Courtesy of Rock & Roll Hall of FameThe Doobie Brothers, T. Rex, Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode, the late Whitney Houston and late rapper The Notorious B.I.G. are the artists who’ve been chosen for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year.
The Doobies, T. Rex, Houston and The Notorious B.I.G. are all being inducted after being nominated for the first time. Depeche Mode and Nine Inch Nails had both previously been on the ballot twice.
In addition, famed music managers Jon Landau and Irving Azoff, who are best known for guiding the careers of Bruce Springsteen and the Eagles, respectively, will be inducted into the Rock Hall as recipients of the Ahmet Ertegun Award.
Speaking to ABC Audio, Rock Hall president and CEO Greg Harris shared his thoughts on the inductees. Regarding The Doobies, Harris said he feels that their induction, which will recognize both the Tom Johnston and the Michael McDonald eras, acknowledges the group’s “impact and influence over these five decades.”
As for T. Rex, Harris noted that the band was “massively influential in England with the launch of the glam-rock movement, but also in the U.S.” He added, “They influenced bands like Cheap Trick, The New York Dolls, Joan Jett [and contemporary] artists like The Black Keys, and even Blink-182.”
The other nominees for the 2020 class were Dave Matthews Band, Pat Benatar, Thin Lizzy, Todd Rundgren, Rufus featuring Chaka Khan, Soundgarden, Judas Priest, MC5, Motörhead, and Kraftwerk. Dave Matthews Band received the most votes in the Rock Hall’s fan poll, marking the first time in seven years that the winner of the fan vote was not chosen for induction.
The Doobie Brothers, who finished third in the fan poll, were the only one of the top-five vote-getters to be chosen for induction. Benatar, Soundgarden and Priest were in second, fourth and fifth place, respectively.
The 2020 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be held Saturday, May 2, at the Public Auditorium in Cleveland, and will air live for the first time starting at 8 p.m. ET on HBO.
You can also buy tickets to see the ceremony in person starting February 27 at 10 a.m. ET. Visit RockHall.com.
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