Everybody, it’s time to celebrate the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2021!
On Wednesday morning, it was announced that Tina Turner and Jay-Z will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in the Performer Category. In the special (non-general ballot) categories, legendary musician and spoken-word performer Gil Scott-Heron will be honored with the Early Influence Award and iconic music executive Clarence Avant will be honored with the Ahmet Ertegun Award. The late Billy Preston, the prolific musician often referred to as “the Fifth Beatle,” will be honored with the Musical Excellence Award. Plus, after a campaign that seemed to take forever and a day, we can finally say that LL Cool J will be inducted into the esteemed group of honored artists this year and will also be receiving a Musical Excellence Award. Recent inductees in the past couple of years have included Whitney Houston, the Notorious B.I.G. and Janet Jackson.
“It is a diverse group of extremely talented artists all who’ve had a significant impact on our sonic landscape,” Greg Harris, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame president and CEO, said in the introduction.
More information about the induction process, via Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s official website:
To be eligible, artists are required to have released their first record 25 years prior to induction. Learn more about the qualifications and categories here: rockhall.com/inductees/categories
Ballots were sent to an international voting body of more than 1,200 artists, including current living Inductees, historians and members of the music industry. Factors such as an artist’s musical influence on other artists, length and depth of career and the body of work, innovation and superiority in style and technique are taken into consideration.
Congrats to the Class of 2021!
The 36th Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place on Oct. 30 at 8 p.m. ET at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio. The ceremony will simulcast on SiriusXM’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Radio channel 310 and will air at a later date on HBO as well as stream on HBO Max.
The full list of the Class of 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductees are listed below:
Performer Category:
Tina Turner
Carole King
The Go-Go’s
JAY-Z
Foo Fighters
Todd Rundgren
Early Influence Award:
Kraftwerk
Charley Patton
Gil Scott-Heron
Musical Excellence Award:
LL Cool J
Billy Preston
Randy Rhoads
Ahmet Ertegun Award:
Clarence Avant