The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced its Class of 2020: Nine Inch Nails, the Notorious B.I.G., Whitney Houston, Depeche Mode, the Doobie Brothers and T. Rex.
While no country artists were on the ballot this year, there’s certainly a country connection for a couple of the new electees.
- Whitney Houston’s best-selling song, “I Will Always Love You,” was penned by Dolly Parton, who originally recorded the tune in 1974. Whitney’s 1992 rendition has been certified 8X Platinum by the RIAA for sales of 8 million units.
- The Doobie Brothers’ 2014 album, Southbound, featured the Doobies teaming with some of country’s top talent for one-offs, including Blake Shelton (“Listen to the Music”), Brad Paisley (Rockin’ Down the Highway”), Toby Keith (Long Train Runnin’) and Zac Brown Band (“Black Water”).
Pat Benatar, Dave Matthews Band, Judas Priest, Kraftwerk, MC5, Motörhead, Rufus featuring Chaka Khan, Todd Rundgren, Soundgarden, and Thin Lizzy were among the nominees that didn’t receive enough votes for election this year. Ballots were cast by an international voting body of more than 1,000 artists, including current inductees, historians and members of the music industry.
The induction ceremony will air live on HBO from Cleveland’s Public Hall on May 2.
