Here Are Your 2016 Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Inductees

The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame has announced the five acts which will be inducted into its ranks in 2016, after releasing its shortlist of 15 nominees in October this year.

The Rock Hall’s official rules state than an act has to have put out their first album at least 25 years ago in order to be nominated. Even then, a nomination is no guarantee that an act will be inducted, and some have had to wait decades longer before finally making it.

The five new Rock Hall inductees, listed below, were decided upon by the public, along with a team of artists, historians and music industry representatives. They will each be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in April.

Notably, none of this year’s inductees are female. You can catch the full list below, along with the nominated artists who unfortunately didn’t score an induction.

2016 Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Inductees

Cheap Trick

Illinois power-pop outfit Cheap Trick dropped their debut album in 1977. Their sound hasn’t changed much since then, but as the Rock Hall says, “It didn’t need to.”

“We can’t thank the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame enough for honoring Cheap Trick,” says bassist Tom Petersson. “Thanks to all the fans who have supported us for all these years and to the Hall of Fame members who cast their votes. We are excited and honored.”

Cheap Trick’s 17th studio album Bang Zoom Crazy… Hello, their first in over five years, is slated for release in April. Relive the classic The Flame, below.

Chicago

Chicago led this year’s public ballot with over 23 per cent of all votes. The band’s influential fusion of rock and jazz kicked off with their Chicago Transit Authority double album in 1969, and went on to spawn hits like You’re The Inspiration and If You Leave Me Now.

“It’s very exciting. I had no idea it would be as exciting as it is,” Chicago trumpeter and co-founder Lee Loughnane tells Billboard.

“There was never any despairing about it because we were still working and we still are working, whether we’re honored with it or not. We’ve had many other honors given to us previously, and we know full well that you get the honor and then you move on with your life. So it’s very exciting and I’m looking very much forward to it. It’s very cool to have it happen.”

Deep Purple

For many guitarists, Deep Purple‘s Smoke On The Water has been ingrained in their memory since their earliest guitar lessons. It’s taken the band over 40 years to score their Rock Hall induction, but that riff has inspired millions of musos throughout the years.

“[Deep Purple] are one of the titans and pioneers of their genre, and one of the hardest pillars in the Temple Of Rock,” says the Rock Hall. “Their groundbreaking albums and ear drum breaking live shows are the stuff of legend.”

Steve Miller

Steve Miller‘s psychedelic blues first drew on American roots music before adding harmonic pop touches in the ’70s, leading to radio-friendly hits like Take The Money And Run, Rock’n Me, Fly Like An Eagle, Jet Airliner and Jungle Love.

“Whether he was riding the top of the charts or exploring the blue highways of American music, he is playing and singing with conviction and precision, passion and eloquence, and making records that are at once immediately accessible and more than able to stand the test of time,” says the Rock Hall.

N.W.A

Compton hip hop legends N.W.A — that’s Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, MC Ren and DJ Yella — are now officially rock icons. The Hall of Fame says the group “made a way out of no way, put their city on the map and solidified the disparate elements of gangsta rap into a genre meaty enough to be quantified, imitated and monetized for generations to come”.