Janet Jackson joins her brother Michael and the Jackson 5 as members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, earning induction on Thursday along with Stevie Nicks and the top fan vote-getter, Def Leppard.
Radiohead, the Cure, Roxy Music and the Zombies will also be ushered in next spring at the 34th induction ceremony. It will be held March 29 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Jackson鈥檚 induction comes after her third time as nominee and many saw it as overdue, given her prowess as a hitmaker with 鈥淎ll For You,鈥� 鈥漈hat鈥檚 the Way Love Goes,鈥� 鈥漀asty,鈥� 鈥漈ogether Again鈥� and 鈥淲hat Have You Done For Me Lately.鈥�
Her career has suffered from the fallout after the infamous 2004 Super Bowl appearance where her bare breast was briefly exposed. Jackson became eligible for the rock hall in 2007 and wasn鈥檛 nominated until 2016.
The Roots鈥� Questlove, in a social media post earlier this year, said her exclusion had been 鈥渉ighly criminal.鈥� He cited the influence of her 1986 album 鈥淐ontrol,鈥� which he said set off the New Jack Swing trend.
鈥淭his was no one鈥檚 kid sister,鈥� he wrote.
Jackson said on Thursday: 鈥淭hank you Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I am truly honoured and I am happy to be in there with my brothers.鈥�
It will be Nicks鈥� second induction into the rock hall, since she鈥檚 already there as a member of Fleetwood Mac. She launched a solo career in 1981 with her duet with the late Tom Petty, 鈥淪top Draggin鈥� My Heart Around.鈥� Other hits followed, including 鈥淓dge of Seventeen,鈥� 鈥漇tand Back鈥� and 鈥淚 Will Run to You.鈥�
Def Leppard earned more than half a million votes from fans, which are incorporated into more than 1,000 ballots from artists, historians, industry professionals and past winners in deciding who gets honoured. The British heavy metal band with a pop sheen were huge sellers in the 1980s on the back of songs like 鈥淧hotograph鈥� and 鈥淧our Some Sugar on Me.鈥�
Frontman Joe Elliott said he was initially ambivalent toward the honour until Jon Bon Jovi suggested it would change his life.
鈥淲hen I look at the list of who鈥檚 in, it鈥檚 just obvious you鈥檇 want to be in that club, isn鈥檛 it?鈥� he told Billboard earlier this year. 鈥淲hen you think that every band that means anything in the world, starting from the Beatles and the Stones and any artist that influenced them 鈥� your Chuck Berrys, your Little Richards, etc., etc. 鈥� then of course you want to be in. Why wouldn鈥檛 you?鈥�
Def Leppard, Nicks and Roxy Music were voted in during their first years as nominees. Other 2019 nominees who didn鈥檛 make the cut included LL Cool J, Devo, Rage Against the Machine, MC5, John Prine, Todd Rundgren and Kraftwerk.
There鈥檚 some question about whether Radiohead will shrug its collective shoulder as an inductees. The English band seemed like generic grunge rockers on their initial hit 鈥淐reep,鈥� but with the album 鈥淥K Computer鈥� and beyond have become consistent sonic pioneers. Among its rock hall class, Radiohead has the most impact on the current music scene.
In an interview with Rolling Stone earlier this year, Radiohead鈥檚 Jonny Greenwood said 鈥淚 don鈥檛 care鈥� when asked about the rock hall. Bandmate Ed O鈥橞rien said, 鈥渃ulturally, I don鈥檛 understand it. I think it might be a quintessentially American thing.鈥�
The Cure and frontman Robert Smith resist their initial label as goth rockers, champions of fans who like black makeup, black clothes and darkly romantic songs. They have a durable catalogue of hits, including 鈥淔riday I鈥檓 in Love,鈥� 鈥滲oys Don鈥檛 Cry,鈥� 鈥漃ictures of You鈥� and 鈥淟et鈥檚 Go to Bed.鈥�
Roxy Music came out of the 1970s progressive rock scene and had hits with 鈥淟ove is the Drug鈥� and 鈥淢ore Than This.鈥� Dapper member Bryan Ferry had a successful solo career and Brian Eno has been an influential producer.
The heyday of British rockers the Zombies鈥� career was the 1960s, with big sellers 鈥淪he鈥檚 Not There鈥� and 鈥淭ime of the Season.鈥�
The hall will announce ticket sales for March鈥檚 ceremony next month. HBO and SiriusXM will carry the event.
David Bauder, The Associated Press
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