Judas Priest, the British heavy-metal band and the production team of Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis will receive the Musical Excellence Award, decided by a select committee which is given to "musicians whose originality and influence creating music has had a dramatic impact on music".
The induction ceremony will be held this year on November 5th at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. An edited version of the event will air on SiriusXM satellite radio and will be broadcast on HBO and HBO Max on November 19th.
PAT BENATAR
It's really shocking that Pat Benatar is only now being inducted into the Hall after years of delivering chart-topping, hard-driving, great rock & roll. But this long overdue honor is still well deserved. Born Patricia Andrzejewski in New York City, she married her high school sweetheart, Dennis Benatar who was serving in the US army and the couple moved to Richmond, VA. After attending a Liza Minnelli concert, she decided to resume a pursuit of a music career, performing in local clubs. The end of her husband's military service brought them back to New York, offering more potential opportunities for Benatar. Her first big break came when she entered amateur night at Catch-a-Rising-Star, leading to become a regular performer at the comedy club. One night, representatives for Chrysalis Records caught her act, signing Benatar to the label in 1978. Her marriage may have ended not long after but decided to keep his surname as her professional name.
Benatar's debut album, "In The Heat of the Night" began with the single, "Heartbreaker" getting her noticed but "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" becoming her breakout hit, reaching the top-ten on the pop charts, selling over a million copies and winning Benatar the first of four Grammy Awards for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. She would go to have fifteen top forty US singles and selling over thirty-five million albums worldwide. And her career would also lead Benatar to meet Neil Giraldo, the lead guitarist for her band who would not only become her creative partner, helping to co-write and produce some of her music, but life partner, marrying him in 1982 and having two children together.
DURAN DURAN
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With their band name inspired by a character in the 1968 Jane Fonda sci-fi camp classic, "Barbarella", Duran Duran first emerged during the New Romantic scene in Britain in the late 1970's. This band was formed in Birmingham by keyboardist, Nick Rhodes and bassist, John Taylor. After numerous personnel changes, drummer, Roger Taylor, guitarist, Andy Taylor and lead singer, Simon LeBon were added (none of these "Taylors" are related) and became the final line-up by the time of their self-titled debut released in 1981. "Planet Earth" and "Girls On Film" became huge hits in their home country in part to the sexy music videos, which showcased these five good-looking young men, enhancing their popularity. But it would be their follow-up album, "Rio" that would make them become worldwide sensations thanks to the title track and "Hungry Like the Wolf" and MTV with the newly arrived music video channel playing the cinematic videos for these songs in heavy rotation.
More hits followed; "The Reflex", "Union of the Snake", "A View to a Kill", "The Wild Boys", "Notorious" with Duran Duran going on to become one of the world's best-selling musical artists with well over one hundred million records sold. Over the years, members have left (Roger and Andy Taylor in 1986; John Taylor in 1997) and come back (the original line-up reunited in 2001 with an album and a tour before Andy Taylor left again in 2006) but Duran Duran are still making music together with their fifteenth studio album, "Future Past" released in 2021.
EMINEM
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Eminem managed to find incredible worldwide success and fame in the predominantly African-American genre of rap with his complex rhyme technique and humorous yet somewhat violent wordplay, making him one of the greatest rappers of all time. Born Marshall Mathers III, he had an unstable family life with his parents separating and shuttling back and forth between Detroit and various areas in Missouri throughout his childhood.
Inspired by the emerging rap music scene happening in Detroit, he honed his skills by entering open mic contests and despite being White, managed to impress the largely Black audience. First going by "m&m" before the spelling changed to "Eminem", his first break came when he was signed to a local indie label, Web Entertainment and released his debut album, "Infinite" in 1996. The record was a commercial disappointment yet lead to him creating an alter-ego, "Slim Shady", a sadistically perverted character, releasing an EP under that name a year later. His next big break came when he headed to LA to enter the national rap battle competition. Landing in second, a scout from Interscope Records got "The Slim Shady EP" into the hands of the label head, Jimmy Iovine who then gave it to Dr. Dre, the founding member of N.W.A.
Both were very impressed and Dre went to work recording with Eminem, releasing "The Slim Shady LP" in 1999 with the album selling over three million copies. That was followed by "The Marshall Mathers LP" the next year, debuting at number one and selling a global total of twenty-five million copies. In 2002, Eminem went on to acting with "8 Mile". He played a fictionalized version of himself and his early life with, "Lose Yourself" from the soundtrack going on to win an Oscar for Best Original Song. This gifted, best selling artist has released eleven studio albums to date with his last release, "Music To Be Murdered By" in 2020.
EURYTHMICS
After spending a few years working together in the pop-rock band, The Tourists, Annie Lennox and David A. Stewart went on to form their own band, Eurythmics in 1981, changing their sound to new wave. While the British duo's first album, "In The Garden" failed generate much interest, their next project, "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" certainly did. The synth-pop title track became a worldwide number one smash hit in 1983 with the striking music video, featuring Lennox in a gender-bending image, certainly bringing them even more attention. The hits continued; "Here Comes The Rain Again", "There Must Be an Angel (Playing With My Heart)", "Would I Lie To You?", "Missionary Man" and teaming with Aretha Franklin on "Sisters Are Doin' It For Themselves" with the band altering their sound and image continuously along the way.
By 1990, after a grinding schedule of recording and touring (and selling seventy-five million records in the process), Lennox and Stewart decided to go their separate ways due to their now strained relationship. Stewart went on to writing film soundtracks and recording several solo albums. Lennox released the first of her six solo album, "Diva" in 1992 which featured five hit singles and selling four million records. Lennox and Stewart reunited as Eurythmics for their last album to date, "Peace" in 1999. While not officially a band, the duo have continued to occasionally perform together over the years, usually for benefit concerts.
DOLLY PARTON
While she had asked for her name to be withdrawn from consideration, feeling that there were probably other artists more deserving than herself, Dolly Parton, the country music superstar has found herself inducted into the rock hall and she has graciously accepted the honor. Born in the Great Smokey Mountains in Tennessee, Dolly was one of twelve children living in a one room cabin on a tobacco farm. The family didn't have much but music played an important part in their lives. Dolly began writing and singing music as a young child and would perform on local television and radio programs. By thirteen, she recorded her first single, "Puppy Love" in 1959. While this song wasn't much of a hit, it still gave her confidence to try a move to Nashville. After catching the attention of country superstar, Porter Wagoner, Parton would be asked to join his band and eventually be his co-host on his weekly television show. Wagoner and Parton became a popular duo and recorded twelve highly successful albums. They remained a professional team until 1974 when she decided to concentrate on her own solo career.
Parton enjoyed major country music success throughout the 1970's but soon decided she wanted her music to appeal to a mainstream crowd. "Here You Come Again" was released in 1977 and the title track became her first crossover pop hit. She took on acting, starring in the popular feminist workplace comedy, "9 to 5" in 1980 with the theme song she wrote going on to top both the pop and country charts as well as earn her an Academy Award nomination. As probably one of the most recognized country music artists in the world, Parton is also one of the most accomplished and highly honored artists in all genres of music.
LIONEL RITCHIE
Lionel Ritchie began his music career as a member of Commodores in 1968. This funky soul band were signed to Motown and found success almost immediately on the r&b chart with "Machine Gun", "Lady (You Bring Me Up)" and "Brick House" but it was the ballads, written and performed by Ritchie, like "Just to Be Close to You", "Sail On", "Still" and "Three Times a Lady" that took Commodores to the next level, crossing over to the top of the pop charts.
Ritchie went solo and released his self-titled debut solo album in 1982. This began his wildly successful career with the songs, "You Are", "All Night Long (All Night)", "Hello", "Stuck on You", "Say You, Say Me", and co-writing the all-star charity single, "We Are The World" helping him become one of the biggest pop acts throughout the early '80's. After planning to take just a little time off after a grueling touring schedule in 1986, Ritchie was away from the business for ten years. But he came back to music, releasing seven additional studio albums with his last to date being, "Tuskegee", Ritchie's 2012 venture into country music . Ritchie has received many awards and honors and he's currently serving as a judge on the singing competition show, "American Idol".
CARLY SIMON
One of the biggest of the popular singer/songwriters that found success in the 1970's was Carly Simon. She had a long string of poetic, introspective songs that found spots high on the pop charts throughout that decade and the 1980's. One of four children born to Richard L. Simon, the co-founder of the publishing company, Simon & Schuster and Andrea Heinemann, a singer, Simon began her professional music career with her sister, Lucy as a folk music act, the Simon Sisters in 1963. The duo recorded several albums, touring and making appearances performing on television but by 1970, Simon decided to strike out on her own. Signed to Elektra Records, Simon released her self-titled debut in 1971 with the single, "That's The Way I've Always Heard It Should Be", an emotionally complex song Simon co-wrote involving unhappy married lives, becoming her first top-ten single. She would go on to win the Grammy that year for Best New Artist.
"Anticipation", "Legend In Your Own Time", "Nobody Does It Better" (the James Bond theme for "The Spy Who Love Me"), "Jesse", "Why" and "Coming Around Again", her comeback hit song from 1986 are just a few of the memorable tunes made popular by Simon. And of course, "You're So Vain", Simon's most famous song that had some added intrigue due to her refusal all these years to name who the song is actually about (and no, it's not Mick Jagger who only provided background vocals on the track). In 1972, Simon married another rising singer/songwriter at the time, James Taylor with the two becoming the golden couple of rock. Like many relationships, they had their challenges but fame and Taylor's struggles with drug addiction added additional complications. After ten years of marriage and two children (Sally and Ben Taylor who are both now musicians), the musical couple ended their union in 1983.
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