Eric Clapton was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame three times; John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison were inducted twice and Johnny Cash was inducted for his solo career.
This year, nine performers were nominated, five of whom will be inducted. They are:
- Jeff Beck, guitarist for the Yardbirds and Beck.
- Chic, a disco and R&B band with the song "Le Freak."
- Wanda Jackson, singer called "The Queen of Rockabilly."
- Little Anthony and the Imperials, a doo-wop group started in the 50s.
- Metallica, a heavy metal band from the 1980s with the song "One."
- Run-DMC, a hip hop trio that sang with Aerosmith on "Walk this Way."
- The Stooges, rock band group led by the singer Iggy Pop.
- War, a funk band with the song "Low Rider."
- Bobby Womack, a soul and R&B all around musician from the 1960s.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation was established in April of 1983, although there was no home for the museum until ground was broken for it in Cleveland, Ohio, in June 1993. The museum opened to the public in September 1995, with seven stories, the third floor being the actual floor of the Hall of Fame. Other stories feature musical scenes from differ-ent eras, including San Francisco in the 1960s and Seattle in the 1990s. Temporary tributes to performers and musical instruments of musicians including Paul McCartney and Pete Townshend also are on display.
The nominations for inductees into the Hall of Fame are done by a small group of people, causing a bit of controversy between them and some of the artists. The nomination commit-tee at one time had to drop a doo-wop group in order to put in a more recently popular group just to sell tickets for the ceremony, according to a former member of the nomination com-mittee. They also said rock pioneers from the 50s and 60s were being left out for 70s musi-cians who wouldn't have been as famous if the 50s and 60s groups weren't there. Also, many former members of the committee don't vote anymore since they believe the nominees aren't worthy of Hall of Fame status yet.
The Hall of Fame isn't just about recognizing the performers themselves, but also honor-ing those who work behind the scenes. A category exists for early influences--people who predated rock and roll but had a great influence on it--like Louis Armstrong or Pete Seeger. Another group includes the non-performers, people like songwriters, record executives, Disc Jockeys, producers, and journalists who helped the industry. These include people like Dick Clark of American Bandstand and Phil Spector, who was a producer for acts like John Len-non and The Ramones. The last group is the sidemen, musicians who played beside the lead man like Floyd Cramer playing bass for Marvin Gaye or Steve Douglas who played saxo-phone for Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin and Elvis Presley.
The ballots were sent out to 500 people to vote for the five groups that will be inducted. The 25th Annual Induction Ceremony will be held April 4th at the Public Hall, Cleveland. This is the first year tickets will be made available to the public and there is a weeklong event beforehand. It would be an excellent place to visit if you are into rock and roll music.
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Cooley is a junior at Crookston High School.
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