monday, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will induct a new round of artists. As usual, the inductees include those in the “it’s about time” category (Darlene Love, Dr. John, Alice Cooper), a “we suddenly remembered them because they had a comeback last year” artist (Leon Russell), and the “this is rock how?” head-scratcher (Neil Diamond).

And as usual, there are artists who are deserving of induction but never make the cut — if they get nominated at all. Here’s my Top 10 list of artists who need to be inducted into the rock hall without further delay:

1. Johnny Burnette — Burnette was a rockabilly pioneer who recorded an impressive string of classics in his short career, including “Train Kept A-Rollin’,” “Lonesome Train (On a Lonesome Track)” and “You’re Sixteen.”

2. The Miracles — Smokey Robinson is already in the rock hall, but any listen to The Miracles’ classic ’60s catalog makes it clear that the tight harmonies and vocal phrasings were a group effort.

3. Link Wray — “Rumble.” ‘Nuff said.

4. The Moody Blues — For some reason, the hall has always snubbed its nose at prog-rock: only Pink Floyd and Genesis have been inducted. The Moodys practically invented the genre beginning with their 1967 masterpiece “Days of Future Passed,” and have enjoyed a decades-spanning career.

5. Deep Purple — When it comes to heavy metal, only Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath were more influential in the early 1970s. “Smoke on the Water,” “Woman From Tokyo,” “Highway Star” — perennial rock anthems, all.

6. Gordon Lightfoot — This Canadian helped define the folk-rock sound of the ’60s and led the singer-songwriter boom of the ’70s with classics such as “Sundown,” “Early Morning Rain” and “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.”

7. War — Always a nominee, never an inductee, this soul-rock hybrid grew from an Eric Burdon side project into one of the funkiest bands of the ’70s with songs like “Why Can’t We Be Friends,” “Spill the Wine” and one of the most sampled songs in history, “Low Rider.”

8. Warren Zevon — I include Warren not just because my boss has “Werewolves of London” as his ringtone, but because the “excitable boy” was one of the most talented and original singer-songwriters in the history of rock who produced great music up to the very end — he died of cancer 12 days after the release of his final album.

9. The Cars — The original lineup (minus bass player Benjamin Orr, who died in 2000) just regrouped for a critically acclaimed comeback, so the time is right to start inducting some New Wave bands into the hall, beginning with the crafters of “Shake It Up” and “Drive.”

10. KISS — There are those who say KISS shouldn’t be in the rock hall because they’re not the best musicians — but neither were The Sex Pistols. Some say they wouldn’t have become famous if not for their theatrical stage shows — but neither would Alice Cooper. What no one can deny is that KISS has influenced countless bands, from Motley Crue to Slipknot.

What are your choices for overlooked bands who deserve to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? Drop me an e-mail, and I’ll publish them in a later column.

Deputy Managing Editor Rod Harmon may be contacted at 791-6450 or at:

rharmon@pressherald.com