Rock Hall of Fame Announces 2012 Inductees: Gun N' Roses and Beastie Boys
Gun N’ Roses and the Beastie Boys will join other music legends in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The two legendary bands were announced to be in the Rock Hall of Fame 2012 class along with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Cosimo Matassa, The Small faces/The Faces, Donovan, Laura Nyro, Freddie King, Don Kirshner and producers Glyn Johns and Tom Dowd.
The announcement, made on Wednesday, bestowed the honor on the inductees, who will be formally inducted at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland on April 14. The induction ceremony and concert will be televised in May 2012 on HBO.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation was created April 20, 1983. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way, influenced the music industry through the genre of rock music.
“We are pleased to announce this year’s Hall of Fame inductees, who represent the broad spectrum of artists that define rock and roll,” said Joel Peresman, President and CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, in a statement released Wednesday morning.
So far, there’s been a total of 296 inductees, 619 people and 26 induction ceremonies at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame according to the foundation’s website.
The list of inductees is filled with the most notable names in music: James Brown, Ray Charles, Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, Marvin Gaye and The Beatles among others.
For the inductees, the reward can be enormous and a path to career resurrection.
“Weekly record sales for a performer or band leap 40 to 60 percent, on average, in the weeks after selection,” David Bakula, a senior vice president at Nielsen SoundScan told The New York Times. “While winning a Grammy often helps one album, a nod from Cleveland can lift an entire back catalog.”
Bands and solo artists who were on the ballot, but failed to make the cut for the 2012 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame include The Cure, Donna Summer, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, The Spinners, Rufus with Chaka Khan and Eric B & Rakim.