Bon Jovi, The Cars, Dire Straits, The Moody Blues and Nina Simone have been selected as the 2018 inductees into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. In addition, Sister Rosetta Tharpe will receive the Award for Early Influence for her groundbreaking work in the gospel genre.
These five groups were selected from a group of sixteen talented artists including: Rage Against the Machine, Kate Bush, Depeche Mode, Judas Presist, Bon Jovi, The Cars, Eurythmics, Dire Straits, J. Geils Band, MC5, The Meters, The Moody Blues, The Zombies, Rufus feat. Chaka Khan, Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Link Wray. Radiohead was particularly polarizing nomination choice. Many fans were excited that they were being recognized, but Fox News Correspondents felt that the band was only inducted for “fame” not “talent.” The band wasn’t too upset about the opinions flying around though, as they booked a show on the date of the induction ceremony. The band went on to say, “It’s a very American thing. Us Brits are very bad at celebrating ourselves. It’s in our DNA to be a little ambivalent with award ceremonies. We haven’t had great experiences.”
To be eligible for nomination, the artists/bands must have released their first commercial recording at least twenty-five years before (aka 1992 for this year’s award). Since the nominees were announced in October, fans, music historians, and other notable musicians and people in the music industry have been busy voting to select the final inductees. Those who were nominated but not inducted have a chance to be nominated again in future years.
Among the inductees, Moody Blues has been a fan favorite. The progressive rock group has been performing in the UK and US since 1964. They have been instrumental in altering the bounds of what people though rock could do. In addition, fellow UK rockers, Dire Straits will be inducted for their contributions to 70s punk rock. The US rock group, The Cars, will be recognized for their new wave aesthetic which they brought to light in the late 70s. Bon Jovi, a more contemporary rock group, will be awarded for their work in the pop-rock genre of the 80s. They brought the arena-rock styles of 70s bands like Journey, and made them more delectable for air waves and pop fans. Last, but certainly not least, Nina Simone will be recognized for her influential soul music which served as its own form of activism in the 60s.
According to CNN, the induction ceremony will be help on April 14th in Cleveland, Ohio. SiriusXM will do a radio broadcast in supplement to HBO’s live broadcast.
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