On Wednesday (May 12) morning, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced which of this year’s nominees will be inducted at the 2021 ceremony on Oct. 30 in Cleveland, Ohio.
Alt-rock veterans Foo Fighters, new wave pioneers The Go-Go’s, East Coast hip-hop icon JAY-Z, singer-songwriter north star Carole King, mercurial rock savant Todd Rundgren and Queen of Rock n’ Roll Tina Turner make up the Class of 2021. Of the 2021 performer inductees, Turner, King and Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl are already in the Rock Hall: King as part of the songwriting duo Goffin/King, making her the first person in the Rock Hall as a performer and non-performer; Turner for her incendiary work in the R&B duo Ike & Tina Turner; and Grohl as drummer of grunge legends Nirvana.
But that’s not all. Early rap pioneer LL Cool J, keyboard master Billy Preston and hard rock guitar ace Randy Rhoads are also joining the Rock Hall with the “award for musical excellence” (which was originally titled the “sidemen” category when it debuted). And under the “early influence award” category, electronic trailblazers Kraftwerk, spoken-word poet Gil Scott-Heron and Father of the Delta Blues Charley Patton are joining the RRHOF. Music impresario Clarence Avant is the recipient of the Ahmet Ertegun award.
The Rock Hall hailed the Class of 2021 as “the most diverse list of Inductees in the history of the organization.” This is the first year in the Hall’s 36-year history that three female acts will be inducted in the performers category at the same time.
Artists are eligible for Rock Hall nomination 25 years after their first commercial recording came out. Of this class, JAY-Z, The Go-Go’s and Foo Fighters see induction after appearing on the ballot just once. Rundgren enters the Rock Hall on his third nomination, while LL Cool J and Kraftwerk have appeared on the ballot six times.
Tickets for the 2021 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony go on sale in July. The ceremony takes place Oct. 30 at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, with a radio simulcast on SiriusXM’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame radio channel. The 36th annual RRHOF induction ceremony will broadcast on HBO and stream on HBO Max at a later date.
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