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The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame released the list of artists to be honored at the 36th Induction Ceremony on May 12, 2021. The ceremony will air on October 30 in Cleveland, Ohio. In the Performers category — Foo Fighters, The Go-Go’s, Jay-Z, Carole King, Todd Rundgren, and Tina Turner.
Musical Excellence Award recipients will be LL Cool Jay, Billy Preston, and Randy Rhoads. In the Early Influence category — Kraftwerk, Gil Scott Heron, and Charley Patton. Clarence Avant, the Sussex Records founder, will receive the Ahmet Ertegun Award.
Hall of Fame Chairman John Sykes proudly announced the 2021 class is the most diverse in the event’s history. Sykes, who is also iHeartMedia’s President of Entertainment Enterprises, added:
It really represents the Hall’s ongoing commitment to honor the artists that have created not only rock & roll but the sound of youth culture.
To be eligible for induction, artists have to have released their first record 25 years earlier and “have created music whose originality, impact and influence have changed the course of rock & roll,” according to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Three inductees were on the ballot for the first time this year — Jay-Z, The Go-Go’s, and Foo Fighters.
Sykes commented that it is difficult to be inducted twice, but this year there are three —Turner, King, and David Grohl, the Foo Fighters founder, who are each entering the Hall of Fame for the second time. He said this year is significant; it is rare that three of six performers are women; Turner, King, and The Go-Go’s who are just the fifth all-girl band to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
The Queen of Rock & Roll — Tina Turner — entered the Hall of Fame in 1991 the first time as half of the Ike & Tina Turner duo who entered the music scene in 1960 and performed together through 1976.
She wrote in a statement that she is “absolutely thrilled to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame amongst such amazing artists.” Turner expressed her thanks for all of the love and support through the years. She announced her retirement earlier this year.
In 1990, King was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a non-performer with her former husband and songwriting partner Gerry Goffin. They wrote iconic songs like “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” by the Shirelles. Thirty-one years later, she is an inductee as a singer.
Reflecting on her second induction, King said she never set out to be a performer; she was a songwriter. When asked if the accolade was long overdue, King responded with, “I feel like I’ve had an amazing life and an amazing career, and I’m just grateful!”
King is the third female double inductee, Stevie Nicks in 2019, and Tina Turner this year. She is the first woman to join the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as both a performer and a non-performer.
This will be Grohl’s fourth time appearing on the Hall of Fame stage. For his first appearance, he dressed in a kimono and blond wig to induct Rush, a Canadian Rock band, in 2013.
The following year he was there with Nirvana — the group was inducted in their first year on the ballot. Grohl and Krist Novoselic played the group’s music since Kurt Cobain died 20 years earlier.
In 2015, he and Joan Jett jammed. That was the night he “got stoned out of his mind with her and Miley Cyrus,” reports Andy Greene for Rolling Stone.
Grohl will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame again, this time with Foo Fighters. October 30th will likely be remembered for quite some time.
Referring to the Foo Fighters, Grohl explained, “I’m mostly happy for Pat and Nate and Chris and Taylor and Rami. I don’t think any of us ever imagined that this would happen.”
In a tweet posted by the Foo Fighters, it seems as though the party already started: “Holy S***! The guitar player from the Germs is in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame!!!” The guitarist is Pat Smear, a founding member of Germs.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on October 30th in Cleveland, Ohio. HBO Max will broadcast the event, and it will be streamed on the same network at a later date.
Written by Cathy Milne-Ware
Sources:
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAME ANNOUNCES 2021 INDUCTEES
Rolling Stone: Tina Turner, Jay-Z, Foo Fighters, Go-Go’s Lead Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2021 Class; by Andy Greene
Rolling Stone: Dave Grohl on Foo Fighters’ Rock Hall Induction: ‘None of Us Imagined This Would Happen;’ by Andy Greene
Featured and Top Image Courtesy of Raph_PH’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image by Philip Spittle Courtesy of Wikimedia – Creative Commons License (Tina Turner)
Inset Image Courtesy of rocor’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License (Carole King)
Inset Image by Raph_PH Courtesy of Wikimedia – Creative Commons License (David Grohl)