The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has announced their 2025 class of inductees, including pop sensation Cyndi Lauper, hip-hop pioneers Outkast, rock combo the White Stripes, and grunge masters Soundgarden. Chubby Checker, Joe Cocker, and Bad Company. The ceremony will take place on November 8th at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. 

            “Each of these inductees created their own sound and attitude that had a profound impact on culture and helped to change the course of Rock & Roll forever. Their music gave a voice to generations and influenced countless artists that followed in their footsteps,” Chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame John Sykes said. 

            More than 1,200 musicians, historians, and other music business professionals cast their votes for the nominees. These people based their vote on an artist's influence on other musicians, the breadth and longevity of their career and body of work, and their inventiveness and superiority in style and skill are all considered while making the selection. 

            Artists must be at least 25 years past the release of their first commercial recording to be considered for nomination. Four categories are used to select inductees: performers whose music and cultural influence have influenced rock and roll; influential musicians whose avant-garde approaches have sparked cultural change; a "musical excellence" award for writers, producers, and session musicians who have contributed significantly to the backstage production of some of the most significant songs in rock history; and the Ahmet Ertegun award, which recognizes industry professionals who are not performers but have had a significant influence on the music industry. 

            The Ahmet Ertegun award will go to Lenny Waronker, a former head of Warner Bros. Records who signed Prince and R.E.M. and contributed to records by Madonna, Randy Newman, the Doobie Brothers, Rickie Lee Jones, Paul Simon, and Gary Clark Jr.

            “I don’t think that this award should be part of the induction lineup. The ceremony on television is around 3 hours and I feel like the show would be more enjoyable if there weren't all of these extra awards that cut into the time of the main inductees,” NHS senior Evan Cowley said. 

            Among the other awards presented at the induction is the Musical Influence Award which will go to the late singer-songwriter Warren Zevon and Salt-N-Pepa, the first female rap artist to achieve gold and platinum status. The Musical Excellence Award will go to bassist Carol Kaye, pianist Nicky Hopkins, and the late record producer Thom Bell. 

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame still honors musicians with a classic rock heritage. Still, in recent years these alternative awards to the main induction have broadened its definition of rock heroes to encompass performers from a greater variety of genres and backgrounds. 

“I think it's really cool how the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has become a celebration of music in general and how icons of all music genres are celebrated to make the point that no matter what kind of musician you’re you can still rock and roll,” NHS senior Theo Anderson said.