News

Induction Ceremony to Air Live on Fuse TV, April 4, 2009

January 13, 2009—New York—The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation today announced its inductees for 2009.  The induction ceremony on April 4, 2009 will take place in Cleveland for the first time since 1997, and will be broadcast live on Fuse TV in a new three-year broadcast deal between the Foundation and Fuse.  The ceremony will be supported by a weeklong series of events.   In addition, for the first time in its 24- year history, tickets to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be accessible to the public.

“This year’s class of inductees truly represents what the Hall of Fame is all about. From classic artists that began their careers in the 50’s and 60’s to those that have defined the modern sound of rock and roll,” said Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation President & CEO Joel Peresman. “These artists demonstrate the rich diversity of rock and roll itself.  We are proud to honor these artists and celebrate their contribution to rock and roll’s place in our culture.”

The performer inductees are:  

• Run DMC
• Jeff Beck
• Little Anthony & the Imperials
• Metallica
• Bobby Womack

Early Influence Category Inductee:
Wanda Jackson

Sidemen Category:
Bill Black
DJ Fontana
Spooner Oldham

The 2009 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame performer inductees were chosen by the 600 voters of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation. Artists are eligible for inclusion in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twenty-five years after their first recording is released.

In addition to being honored at the April ceremony, each inducted artist is commemorated at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland Ohio, which serves as a monument to rock and roll’s impact on our culture.  These inductees will be honored – along with previous year’s inductees and hundreds of other artists – with an exhibit and film that serve to tell the story of modern music. 

A limited number of pre-sale tickets to the Induction Ceremony at Cleveland’s historic Public Hall will be available to Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum members on Thursday, January 22 and Friday, January 23. 

Pre-sale tickets will be available to the public during a one-day walk-up sale on Saturday, January 24 at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum Box Office.  Tickets to the Induction Ceremony will be available at all Ticketmaster outlets beginning Monday, January 26. Fans can contact Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com.

Presenters and performers at the induction will be announced at a later date.  The induction ceremony will be televised live on Fuse and available on www.fuse.tv April 4th, 2009.

More about the inductees:
Founded by Joseph “Reverend Run” Simmons, Darryl “D.M.C” McDaniels, and Jason “Jam-Master Jay” Mizell, Run-D.M.C. took hip hop from the streets of New York to the national stage.  Formed in Hollis, Queens, the group is arguably the most important and influential act in the history of hip hop. They were the biggest act in hip-hop throughout the 1980s and is widely credited with breaking hip hop into mainstream music. In 2004, Rolling Stone named them one of the greatest musical artists of all time. In 2007, the trio was named Greatest Hip Hop Group of All Time by MTV.com. They were also named Greatest Hip Hop Artist of All Time by VH1.

An active recording artist since the early 1960’s, Bobby Womack started his career as the lead singer of his family musical group the Valentino’s, and as Sam Cooke’s backing guitarist. Womack’s career has spanned more than 40 years in the styles of R&B, soul, rock and roll, doo-wop, gospel, country and funk.  As a songwriter, Womack is notable for penning and originally recording The Rolling Stones' first UK No. 1 hit, "It's All Over Now." As a singer he is most notable for the hits "Lookin' For a Love", "That's The Way I Feel About Cha", "Woman's Gotta Have It", "Harry Hippie","Across 110th Street" and his 1980s hit "If You Think You're Lonely Now".

Jeff Beck is one of the three noted guitarists to have recorded with the band The Yardbirds. Rolling Stone ranked him as one of the “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.”  Much of Beck's recorded output has been instrumental, and his releases have spanned genres ranging from blues-rock, heavy metal, jazz fusion and (currently) a blend of guitar-rock and electronica. Beck has earned wide critical praise and four Grammy awards for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. Beck has guested at scores of sessions with everyone from Stevie Wonder and Buddy Guy to Tina Turner and Mick Jagger.

Little Anthony & The Imperials is a rhythm and blues/soul/doo-wop vocal group from New York, first active in the 1950s. Lead singer Jerome Anthony "Little Anthony" Gourdine was noted for his high-pitched falsetto voice influenced by Jimmy Scott. Changing their name to The Imperials in 1957, they signed with End Records in 1958. Their first single was "Tears on My Pillow", which was an instant hit. In 1964 the group made a rare transition into soul music with a series of hit including “I’m On the Outside (Looking In) and “Goin’ Out of My Head.”

Metallica is the most successful heavy metal band of the past quarter centry. Metallica's line-up has primarily consisted of drummer Lars Ulrich, rhythm guitarist, vocalist James Hetfield, and lead guitarist Kirk Hammett, as well as current bass player Robert Trujillo. Longtime bassists for the band, the late Cliff Burton, and Jason Newsted, are also being inducted.  Metallica's early releases included fast tempos, instrumentals, and aggressive musicianship that placed them as one of the "big four" of the thrash metal subgenre alongside Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax. The band earned a growing fan base in the underground music community and critical acclaim, with the 1986 release Master of Puppets described as one of the most influential and "heavy" thrash metal albums. The band achieved substantial commercial success with its self-titled 1991 album, which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. With this release the band expanded its musical direction resulting in an album that appealed to a more mainstream audience.

Wanda Jackson is an American rockabilly and country music singer who began recording in the mid-50s. She was one of the first female rockabilly singers to come to popularity during the 1950s.   Jackson began her professional career while she was still in high school after being discovered by Hank Thompson in 1954. She mixed regular country music material with fast-moving rockabilly music, often cutting each side of a record with a different type of music.   In the mid-1960s, Jackson moved to a successful career in country music, having a string of hits between 1966 and 1973, including, "Tears Will Be the Chaser for Your Wine," "The Box it Came in," "My Big Iron Skillet," and "Fancy Satin Pillows."  

Spooner" Oldham is a keyboard player, songwriter, and session musician. An American, he recorded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama and at FAME Studios on such hit R&B songs as "When a Man Loves a Woman" by Percy Sledge, "Mustang Sally" by Wilson Pickett and "I Never Loved a Man" by Aretha Franklin. As a sideman, Oldham has recorded and performed with a countless number of artists including Bob Dylan, Jackson Browne and Neil Young.

D. J. Fontana is best known as the drummer for Elvis Presley for 14 years.  Fontana, joined a band consisting of Scotty Moore (lead guitar), Bill Black (bass) and Elvis Presley (rhythm guitar), calling themselves "The Blue Moon Boys". The band would perform and record the vast majority of the Elvis Presley hits of the 50's including "Heartbreak Hotel", "Hound Dog", "Don't Be Cruel", and "Jailhouse Rock". The band also toured extensively and performed on several television appearances through 1956 and 1957.  His drumming built the foundation of rock and roll percussion influencing future players such as Ringo Starr, Charlie Watts and Max Weinberg.  

Bill Black is best known as the bassist for Elvis Presley.  Black played double bass on early Presley recordings including "Good Rockin' Tonight", "Heartbreak Hotel", "Baby Let's Play House", "Mystery Train", "That's All Right (Mama)", "Hound Dog"; and eventually became one of the first bass players to use the Fender Precision Bass guitar in popular music on "Jailhouse Rock" in the late 1950s.  Black’s bass playing had an extraordinary impact on rock and roll bass playing, influencing many players including Paul McCartney.  Afterward,  he formed the Bill Black Combo and scored numerous instrumental hits during the late 1950’s and 1960’s.