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The Hall of Fame

Bessie Smith was rare for many reasons—her musical apprenticeship under Ma Rainey, her songs about liberated women, her plainspoken style that foreshadowed rap—but nothing distinguished her more than her voice.

Bessie Smith

Ma Rainey may not have been the first woman to sing the blues, but she might as well have.

Ma Rainey

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2018 Inductee Sister Rosetta Tharpe was the first guitar heroine of rock & roll.

Sister Rosetta Tharpe

Even Howlin' Wolf's six foot three frame couldn't contain his unrestrained vocals and larger than life stage presence.

Howlin’ Wolf

Lead Belly had a hard life in which he couldn't count on much besides poverty and prison. No doubt, this informed his sharp, keening vocals and significant contributions to the fledgling folk movement.

Lead Belly

Big Joe Turner's mastery of every genre including blues, jazz, R&B and swing gave way to his uptempo party hits.

Big Joe Turner

Mahalia Jackson's passionate contralto brought sensuality and forceful expression to gospel music.

Mahalia Jackson

Muddy Waters' playing was revelatory, his singing unrivaled. You could call his the guitar that launched a thousand bands.

Muddy Waters

The first anointed King of Rock & Roll. Elvis Presley ignited a revolution with his firebrand take on blues, country, R&B, pop, bluegrass and gospel. 

Elvis Presley

Etta James had one of the greatest voices of her century. Forever the matriarch of the blues, she has been immortalized by such hits as "At Last," "Tell Mama" and "Sunday Kind of Love."

Etta James

Janis Joplin had one of the most powerful voices of the Sixties. Her voice is equal parts tough and vulnerable, a shout into the void that resonated with a generation.

Janis Joplin

The first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Aretha Franklin was an artist of passion, sophistication and command, whose recordings remain anthems that defined soul music.

Aretha Franklin

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The definitive, original version of Leiber & Stoller’s takedown of a gigolo. Thornton’s hit No. 1 R&B, sold half a million, and is in the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Hound Dog

Made famous by Janis Joplin, who heard Thornton performing it in a club, the original is slow and mournful, with an unforgettable howling vocal. 

Ball and Chain

A ragged-but-right rendition of an Armstead/Ashford/Simpson track made famous by Ray Charles. Thornton makes it her own. 

Let’s Go Get Stoned

In her debut for Vanguard records, riding a rocking blues shuffle, Thornton pays tribute to a “sassy mama” who has caught her eye. 

Sassy Mama

Thornton in top form with her label-mate Muddy Waters’ stellar backing band, cutting loose on this original raveup.


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Raw, Powerful Soulful Blues Icon

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Jerry Leiber

"Her songs, sound, style, and attitude made formative contributions to the development of rock & roll."

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**Impact**

Career Spotlight Film - featured during their induction ceremony in 2024.

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**Influence**

Inductees

Tina Turner

B. B. King

The Rolling Stones

Led Zeppelin

Memphis Minnie

Blind Willie Johnson

**Induction**

**Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton’s defiantly eclectic music mixed blues, gospel, R&B and sharp storytelling.** With her raw, unadorned voice and transgressive masculine wardrobe, she challenged gender norms and broke barriers for women. Her original 1953 recording of “Hound Dog” laid the groundwork for rock & roll. Her powerful renderings of pain and resilience inspired future icons like Tina Turner, Janis Joplin and countless others.

This is the signature that appears on the inductee’s plaque at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame to officially commemorate their induction.

sealed with a **signature**

Big Mama Thornton

Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton’s defiantly eclectic music mixed blues, gospel, R&B and sharp storytelling. She challenged gender norms, and broke barriers for women. 

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{{year}} Induction | Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

This award is given to artists, musicians, songwriters, and producers whose originality and influence have had a dramatic impact on music.

Ahmet Ertegun Award

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announces the {{year}} Inductees for music’s highest honor.

{{year}} **Inductees**

This award recognizes individuals who have dedicated their lives to crafting influential, important music infused with originality, achieving a level of timeless distinction.

Musical Excellence

This award acknowledges artists whose music and performance style have directly influenced, inspired, and evolved rock & roll and music impacting culture.

Musical Influence

Celebrating the iconic artists who have created music whose originality, impact, and influence has changed the course of rock & roll.

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Discover Rock & Roll’s influence across eras

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Sorry Ms. Jackson: A Hip-Hop Symphony

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A Rock B-Side Turned West Coast Anthem

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From CBGB’s to Hip-Hop’s Mainstream

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A Mother’s Love Scored in Soul and Hip-Hop

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From Teen Pop to Timeless Standard

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The MJ Anthem That Took Over the Dancefloor

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The Guitar Riff That Shaped Generations

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Music’s Highest Honor. The Hall of Fame features the Inductee Signature Gallery and the New Inductee exhibit.

The Fan Vote joins the ballots of more than a thousand historians, music industry professionals, and artists to select each year’s induction class.

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The Class of {{YEAR}}

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Want to learn more? Take a deep dive into our exclusive content on Rock Hall EDU to discover more about your favorite Inductees.  

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The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame puts the spotlight on the music & artists who’ve stood the test of time. Explore all the ways this museum celebrates the music that connects us all.

Inside The Museum

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See what's up next on our set list. Choose from live performances, fan experiences, film screenings and much more.

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PRESS RELEASE

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Beatles

John, Paul, George, & Ringo kickstarted the seismic British Invasion that swept the U.S. in the ‘60s and rewrote the rules of what performers could be and do.

The Beatles

AC:DC

Since 1975, AC/DC has carved out a niche between punky hard rock and heavy metal, inspiring countless musicians with crank-up-the-volume radio staples 

AC/DC

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The Rolling Stones have married their love of blues and American R&B to a vast array of styles and genres. The constant throughline has been the band’s swagger.

Bon Jovi

Bursting out of New Jersey in 1984, Bon Jovi’s irresistible combo of heavy metal and pop brought multiple chart-topping hits and worldwide rock stardom. 

Hard rock and heavy metal as we know it wouldn't exist without Led Zeppelin, one of the most popular and innovative rock bands ever.

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There's a reason the Eagles' "best of" album was the first album ever to be certified platinum.

The Eagles

Prince

Prince redefined artistic possibility, mixing rock, funk, soul, pop and jazz into a genre-defying blend that both challenged and satisfied audiences. 

Queen was one of the most popular, ambitious and beloved classic rock bands ever.

Queen

Bruce

Bruce Springsteen rose from Jersey street poet to socially conscious cultural icon, an artist whose voice spoke to—and for—multiple generations worldwide. 

Bruce Springsteen

Pink

Architects of two major music movements – psychedelic rock and progressive rock – Pink Floyd were renowned for biting political, social and emotional commentary. 

Pink Floyd

Maonna

Madonna demolished pop boundaries, boldly redefining what it means to be a rock star. She proved art could be both controversial and commercially successful.

Madonna

Fleetwood

Fleetwood Mac delivered some of the  most indelible songs of the ‘70s, creating a distinctive “California sound” that endures as a sonic touchstone for countless bands.

Fleetwood Mac

The first female-fronted hard rock band, Heart proved women can rock with the best of them. Heart's mix of hard rock and folk yielded one of the longest lasting and most commercially successful bands of all time.

Heart

Tina Turner worked hard to reimagine the role of a Black woman in rock and roll — one not related to the edges.

aretha

Cher

Pop’s enduring icon – and the only woman with No. 1 hits across seven decades. With her distinctive contralto voice, Cher mastered folk-pop, rock, disco, and electropop.

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Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott holds the record for most platinum albums by a woman rapper. She forged new paths by unapologetically owning her body and her Blackness. 

Missy Elliott

With her prodigious songwriting talent, vocal and instrumental prowess, charisma, and trademark style, Dolly Parton has achieved immense global success as a musician and blazed a trail for generations of artists to come.

Dolly Parton

Joan Jett & The Blackhearts smash genre (and gender) boundaries by fusing punk, glam and heavy metal with '50s and '60s rock & roll.

Joan Jett & The Blackhearts

Elvis

Billy Joel comes off as such a determinedly average guy that it's tempting to undervalue his extraordinary gifts.

Billy Joel

The founder and creative beacon of Elektra Records. Jac Holzman's diverse taste and engineering knowledge yielded a catalogue of music ranging from classical to hard rock to simply sound effects, all of the highest quality.

James Brown

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Van Halen kicked the American hard rock scene into high gear in the late Seventies, became rock heroes on MTV in the Eighties, and gave rise to a steady stream of shredders and trailblazers ever since.

Van Halen

Michael Jackson redefined both the sound and look of pop, worldwide. Transcending  cultural and racial boundaries, his music continues to influence generations.

Michael Jackson

Jimi Hendrix was the most gifted instrumentalist of all time.

Jimi Hendrix Experience

The window-breaking, earth-quaking, soul-shaking Who.

The Who

The unmistakeable vocal timbre of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2019 Inductee Stevie Nicks’s voice has dominated rock.

Stevie Nicks

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Earth, Wind & Fire’s distinctive blend of funk, soul, jazz, Africana, and pop melodicism ruled the ‘70s and ‘80s airwaves. 

Earth, Wind & Fire

RUN DMC was a group of firsts. The trio established “street-style,” shattered boundaries between rap and rock and transformed the sound and audience of hip-hop.

RUN DMC

Eminem

Unbridled controversy. Unparalleled talent. Unmatched superstardom. Eminem solidified hip-hop as the most commercially successful music on the planet.

We’re showcasing the iconic SNL film, The Blues Brothers, a spin off from the TV show’s 1978 recurring musical sketch.

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Join us for our 2025 Fall Film Series, where we explore films that highlight the powerful connection between music and comedy, in celebration of our new exhibit

Impact

Raw, Powerful Soulful Blues Icon

Raw, Powerful Soulful Blues Icon

Hound Dog

Ball and Chain

Let’s Go Get Stoned

Sassy Mama

I’m Feelin Alright-1

She was a wonderful blues singer, with a great moaning style… she had this really guttural, growling sound. And the both of us fell in love with her.

more from therock & rollhall of famearchives

Influence

sealed with a signature

Shop Big Mama Thorton and More

Shop Big Mama Thorton and More

More from
the Hall

explore the hall of fame

explore the hall of fame

Impact

Raw, Powerful Soulful Blues Icon

Raw, Powerful Soulful Blues Icon

Hound Dog

Ball and Chain

Let’s Go Get Stoned

Sassy Mama

I’m Feelin Alright-1

She was a wonderful blues singer, with a great moaning style… she had this really guttural, growling sound. And the both of us fell in love with her.

more from therock & rollhall of famearchives

Influence

sealed with a signature

Shop Big Mama Thorton and More

Shop Big Mama Thorton and More

More from the Hall

explore the hall of fame

explore the hall of fame

More from
the Hall