The 2021 inductees into the iconic Rock & Roll Hall of Fame have been announced with Foo Fighters, The Go-Go’s, Jay-Z, Carole King, Todd Rundgren, and Tina Turner all joining the ranks.
LL Cool J, Billy Preston, and Randy Rhoads will also be honoured with the Musical Excellence Award, while Kraftwerk, Gil Scott Heron and Charley Patton will get the Early Influence Award, and Sussex Records founder Clarence Avant will be given the Ahmet Ertegun Award.
For Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, the recognition marks his second time being inducted, after being honoured in 2014 with Nirvana, for whom he was the drummer.
Turner and King have also been honoured before — King in 1990 as a non-performer with her former songwriting partner Gerry Goffin and Tina Turner in 1991 as half of the Ike & Tina Turner duo.
“I am absolutely thrilled to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame amongst such amazing artists!” Turner wrote in a statement. “Thank you for all your continued love and support over the years!”
Chairman John Sykes acknowledged the inclusion of the previous recipients, saying in a statement, “It’s very difficult to get inducted twice and we have three this year,” says Sykes. “It’s also a rare year where three of the six inductees are women: Tina, Carole and the Go-Gos. It just shows the continued power and relevance and recognition of women in music.”
The list of Rock & Roll Hall of Famers has long been conspicuously lacking in female inductees, with fewer than 100 women honoured since the Hall’s inception in 1986. The first women to be brought in was the late Aretha Franklin who was inducted in 1987, while Stevie Nicks made history in 2019 by being the first female artist to be inducted twice — first with Fleetwood Mac, in 1998, then as a solo artist.
All-female group The Go-Gos — who enjoyed success in the 1980s with pop-punk hits such as Our Lips Are Sealed — expressed their joy at their inclusion, and gave a shout out to their fellow female artists, in a statement reading, “We are overwhelmed with gratitude to be 2021 inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.”
“Women have always been a vital part of the ever-changing music business and The Go-Go’s are so proud to have our success story honoured and recognised by fans and voters.”
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times following the announcement of their impending induction, guitarist and cofounder Jane Wiedlin confessed that she never thought this day would come.
“We had heard so many times that somebody or somebodies who were on the nominating committee hated us,” Wiedlin said. “But, in the past year, they got a lot of fresh blood in their nominating committee, and I think those people saw our worth.”
Referring to those committees in his statement, Sykes explained, “We’ve really created, for the first time this year, special committees that actually nominate and induct artists. These are very diverse committees that actually include artists themselves like [Run-DMC’s] Darryl McDaniels, Little Steven, and [Rage Against the Machine’s] Tom Morello.
“This is our most diverse class in the history of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. It really represents the Hall’s ongoing commitment to honour the artists that have created not only rock & roll, but the sound of youth culture.”
The 2021 induction ceremony will be held in Cleveland, Ohio on October 30, taking place as an in-person event as opposed to last year’s virtual gathering.
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