Chubby Checker and Joe Cocker among music legends inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
28 April 2025, 09:03
Joe Cocker, Chubby Checker and Bad Company are the first-time nominees who will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
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The latest class to be enrolled also includes pop star Cyndi Lauper, hip-hop pioneers Outkast, The White Stripes and grunge band Soundgarden.
Oasis and fellow Manchester bands Joy Division and New Order were among the nominees who missed out on this year's induction.
Salt-N-Pepa, the first female rap act to achieve gold and platinum status, and the late singer-songwriter Warren Zevon will receive the Musical Influence Award.
The late record producer Thom Bell, pianist Nicky Hopkins and bassist Carol Kaye will each get the Musical Excellence Award.
The late Sheffield-born singer Cocker, who performed at Woodstock and was best known for his cover of The Beatles' With a Little Help From My Friends, had the backing of Billy Joel, Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top and Pete Thomas, a member of Elvis Costello & The Attractions who argued that Cocker is "about as rock and roll as it gets".
Soundgarden - with the late Chris Cornell as singer - will be inducted on their third nomination. They follow two other grunge acts, Nirvana and Pearl Jam.
The Ahmet Ertegun Award - given to non-performing industry professionals who had a major influence on music - will go to Lenny Waronker, a former head of Warner Bros Records who signed Prince and REM, as well as having a part in records from Madonna, Randy Newman, The Doobie Brothers, Rickie Lee Jones and Paul Simon.
Other nominees who did not get in this year include Mariah Carey, Billy Idol and The Black Crowes.
Checker's recording of The Twist and Let's Twist Again are considered among the most popular songs in the history of rock 'n' roll.
The 83-year-old has expressed frustration that he had not been granted entry before, including telling the Associated Press in 2014: "I don't want to get in there when I'm 85 years old. I'll tell them to drop dead, so you better do it quick while I'm still smiling."
Lauper rose to fame in the 1980s with hits such as Time After Time and Girls Just Wanna Have Fun and went on to win a Tony Award for Kinky Boots. OutKast, made up of Andre 3000 and Big Boi, have six Grammys and a reputation for pushing the boundaries of hip-hop, while The White Stripes, Jack and Meg White, were indie darlings in the early 2000s with such songs as Seven Nation Army.
Artists must have released their first commercial recording at least 25 years before they are eligible for induction. The induction ceremony will take place in Los Angeles in the autumn.
Nominees were voted on by more than 1,200 artists, historians and music industry professionals.
The selection criteria include "an artist's impact on other musicians, the scope and longevity of their career and body of work, as well as their innovation and excellence in style and technique".
Last year, Mary J Blige, Cher, Foreigner, A Tribe Called Quest, Kool & The Gang, Ozzy Osbourne, Dave Matthews Band and singer-guitarist Peter Frampton were inducted.
