Bon Jovi, Nina Simone, Moody Blues among Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees
Iconic singer Nina Simone and New Jersey rockers Bon Jovi lead 2018 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees, a list that includes four first-time nominees.
The Cars, as well as first-time contenders Dire Straits, the Moody Blues and Sister Rosetta Tharpe, also are part of the class announced Wednesday.
They will be inducted on April 14 in Cleveland.
The six inductees were chosen from 19 nominees, including Radiohead, who were expected to enter the hall in their first year of eligibility, but didn’t make it.
Tharpe, a pioneering guitarist who performed gospel music and was known to some as “the godmother of rock ‘n’ roll,” will be inducted with the Award for Early Influence. She died in 1973. The other five acts will be inducted as performers.
Guitar-playing American gospel singer Sister Rosetta Tharpe, seen giving an impromptu performance in a London Airport lounge in 1957, will be honoured as an early influence. (Associated Press)
The jazzy and soulful Simone, also a first-time nominee, was a leader in pushing for civil rights and influenced the likes of Alicia Keys and Aretha Franklin before her death in 2003.
The Cars, founded in Boston in 1976, combined new wave and classic rock sounds. This year marked the band’s third nomination.
Bon Jovi, first nominated in 2011 and again this year, have sold more than 120 million albums and launched No. 1 hits with Livin’ on a Prayer, You Give Love a Bad Name, Bad Medicine and I’ll Be There for You.
Thank you. See you in Cleveland. #rockhall2018 https://t.co/DXHQLQsDGU pic.twitter.com/3ubfmIyMfs
Rock hall voters have recently opened their hearts to progressive rockers, which benefited Nights in White Satin singers the Moody Blues. English rockers Dire Straits, including brothers Mark and David Knopfler, blended blues into their music.
Rock band Dire Straits, co-founded by British guitarist and singer-songwriter Mark Knopfler, also got into the hall in Cleveland. (Balazs Mohai/MTI/Associated Press)
Each year, between five and seven acts usually make it into the hall following a vote by 1,000 people, including performers, music historians and industry experts. Fans also were able to vote on the hall’s website. All the inductees had to have released their first recording no later than 1992 to be eligible.
The 33rd annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held at Public Auditorium. Tickets go on sale in January and the event will later air on HBO and be heard on SiriusXM Radio.