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Chuck Berry internalized country, blues and R&B influences to create a singular guitar technique.

Chuck Berry

The quintessential instrumental rock and roll band. Few bands are as prolific as the Ventures—they released thirty-seven albums in twelve years, many of them thematic. They rocked America in the sixties and went on to lasting international fame and influence.
Few bands are as prolific as the Ventures—they released thirty-seven albums in twelve years, many of them thematic. They rocked America in the sixties and went on to lasting international fame and influence.

The Ventures

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.

The Rolling Stones

Jimi Hendrix was the most gifted instrumentalist of all time.

Jimi Hendrix Experience

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

The Who

The Stooges were punk before punk existed. In a time when hippie idealism was popular, the Stooges threw down the gauntlet in the form of provocative, high-octane rock and roll.

The Stooges

Quite simply, the Clash were among the most explosive and exciting bands in rock and roll history.

The Clash

All the elements of punk rock were in the air—the aesthetic, the violence, the pent-up energy—but the Ramones coalesced them into a movement.

Ramones

Rage Against the Machine’s blend of experimental metal, hard funk rhythms and biting, politically charged rap reshaped rock activism for the new millennium. 

Rage Against the Machine

Nirvana kicked off a cultural revolution with Nevermind. Disdaining the bloated, corporate music dominating the late ‘80s, they delivered a raw, punk-inspired sound.

Nirvana

The White Stripes reinvigorated rock & roll by returning it to its primal blues roots, proving that a duo with unique style could captivate.

The White Stripes

Patti Smith’s poetic lyricism and rock & roll energy redefined the cultural landscape in 1975, paving the way for punk and inspiring countless risk-taking artists. 

Patti Smith

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Recorded live, this rallying cry is the highlight of the MC5’s seminal debut. The profane lyrics got them in trouble and earned them respect. 

Kick Out the Jams

Inspired by Ted Taylor’s R&B version, Wayne Kramer delivers his best falsetto on  this Marijohn Wilkin cowrite, also cut by Jerry Lee Lewis.

Ramblin Rose

Updating a classic blues song originally recorded by John Lee Hooker, the band vent their frustrations, encouraging rebellion against the power structure of Detroit. 

Motor City is Burning

With producer Jon Landau at the helm, MC5 softened some rough edges. This song names names on a mythical, Springsteenian avenue.

Shakin' Street

A proto-punk love/lust song showcasing Wayne Kramer’s incendiary lead guitar work, backed by a more streamlined, but still powerful MC5.

Looking at You

Radical Raw Proto-punk Revolution

When the MC5 formed, Wayne Kramer found it offensive that Vietnam War supporters co-opted the American flag. He said, “It's my patriotic duty to say, ‘I don't agree with what the government is doing.’ Democracy requires participation. 

So I've just continued with using that symbol to represent the fact that we live in a pluralistic culture with differing views and differing ideas.” He also added a humbucker pickup for volume.

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Tom Morello

"There was never any doubt that the band’s unapologetic driving rock anthems would be anything but the solution – the fast-rocking truths, raw and revealing about a culture in turmoil."

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**Impact**

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

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**Influence**

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Dick Dale

Sun Ra

The Standells

John Coltrane

**Induction**

Inducted by Tom Morello

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**The MC5 burst from late ‘60s Detroit with a volatile combo of pummeling garage rock, psychedelic experimentation, jazz-style improvisation and the radical politics of revolution.** Their elemental, aggressive delivery created the template for punk, inspiring the Clash, the Ramones and countless other disaffected, energetic rockers. Beyond music, the band’s artful defiance crystallized the urgency of the era, offering an uncompromising means of expression that still resonates.

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

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The MC5 burst out with a volatile combo of pummeling garage rock, psychedelic experimentation, jazz-style improvisation and radical politics of revolution. 

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

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{{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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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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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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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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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.

Led Zeppelin

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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

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

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.

Tina Turner

aretha

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

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

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

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

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. 

Induction

Impact

Radical Raw Proto-punk Revolution

Radical Raw Proto-punk Revolution

Kick Out the Jams

Ramblin Rose

Motor City is Burning

Shakin' Street

Looking at You

Stars & Stripes StratMC5 Voice

Without them, there is no punk rock music... They’re on the Mount Rushmore of founders of this particular brand of music.

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Influence

Influences

Influenced

Shop MC5

Shop MC5

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the hall

explore the hall of fame

explore the hall of fame

Induction

Impact

Radical Raw Proto-punk Revolution

Radical Raw Proto-punk Revolution

Kick Out the Jams

Ramblin Rose

Motor City is Burning

Shakin' Street

Looking at You

Stars & Stripes StratMC5 Voice

Without them, there is no punk rock music... They’re on the Mount Rushmore of founders of this particular brand of music.

more from therock & rollhall of famearchives

Influence

Influences

Influenced

Shop MC5

Shop MC5

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explore the hall of fame

explore the hall of fame

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