Tina Turner, Carole King, Jay-Z and Foo Fighters are among the 12 artists being inducted into this year’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
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Marking one of the most diverse list of artists for The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, The Go-Go’s and Todd Rundgren round out the six inductees in the Performer Category, while the Early Influence Award will go to the 1980s electronic synth pioneers Kraftwerk, with posthumous awards going to the late Charley Patton, considered the “Father of Delta Blues,” and influential musician and poet Gil Scott-Heron.
The 2021 Musical Excellence Award will also go to LL Cool J, along with the late Billy Preston, an artist who fused soul and gospel and funk and other genres and performed with artists like Ray Charles, Little Richard, and The Rolling Stones, in addition to inductee Rhandy Rhoads, former guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne and Quiet Riot, who passed away in 1982.
Additionally, music executive and film producer Clarence Avant will pick up the Ahmet Ertegun Award.
To be eligible for the award, artists are required to have released their first record 25 years prior to induction. This year features two-time inductees Carole King (previously inducted with Gerry Goffin in 1990) and Tina Turner, who was previously inducted with Ike and Tina Turner in 1991. Foo Fighters, The Go-Go’s, and Jay-Z were on the ballot for the first time, while Foo Fighters’ frontman Dave Grohl becomes a two-time Inductee having previously been Inducted with Nirvana in 2014.
The 36th Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place Oct. 30 in Cleveland and will air at a later date on HBO and stream on HBO Max.
“This diverse class of talented Inductees reflects the Rock Hall’s ongoing commitment to honor artists whose music created the sound of youth culture,” said John Sykes, chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, in a statement. “It will make for an unforgettable live celebration of music in October at this year’s Induction Ceremony in Cleveland.”
