Tickets to the hall

It's good to dream every once in a while. I have a dream that one day, one of the artists to perform at the Real. Texas. Festival. will be inducted in to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

That would be awesome ... particularly since the artist who typically perform at the festival are all 20-somethings or 30-somethings for the most part. If they are one day inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, it would stand as a testament to their career -- that they were able to endure through one of the most uncertain periods the music industry has ever faced.

And, it would certainly be a testament to the longevity of the festival.

I know what you're thinking.

"How can a Real. Texas. Festival. artist make it into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? Most of the folks who play the festival are all alt country artists."

Well, it can happen. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is more than just rock and roll. Take a look at the nominees for this year's class for possible induction.

Alice Cooper -- Goth rock pioneer.
Beastie Boys -- An alt-rap group ... defined the genre.
Bon Jovi -- An ultimate chameleon. Bon Jovi has morphed from rock, to pop to alt country with a duet with Sugarland.
Chic -- Three words. Ah. Freak Out!!!
Neil Diamond -- Certainly not a rock and roll artist, but a string of gold records as long as my arm.
Donovan -- 60s flower power rocker. Interesting nomination. I always thought of Donovan of being just a guy in that scene ... nothing special.
Dr. John -- Blues artist and jam band producer extraordinaire.
J. Geils Band -- They produced one of the seminal albums of the 80s with Centerfold.
LL Cool J -- Again, not a rocker by any stretch. Rap pioneer. Mamma said knock you out.
Darlene Love -- A career R&B back up singer ... again, not a rock and roll artist.
Laura Nyro -- Again, Nyro's background as as a composer and lyricist in the pop and R&B genres ... not rock and roll.
Donna Summer -- Without question, she was one of the queens of the Disco era. Last Chance," "Hard for the Money" ... greatness."
Joe Tex -- Baytown's own Joseph Arrington Jr. might be one of the earliest rappers for his style of speaking over the music. He deserves consideration for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for his work on the soundtrack of "Reservoir Dogs" alone. Awesome.
Tom Waits -- Bourbon-soaked vocalist and jazz artists. Perhaps he may be best known for a famous cover of his song "Downtown Train" by Rod Stewart.
Chuck Willis -- Perhaps one of the greatest one-hit wonders of all time. His one-hit even had a dance that accompanied it ... "The Stroll."

The point of all this is that it is possible that one day one of the Real. Texas. Festival. alumni could be nominated and inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. What would that mean for the festival? Well, probably not much.

However, festival attendees from back in the day could tell their children, friends, relatives and whatnot that they can remember when they saw them perform in Mesquite, Texas at the Real. Texas. Festival. -- and that, I believe -- is pretty cool.

There are a couple of omissions from the list -- the fact that Stevie Ray Vaughan is not already in the Hall is a travesty. No other group has created the marketing maelstrom that KISS has over the years.

I believe there are only seven acts that will be inducted. It may be just five. If it is seven, here's who we think gets in:

Beastie Boys
Alice Cooper
Neil Diamond
LL Cool J
Bon Jovi
Dr. John
Donna Summer

Who do you think will get in?