The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has just announced its class of 2017. The 32nd annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held on April 7th at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York and the honorees are:
- Journey (first time on the ballot)
- Joan Baez (first ballot)
- Yes (third nomination)
- Electric Light Orchestra (first ballot)
- Pearl Jam (first ballot)
- Tupac Shakur (deceased – first ballot)
- Nile Rodgers – Award for Musical Excellence
Journey, ELO, Yes and Pearl Jam placed first through fourth in the fan voting.
This year’s nominees who failed to be elected:
- The Cars
- Steppenwolf
- The Zombies
- J. Geils Band
- MC5
- Jane’s Addiction
- Depeche Mode
- Kraftwerk
- Bad Brains
- Janet Jackson
- Chaka Khan
- Chic
- Joe Tex
Journey guitarist Neal Schon reached out to us on Monday saying “it’s an honor,” before joking, “I thought we were already in. This is all new to me.”
This is the second induction for former keyboardist Gregg Rolie, who is already in as a member of Santana. In addition to the band’s founders, Schon and Rolie, the other members of the Journey family to be honored are bassist Ross Valory, drummers Steve Smith and Aynsley Dunbar, keyboardist Jonathan Cain and former singer Steve Perry.
ELO will be represented by singer/multi-instrumentalists Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood, drummer Bev Bevanand keyboardist Richard Tandy.
Yes will be represented by former singer Jon Anderson, drummer Bill Bufford, guitarists Steve Howe and Trevor Rabin, the late bassist Chris Squire, keyboardists Rick Wakeman and Tony Kaye and drummer Alan White.
Going in for Pearl Jam are bassist Jeff Ament, drummers Matt Cameron and Dave Krusen, guitarists Stone Gossard and Mike McCready and singer Eddie Vedder.
The honor to Rodgers makes up for the repeated failure of the Hall’s voters to elect his former band, Chic, which has been nominated 10 times.
To be eligible for induction, artists had to release a recording at least 25 years ago.
Talk About It:
- Let the debates begin! Why, how come, come on — really????
- People are going to question Joan Baez, but the folk scene of the early ’60s was very important to the growth of rock culture in that decade. Maybe Bob Dylan will induct her.
- Will the Hall now be flooded with grunge bands from the early ’90s?
- Tupac is unquestionably an icon among hip-hop fans, but the inclusion of rap artists remains controversial to rockers who see the Hall’s mission more narrowly.
