Hall of Fame Inductees
MRRL was created in 2004 to help promote and preserve this vital aspect of Michigan's cultural history and, in 2021, the site's Hall of Fame was opened to artists from the CD era. It is hoped that the site will not only give recognition to artists and songs that were important contributors to the Rock and Roll movement in the state, but will also help keep the spirit of Michigan music burning bright.
The voting for inclusion in the MRRL Internet Hall of Fame was originally done in the spring of 2005 by a large group of Rock and Roll lovers who participated in The World’s Greatest Rock and Roll Trivia Show held twice yearly in Bay City. In 2007, the vote was expanded to include ballots sent via email by Michigan music fans who did not attend the trivia shows.
By 2008, the voting for the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Internet Hall of Fame and Legendary Michigan Songs was done completely online. The vote was open to anyone who is interested in Michigan Rock and Roll music. In 2012 an automated voting system was installed to tabulate the votes. The top 3 vote-getters among the eligible Michigan artists and the top 5 songs on the internet ballots gained induction each year.
Honorary inductions to the MRRL Internet Hall of Fame were started in 2008. The purpose of this type of induction was to give credit to the people behind-the-scenes who were significant in the history of Michigan Rock and Roll. These would include lesser known artists, photographers, label owners, music promoters, session musicians, publicity directors, songwriters, disc jockeys, and record producers who would generally not be household names to most Michigan music fans.
In celebration of its 10th anniversary, Historical Inductions were introduced by the MRRL Hall of Fame in 2014. This designation honors Michigan artists each year who have released significant recordings, but have been overlooked by both the MRRL voting public and/or the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. Historical Inductions in the Legendary Michigan Song category began in 2017.
During the site's first nineteen years, 124 artists and individuals have been inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame, and 155 recordings have been inducted as Legendary Michigan Songs. Because the vote totals in both categories saw a marked decline in recent years, the decision was made to discontinue the online voting system following the 2020 results. Historical and Honorary inductions into both the MRRL HOF and Legendary Michigan Songs categories will continue in the future, however, and starting in 2021 all MRRL Hall of Fame recipients and Legendary Michigan Songs have been inducted via the Honorary or Historical designations.