The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Announces 2015 Inductees

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame officially announced the new class of inductees for 2015. Lou Reed, Green Day, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, Joan Jettand the Blackhearts, Bill Withers and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band will be this year’s class of honored musicians. Beatles’ drummer and solo artist Ringo Starrwill receive the award for musical excellence. The 1950s R&B group The 5 Royales will receive the Early Influence Award.

The ceremony will take place at Cleveland’s Public Hall on April 18th, 2015. The event is open to the general public. Tickets go on sale this Thursday at Ticketmaster.

In order to be eligible for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame artists must wait 25 years after the release of their first album or single. For instance Green Day’s debut EP, 1,000 Hours, was released in 1989. This will be the band’s first year of eligibility. Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong told Rolling Stone, “We’re in incredible company and I’m still trying to make sense of this. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has always held something special for me because my heroes were in there. This is a great time for us to sort of reflect and look back with gratitude.”

Ringo Starr was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 as part of The Beatles induction. The three other Beatles were also inducted as solo artists. “This means recognition to me,” says Starr.

Joan Jett’s influence on females being taken seriously as musicians and rockers has been an inspiration for all the hard-rocking chicks in the music biz today. Jett said she was completely blown away by the news, “It’s surreal and very humbling. It’s a culmination of all you’ve dreamed about doing as a musician. I’ve always been hopeful that I’d get in because I think it’s an incredible acknowledgment. I’m very proud to be with all these great musicians.”

Bill Withers, who has not been active in the music scene for the past 30 years, was surprised when he heard the news about being chosen, “I never thought it was some kind of entitlement or something. I just never felt that anyone owed me this. It’s something that’s nice that happened. I guess I’ll have to go buy a suit.”

Withers said he is considering performing at the ceremony, but at the moment he’s still unsure saying, “There are some people that can sing in their later years and some of them that can’t. I don’t want to be one of those old guys that sounds like a gerbil trying to give birth to a hippopotamus. I’ve gotta see if I can’t conjure it up.”

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony ends with the night’s honorees jamming together. Speaking of the performance Joan Jett said, “Playing ‘I Love Rock and Roll’ would be a lot of fun. It would speak to what a lot of us have dedicated our lives to, this music called rock and roll. I think it would be appropriate. I’ve always sort of kept that song away, but I think in this instance it would be a perfect instance to whip it out and have people do it.” Ringo Starr had this to say, “I’m not putting a band together. But if Paul McCartney puts one together, I’ll do ‘With A Little Help From My Friends.'”