List of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees.html



The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

This is a list of inductees of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, established in 1986 and located in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, is dedicated to recording the history of some of the best-known and most influential musicians, bands, producers, and others that have in some major way influenced the music industry, particularly in the area of rock and roll.¹ Originally, there were four categories of induction: performers, non-performers, early influences, and lifetime achievement. In 2000, "sidemen" was introduced as a category while that year also marked the final time that early influences would be inducted.

The only category that has seen new inductees every single year is the performers category. Artists become eligible for induction in that category 25 years after the release of their first record.² In order to be inducted, an artist must be nominated by a committee that selects anywhere from nine to a dozen candidates. Ballots are then sent to 500 "rock experts" who evaluate the candidates and vote on who should be inducted. The performers that receive the highest number of votes and more than 50 percent of the vote are inducted. In 2008, the number inducted was five. The rest of the categories are voted on by special committees.² New inductees are honored at an annual ceremony held either in New York or every three years at the Hall of Fame in Cleveland.³

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has garnered criticism for allegedly allowing the nomination process to be controlled by a few individuals,⁴ nominating too many artists in too many genres that are not entirely rock,⁵ ignoring entire rock genres,⁶ and using technicalities to induct groups who may not have been among the top vote getters.⁷ The Sex Pistols, who were inducted in 2006, refused to attend the ceremony, calling the museum a "piss stain."⁸

Inductees

Performers

Chuck Berry, inducted in 1986.

James Brown, inducted in 1986.

Little Richard, inducted in 1986.

Elvis Presley, inducted in 1986.

B. B. King, inducted in 1987.

Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones, inducted in 1989.

Bob Marley, inducted in 1994.

Led Zeppelin, inducted in 1995.

Neil Young, inducted in 1995.

David Bowie, inducted in 1996.

Carlos Santana of Santana, inducted in 1998.

Paul McCartney, inducted in 1988 with the Beatles and in 1999 as a solo act.

Aerosmith, inducted in 2001.

AC/DC, inducted in 2003.

U2, inducted in 2005.

Patti Smith, inducted in 2007.

Madonna, inducted in 2008.

This category is meant for recording artists and bands that have "influence and significance to the development and perpetuation of rock and roll."² Artists become eligible for induction in that category 25 years after the release of their first record. Among the things to consider are the "influence and significance of the artist's contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock and roll."² In order to be inducted, an artist must be nominated by a committee that selects anywhere from nine to a dozen candidates. Ballots are sent to 500 "rock experts" who then evaluate the candidates and vote on who should be inducted. The performers that receive the highest number of votes and more than 50 percent of the vote are inducted. In 2008, the number inducted was five. The rest of the categories are voted on by special committees.²

2009 nominees

The nominees for induction in 2009 were announced on September 22, 2008. The 2009 inductees will be announced in January, 2009 and will officially be inducted on April 4, 2009.⁸⁷

• Jeff Beck
• Chic
• Wanda Jackson
• Little Anthony & The Imperials
• Metallica
• Run-DMC
• The Stooges
• War
• Bobby Womack

Early influences

Woody Guthrie, inducted in 1988.

Louis Armstrong, inducted in 1990.

Pete Seeger, inducted in 1996.

Charles Brown, inducted in 1999.

Artists inducted into the early influences category are those "whose music predated rock and roll but had an impact on the evolution of rock and roll and inspired rock's leading artists."² Unlike the performers category, these inductees are selected by a committee. The full process is not transparent and it is unclear who comprises this selection committee.² No new artists have been inducted into the category since 2000.

^ A. Inducted members: Bill Kenny, Charlie Fuqua, Deek Watson, and Orville "Hoppy" Jones.⁸⁸
^ B. Inducted members: Sam Cooke, Roy Crain Sr., R.H. Harris, Jesse Farley, T.L. Bruster, James Medlock, Paul Foster, Johnnie Taylor, and Bob King.⁸⁹
^ C. Inducted members: Sonny Til, Tommy Gaither, George Nelson, Johnny Reed and Alexander Sharp.⁹⁰
^ D. Inducted members: Bob Wills, Tommy Duncan, Johnny Gimble, Joe "Jody" Holley, Tiny Moore, Herb Remington, Eldon Shamblin and Al Stricklin.⁹¹

Lifetime achievement

The following were inducted for "Lifetime Achievement in the Non-Performer Category."²

Non-performers

Carole King, inducted in 1990.

Dick Clark, inducted in 1993.

Clive Davis, inducted in 2000.

The non-performer category honors "songwriters, producers, disc jockeys, record executives, journalists and other industry professionals who have had a major influence on the development of rock and roll."² Several of the inductees in this category were in fact fairly well-known as performers as well. The inductees in this category are selected by the same committee that chooses the early influences. The full process is not transparent and it is unclear who comprises this selection committee.² This category has been criticized for inducting those that have "been coming to the dinner for years and paying for their tickets" and not revealing their full criteria.⁷ In 2008, this category was renamed the "Ahmet Ertegün Award".⁹²

Sidemen

First established in 2000, "honors those musicians who have spent their careers out of the spotlight, performing as backup musicians for major artists on recording sessions and in concert." A separate committee, composed mainly of producers, chooses the inductees.²

Multiple inductees

As of 2008, only fourteen performers have been inducted twice or more; nine have been recognized as a solo artist and with a band, and four have been inducted with two separate bands. Eric Clapton is the only one to be inducted three times, as a solo artist and with The Yardbirds and Cream.¹⁰⁵ Clyde McPhatter was the first to ever be inducted twice and is one of three artists to be inducted first as a solo artist, then as a member of a band (Sam Cooke and Neil Young are the others). Stephen Stills is the only artist to be inducted twice in the same year. Sam Cooke is the only person to be inducted in both the "performers" and "early influences" categories.

Eric Clapton is the only artist to be inducted three times.

References