They got the beats, the rhymes, the grooves, and the harmonies. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has announced its 2021 induction class, with the following six acts being honored for their robust contributions to the genre: The Go-Go’s, Jay-Z, Tina Turner, Carole King, Foo Fighters, and Todd Rundgren. These six inductees beat out a nomination list of 16 acts, with the live, in-person ceremony set to take place in Cleveland on Saturday, October 30. Time for some fun facts! Turner, King, and founding Foo Fighters member Dave Grohl will now be inducted into the Hall twice: Turner was previously honored in 1992 with her musical partner Ike, King was recognized for her songwriting in 1990, and Grohl got in with Nirvana in 2014. Jay-Z and Foo Fighters will both be inducted during their very first year of eligibility, while the Go-Go’s got in with their first nomination. Rundgren, meanwhile, doesn’t give a shit about any of this.
In addition to the six main inductees, the Rock Hall has outlined a series of diverse honorees for speciality awards. Music executive and entrepreneur Clarence Avant will be receiving the Ahmet Ertegun Award for his “major influence on the creative development and growth of rock and roll.” Six-time nominee LL Cool J, Billy Preston, and Randy Rhoads will be recipients of the Hall’s Musical Excellence Award for their “originality and influence creating music that has had a dramatic impact on music.” Lastly, six-time nominee Kraftwerk, Gil Scott Heron, and Charley Patton will be honored with the Early Influence Award, as they have “directly influenced and helped inspire and evolve rock and roll and music that has impacted youth culture.”
Just like last year, the Rock Hall’s “fan vote” proved not to matter much when it came to the final inductee list, aside from Turner: Ballot winners Fela Kuti and Iron Maiden were snubbed, in addition to fellow nominees Mary J. Blige, Kate Bush, Devo, Chaka Khan, New York Dolls, Rage Against the Machine, and Dionne Warwick, who may find better luck in 2022. (LL Cool J was nominated this year, but will be receiving the Hall’s aforementioned Musical Excellence Award.) If you can’t make it to Cleveland in October — which, fair, the coronavirus is still here — the ceremony will be broadcast on HBO and HBO Max “at a later date.” So until then, carry on respecting the classics.
