Rock Hall Announces 2012 Inductees

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland announced its 2012 inductees today. The 27th Annual Rock Hall Induction Ceremony will take place April 14, 2012 in Cleveland and premiere on HBO in early May. The ceremony will be again be open to the public, as it was for the 2009 inductions.

Performers being inducted include some of the 1980s’ biggest rock stars, like early hip hop outfit Beastie Boys, L.A. funk rock troublemakers Red Hot Chili Peppers, and hard rock legends Guns N’ Roses (the remnants of whom just played Nashville last Sunday, Dec. 4). 1960s Scottish psychedelic folkie Donovan also made the cut, as did English rockers The Small Faces, and its later Rod Stewart-fronted incarnation known simply as Faces. The late singer/songwriter Laura Nyro, responsible for penning hits such as “Wedding Bell Blues” and “Stoned Soul Picnic” for the 5th Dimension and many more, will also be honored. Blues legend Freddie King will be inducted posthumously as an Early Influence, thanks to the impact he had on Eric Clapton, Mike Bloomfield, Jeff Beck and countless other blues-based guitar players.

The Ahmet Ertegun nonperformer induction will be presented to veteran Don Kirshner, whose work as co-owner of Aldon Music published some of the Brill Building’s biggest songwriters including Carole King, Gerry Goffin, Neil Sedaka, and more. He additionally served as producer for The Monkees, and collaborated with Bobby Darin on many jingles and songs. He passed away earlier in 2011, at the age of 76.

Inductions for Musical Excellence go to New Orleans engineer Cosimo Matassa, who engineered and recorded music by Fats Domino, Dave Bartholomew, Professor Longhair and many of the city’s finest R&B performers at his studio; Tom Dowd, who engineered and produced albums for Atlantic Records including Ray Charles, LaVern Baker, and Aretha Franklin among others; Engineer and producer Glyn Johns, who produced the Who’s Who’s Next, Rolling Stones’ Sticky Fingers and Faces’ A Nod Is As Good As A Wink To A Blind Horse, in addition to the Eagles’ first three albums.

2012 Inductees:

Performer Category:
Beastie Boys
Donovan
Guns N’ Roses
Laura Nyro
Red Hot Chili Peppers
The Small Faces/The Faces

Early Influence:
Freddie King

Ahmet Ertegun (nonperformer) Award:
Don Kirshner

The Award for Musical Excellence:
Cosimo Matassa
Tom Dowd
Glyn Johns