In a new chat with Misplaced Straws, Rik Emmett discussed why he believes the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ignores Triumph.
The band sold over 15 million albums but is not part of Rock Hall yet. The musician expressed his frustration over the band’s exclusion:
“There was a huge prejudice that [Rolling Stone and Hall of Fame co-founder] Jann Wenner [had]. It bled throughout the entire board of that thing, which was, ‘No, we’re only gonna recognize the truly great, and the thing that defines truly great is what I say is truly great.’ And he thought Foreigner and Rush and Styx and Triumph, he thought all that stuff was crap.”
There Were Influences On The Music Press
Emmett went on to talk about Wenner’s impact:
“And he would hire writers to write stuff in Rolling Stone that would say, ‘Yeah, these bands are sh*t. They’re terrible. They’re crap.’ And so that became sort of the standard thing of, ‘Yeah, well, no, we’re not gonna put them in the Hall of Fame. They’re sh*tty.’ There you go.”
Triumph Reunion Is Uncertain
The musician parted ways with Triumph in 1988 due to disagreements over music and business. The band continued with Phil X before disbanding in 1993. It took Emmett 18 years to mend his relationship with his former bandmates. In a March 2024 interview with Talkin’ Bout Rock, Emmett shared he doubts Triumph will perform together again:
“I doubt it. I’m sorry to take out a sharp little pen and prick the balloon of hope. But, honestly, I think when we [played a short set at a fan event which was filmed for] the Triumph documentary [‘Triumph: Rock & Roll Machine’], and Gil [Moore, drums/vocals] rehearsed for a long time to sort of get himself [in playing shape]…”
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ignored Triumph, but they have other recognitions. The band was inducted into the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame in 2007 and the Canadian Music Hall of Fame at The 2008 JUNO Awards.