Andy Greene of Rolling Stone reports: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has officially announced next year’s inductees: Nirvana, KISS, Peter Gabriel, Hall and Oates, Cat Stevens and Linda Ronstadt will all join the class of 2014. The E Street Band will be given the Award for Musical Excellence and Beatles manager Brian Epstein and original Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham will both receive the Ahmet Ertegun Award for non-performers.
The induction ceremony will be held at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on April 10th, 2014. It’s the first time the general public will be able to attend the event in New York City. Tickets go on sale in January; HBO will air the event in May.
Artists are eligible for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25 years after the release of their first album or single. Nirvana, whose first single Love Buzz came out in 1988, are entering the institution their first year of eligibility. “That’s really no surprise to me,” says Rock and Roll Hall of Fame President and CEO Joel Peresman. “People see the relevancy of that band. We’re just getting into the creative of the show, so I don’t know what’s going to happen with that performance. They have to figure it out.”
KISS have been eligible for the last 15 years, but didn’t get the nod until now. “The Kiss Army has descended on Cleveland in recent years,” says Peresman. “And we’ve gotten thousands of letters. They also did extremely well in the public vote.” (In 2012, the band joked to Rolling Stone, “We’ve been thinking about it and the answer is simply, ‘We’ll just buy it and fire everybody.'”)
The annual induction ceremony has moved out of the tiny New York Waldorf Astoria Ballroom in recent years into larger venues in Cleveland and Los Angeles, where the public can attend along with music industry insiders.
This year’s event at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center is the first time the induction has been held in an arena, making it the largest ceremony in the history of the Hall of Fame. “Bringing in the fans adds an incredible energy to the event,” says Peresman. “The fans should have an opportunity to see the show. They are the reason these bands exist.”
Read more at Rolling Stone.
source: rollingstone.com
67 Responses
deep purple are one of the pioneers of rock and set the standard for alot of bands playing today..I just don’t get it…hall and Oates??give me a break..
Deep Purple are one of the pioneers of rock? Really? Listen I love them too. But lets go easy on the ‘pioneers of rock’ statements. John Lord was the pioneer of great mustaches in rock, and fuck what a mustache it was. Blackmore and Gillain deserve their place in the HOF – but I’m not sure what they pioneered.
Not Pioneers of Rock…..really? Ever hear a kid pick up a guitar and play Smoke on The Water….oh wait, I think every guitar player has (and that is just one of their greats) …..Blackmore was HUGE influence/pioneer. I mean the guy was a monster that influenced a ton of players. Ian Paice….ever hear Made in Japan and talk about influencing legions of players…Jon Lord….yeah cause every band has one of him…..Roger Glover…WOW…And Ian Gillan..UNREAL….thats just one lineup…..I mean it is an absolute shame they are not in the HOF. The musical genius in that original lineup alone equals HOF. Also during that lineup period….surely no other bands referenced their live shows and incorporated some of it in their own shows….but who were those bands anyway..lol..And did I mention that was just one lineup……Every person has their opinion but there is also cold hard facts and the talent they possess in hall of fame worthy…true pioneers of rock.
None of the bands that started in the 60’s are pioneers but DP was definitely a pioneers of hard Rock. Just Listen to 1969 ‘s DP In Rock album. Also more respect for Mr Lord buddy. It’s Jon not John and the man composed the first album for Rock and Orchestra. In the same year his keyboards rocked harder than any other keyboardist in the world.
Eddie…..you are a psychic once again. I want you to place my Superbowl bets. You nailed it on last night’s Trunk Nation-Nirvana and KISS are in….no Deep Purple. The hall of shame indeed….
I knew Nirvana would get in. They were easily the most influential and most popular band on that list. I can’t believe KISS got in before Deep Purple or YES. Those 2 should have been in before them.
Yeah, the world just wouldn’t be the same without Nirvana today…Oh, wait. Wasn’t KISS selling out venues globally before the Nirvana guys were even old enough to walk?…Haaa, sad, get in line like everyone else, Nirvana.
Nirvana is going in 1st time eligible. They couldn’t wait to get them in!
Nirvana – whether you like them or not, completely changed the game of rock music. There was rock pre-Nirvana and post-Nirvana. They simplified things like the punks did 15 years earlier – they took the hairspray, glitter, and lame strip joint lyrics and threw them out the window.
The appearance of KISS didn’t change rock MUSIC or shows apart from upping the amount of money bands would have to put into their show. Bands like Van Halen, Triumph and others followed suit. KISS’s sound wasn’t groundbreaking. Sorry. It wasn’t. A simplified hybrid of Zep, Sabbath, the Who, Stones and a little Humble Pie isn’t innovation. It’s extrapolation and the same thing a lot of bands were doing at the time.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – listen to hard-rock music pre-and post KISS and there’s no difference. KISS inspired a lot of people to get into music and pick up instruments, but their appearance didn’t result in a whole new genre of music falling completely out of grace. Nirvana resonated with their generation. I don’t expect to change the mind of hard-core KISS fans, but I’m trying to offer some perspective.
As for KISS selling out venues globally – that doesn’t get you into the RRHOF for better or worse. Frampton sold out a lot of venues. So did Grand Funk. I’d bet the Monkees did too, just like Hannah Montana kid.
Hardcore KISS Army member since 1978 John G. – and you’re totally right. I think even they would agree with you. They wanted to change the look of the music industry. And they did that along with some great rock and roll songs. Was never a grunge guy, but Nirvana was the face of that genre, whether they should have been or not.
Those hair, glitter, and strip joint lyric bands you mention are far more influential today than Nirvana is, and that’s a fact. Ask any metal band today. Nirvana’s lyrics are no less inane than anything off of Hysteria.
I agree that Nirvana should be a first ballot inductee because they CHANGED music.
However, I disagree completely about KISS not changing shows. They CHANGED live performance forever. They brought a show that had not been seen before and raised the bar for everyone on what it meant to entertain HUGE crowds. They combined the theatrics of Alice Cooper with bombast and over-the-top shows.
I agree that their music was simple and not really all that great, but they DID change live concerts.
The fact that Nirvana entered on their first ballot just highlights how goofy it is that heavier bands like KISS, Deep Purple, etc have been deprived for so long.
Your point about bands charging more wasn’t because of KISS, but, because years after KISS was irrelevant, people started using Napster to steal songs and iTunes to buy singles instead of albums. Bands used to tour to support the sale of their albums, where they made their REAL money. These days, they don’t make a lot on albums, so they tour to earn their money and sell merchandise and VIP “Meet And Greet” packages. Now KISS kills on tour because they STILL give a GREAT show, even if the songs suck 🙂
Rightfully so. One of the most popular band of the 90s. They were the face of entire genre and lead to another genre called post grunge. It would be shameful if they didn’t get in first time eligible.
funny. they induct a band that killed rock n roll.
HAAAAAA Nirvana BEFORE Purple, and w/ material prior to their breakthru record!-will the madness ever end…just plain embarrassing, KISS should buy this dump and re-staff it.
Finally! KISS gets in. I honestly never thought I would see this happen in my life time. But there is no band more deserving of this than KISS. They influenced an entire generation of kids in the 1970’s and onward. You ask many of your present ‘musical heroes’ the reason they picked up a guitar? And they will tell you “KISS.”
It’s about time. This is fantastic for the Millions in the KISS Army.
Now, I will finally make plans to visit the RRHOF in Cleveland. There had better be an entire wing of the building devoted to KISS, because that’s how important they are to Rock and Roll and it’s history.
Present and future.