New Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductees

The 28^th annual induction ceremony for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will be on April 18^th this year. This year, inductees include Heart, Albert King, Randy Newman, Public Enemy, Rush, Donna Summer, Lou Adler and Quincy Jones. Here’s where you might recognize them from:

·      Heart: The four-decade American rock band has sold over 30 million records worldwide. Mainstream successes include “Barracuda,” “Heartless,” and “These Dreams.”

·      Albert King: An American blues guitarist/singer and major influencer on blues guitar playing. His most famous tracks inlud “Born Under a Bad Sign,” “Blues Power,” and “I’ll Play the Blues For You.”

·      Randy Newman: Singer, songwriter, arranger, composer, pianist—you name it, he’s done it. You’ll know him from tunes like “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” from Toy Story, “Monsters, Inc.” from Monsters, Inc. and “Short People” from Little Criminals.

·      Public Enemy: An American hip-hop group known for their powerful lyrics and messages in songs like “Bring the Noise,” “Fight the Power,” and “Don’t Believe the Hype.”

·      Rush: A Canadian rock band, Rush is known for its complex compositions and science fiction and fantasy lyrical motifs. Some of their most popular songs include “Tom Sawyer,” “YYZ,” and “Limelight.”

·      Donna Summer: She stole our hearts in the disco era of the 1970s, the first artist to have three consecutive double albums rocket to number one on the Billboard charts in the U.S. Top tracks included “Hot Stuff,” “I Feel Love,” and “Last Dance.”

·      Lou Adler: An American record producer, manager, director and owner of Roxy Theater. He managed groups like The Mamas & the Papas, Johnny Rivers, Carole King, and Cheech and Chong. He also produced cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

·      Quincy Jones: He’s an American record producer, conductor, arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. He has received a record 79 Grammy nominations, 27 Grammy wins, and a Grammy Legend Award in 1991. He worked with artists like Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, Lional Hampton, Ray Charles, Dizzy Gillespie, Van Halen, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and Will Smith.

Perhaps one of the most exciting parts of this year’s induction ceremony is the fact that its presenters are all impressive musicians themselves: John Mayer, Gary Clark Jr., Christina Aguilera, Don Henley, Dave Grohl, and Taylor Hawkins have all been chosen to hand out the awards.