The induction dinner and ceremony was going to be held live for the very first time back in May but COVID-19 put an end to that idea. So the socially-distanced event will be broadcast on HBO on November 7th.
DEPECHE MODE
There is really only one band who changed our ideas on the possibilities of electronic music while making the sound commercially viable and that is Depeche Mode. This British band began in 1977 with schoolmates, Vince Clarke and Andy Fletcher who played together in a rock band. Martin Gore later joined them in a band called Composition of Sound and they moved towards electronic music, which was beginning to emerge in 1980, and learned to play synthesizers. Clarke invited Dave Gahan to join as their lead vocalist and they changed the name of the band to Depeche Mode. Not long after the release of their debut album, "Speak & Spell" in 1981, Clarke became disillusioned with the direction of Depeche Mode and left (where he would later form the bands, Yazoo and Erasure). Alan Wilder would replace Clarke in the band and Gore would step in as the lead songwriter. He would begin to incorporate themes involving sex, religion and politics in to their music. And this would help expand their fanbase and Depeche Mode went on to sell over 100 million records across the globe. Wilder would leave the band in 1995 and Depeche Mode has remained a trio with their last album to date was "Spirit" in 2016.
THE DOOBIE BROTHERS
The Doobie Brothers are a rock band from San Jose, CA. that blended folk, country and r&b to create their unique sound. They began with Tom Johnston (on guitar and lead vocals), Patrick Simmons (on guitar), Dave Shogren (on bass) and John Hartman (on drums) in 1970 and the band's name was only supposed to be temporary until they came up with something better (which never happened). After playing all over Northern California, they were signed to Warner Bros. Records and released their self-titled debut the following year. But their breakthrough came with their next album, "Toulouse Street" which featured the hits, "Listen To The Music" and "Jesus Is Just Alright". More hits followed with "Long Train Runnin'", "China Grove", "Black Water", and a cover of "Take Me In Your Arms" until health issues forced Johnston out of the band in 1975. Michael McDonald would replace him and took the band in to a different direction with more of a soft rock and blue-eyed soul sound. This helped the Doobie Brothers find a new audience and become even more popular with the songs, "Takin' It To The Streets", "It Keeps You Runnin'" and "What a Fool Believes" which went to number one on the US pop chart in 1978. After a brief break-up in 1982, the Doobies reunited (including Johnston) five years later and have been playing together ever since. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the band and they had planned on going on tour to celebrate but will have to postpone until hopefully next year.
WHITNEY HOUSTON
It was not really surprising that Whitney Houston would become a singer with her cousin being Dionne Warwick and her mother was Cissy Houston, a revered vocalist and part of the group, Sweet Inspirations. But no one could have imagined to what heights she would reach as a performer. With the guidance of music executive, Clive Davis, Houston would find major international success immediately with the release of her self-titled debut in 1985 and would continue to grow until she became a true pop superstar. Houston would make her acting debut in "The Bodyguard" and not only would that movie become a monster hit but the soundtrack was even bigger, selling over 45 million copies worldwide and winning the 1992 Grammy Award for Album of the Year. But the pressures of fame took it's toll and the gifted vocalist fell deep in to drug addiction for a number of years. Houston seemed to recover by 2009 and released an album, "I Look To You" which brought her back to the charts. Yet sadly, Houston had difficulty maintaining sobriety and died in 2012 from an accidental drowning in a bathtub. Whitney Houston is considered to be one of the greatest voices in popular music and what she could do with a song was absolutely breathtaking.
THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G
The Brooklyn rapper, Christopher Wallace, who was known to the world as the Notorious B.I.G., was a central figure in the East Coast rap scene and is considered one of the greatest rappers of all time. Wallace (who went by "Biggie Smalls" early in his career but changed it due to someone else using that name) signed to Sean Combs' Bad Boy Records in 1993. He began to attract attention after he make brief appearances on other artist's records before his debut album, "Ready To Die" dropped in 1994. With the singles, "Juicy" and "Big Poppa", Biggie became an instant sensation. Wallace was a skillful storyteller with his raps being playful and funny yet also displaying emotional honesty. He used some of his experiences of childhood hardships and involvement in crime to express himself musically. At the height of his fame in 1997, Biggie was in a car in Los Angeles following an appearance at the Soul Train Music Awards when it was fired upon by an unidentified assailant. Wallace would tragically die later of his injuries at the age of only twenty-four. The Notorious B.I.G. managed to have made a deep impact on hip-hop and rap during his brief time and remains an influential artist in the genre.
NINE INCH NAILS
The industrial alt-rock band, Nine Inch Nails has always been essentially multi-instrumentalist, producer, singer and songwriter, Trent Reznor. While he would utilize a variety of different musicians over the years to help back him up on tours, Reznor was the only creative force during all recordings. But musician, Atticus Ross, a frequent collaborator with Reznor on several film scores (including "The Social Network" which won the team Oscars in 2010), became an official member of Nine Inch Nails in 2016. Reznor began playing with several synth-pop bands in his youth but eventually decided to work alone as he had difficulty finding other musicians to help create what he wanted. With the debut Nine Inch Nails album, "Pretty Hate Machine" in 1989, Reznor played all the instruments (except the drums) and the record was met with rapturous praise and created a rabid fanbase. However, Reznor became unhappy with his label, TVT Records who were pressuring him for a follow-up and trying to take creative control. After refusing to record for them, TVT sold his contract to Interscope Records, who wisely left him alone do his work. Nine Inch Nails would go on to release the critically acclaimed and commercially successful albums, "The Downward Spiral" and "The Fragile" which went on to further create a bigger audience for industrial metal. Reznor has has sold over 20 million records and has been nominated for thirteen Grammy Awards, winning two for the songs, "Wish" in 1992 and "Happiness in Slavery" in 1996.
T. REX
T.Rex was a British band formed by singer, songwriter and guitarist, Marc Bolan. The band began under the full name of Tyrannosaurus Rex, releasing four notable albums of psychedelic folk beginning in 1967. But by 1969, Bolan shortened the band's name and embraced what would be called glam rock. Despite a number of musicians who came and went, T. Rex found great success and popularity with such songs as "Ride a White Swan", "Hot Love", "20th Century Boy" and "Bang a Gong (Get It On)". In 1977, shortly before the release of the band's twelfth studio album, "Dandy in the Underworld", Bolan died in a car crash which sadly brought an end to T. Rex. But the band has remained highly influential and their music would help spark indie pop and the punk movement.
