The Rock And Roll Hall of Fame 2020 Inductees Are...

The Rock And Roll Hall of Fame 2020 Inductees Are...

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patrick simmons, notorious big, trent reznor
L: Pat Simmons of the Doobie Brothers. Photo by Ed Perlstein/Redferns/Getty Images. C: Notorious B.I.G. Photo By Raymond Boyd/Getty Images. R: Trent Reznor. Photo by Brian Rasic/Getty Images.

Congratulations to the newest inductees into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame! The 2020 class of inductees are … Depeche Mode, The Doobie Brothers, Whitney Houston, Nine Inch Nails, The Notorious B.I.G. and T-Rex. The ceremony will take place at Cleveland’s Public Hall on May 2nd.

Alongside the musicians nominated are two prominent music industry figures who will receive awards for lifetime achievement. Veteran rock journalist and long-time Bruce Springsteen-producer, Jon Landau along with Eagles manager, Irving Azoff will be honoured with the Ahmet Ertegun award which recognises industry professionals who have had a major influence on rock and roll.

A group of more than 500 music industry figures voted in the 2020 inductees; selected on factors that include an artist's musical influence, body of work, innovation, style and technique. Here's a quick rundown of the 2020 class:

Depeche Mode broke through in the 1980s with their superior blend of synth-pop, post-punk energy and rock arrangements. The band's commercial peak arrived in the early '90s with Violator (1990) album and its hits "Enjoy the Silence" and "Personal Jesus"

Depeche Mode | “Personal Jesus”

Whitney Houston is one of the most commercially successful pop and R&B singers of all time, filling the '80s and '90s with chart-topping classics, including her cover of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You" which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for a then-record 14 weeks!

Whitney Houston | “I Will Always Love You”

Nine Inch Nails have ruled industrial rock since the late 1980s on the strength cohesive, transformative albums like 1994’s The Downward Spiral and hit songs like "Hurt" and "Closer."

Nine Inch Nails | “Closer” 

The Notorious B.I.G.'s career was tragically cut short – the Brooklyn rapper made his debut in 1993 and was shot and killed just four years later in 1997 at the age of 24 … but he remains an iconic presence more than 20 years after his death. Ready to Die was an instant classic when it was first released in 1994 and has remained a towering influence on the genre's future generations ever since.

The Notorious B.I.G. | “Juicy”

T. Rex's influence was prolific and relentlessly inventive. The band, led by the enigmatic Marc Bolan, mixed glam, rock and experimental psychedelia to create hard-hitting classics like “20th Century Boy” and "Bang a Gong (Get It On)" and that have never really aged.

T. Rex | “20th Century Boy”

The Doobie Brothers' fluid blend of folk, rock, country and R&B helped define the "yacht rock" sound of commercially successful rock and roll in the 1970s. "Listen to the Music," "Takin' It to the Streets" and "What a Fool Believes" are among the group's best-known songs. 

The Doobie Brothers | “What A Fool Believes”

Michael McDonald of the Doobie Brothers shared a statement celebrating the genre-diversity of this year’s inductees: “Each of those bands has helped shape the form that rock’n’roll has taken over the years. That’s what I like to see the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame do: pick those bands that have sculpted what we see rock’n’roll as today.”

Doobie Brothers Guitarist Patrick Simmons channelled Wayne's World, declaring: “We’re not worthy! We’re not worthy!”

The 35th Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony takes place on May 2 at Public Auditorium in Cleveland, Ohio. Performances and special guests and Induction Week programs are yet to be announced.

 

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