Def Leppard and Stevie Nicks lead a list of seven acts that have been selected for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame‘s Class of 2019. They’ll be joined by The Cure, Janet Jackson, Radiohead, Roxy Music and the Zombies. This morning’s (Dec. 13) stunning announcement comes two months after 15 acts were nominated on Oct. 9. Among the artists still on the outside looking in were fellow nominees Todd Rundgren and Devo, among others.
The most commercially successful New Wave of British Heavy Metal band, Def Leppard, ignited the 1980s reign of metal. Their anthemic hooks, melodic but powerful guitars, larger-than-life drum sounds, and swagger created the ultimate stadium experience. Their 1983 album, Pyromania, dominated the charts, and featured the hits “Photograph” and “Rock of Ages.” In 1987, they delivered Hysteria, which includes such classic rock favorites as “Pour Some Sugar on Me” and the #1 single, “Love Bites.” As the group’s second consecutive RIAA Diamond-certified record (10 million sales in the U.S.), it would go on to sell over 30 million copies worldwide.
Related: Our interview with Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott
Nicks was inducted previously as a member of Fleetwood Mac, with whom she is currently on tour. She has enjoyed significant success as a solo artist with six Top 10 albums. Her solo hits include “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” (with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers), “Edge of Seventeen” and “Stand Back.” With her induction, Nicks becomes the first female to be inducted twice (21 males, including Eric Clapton (3x!), all of the Beatles, and others, have already enjoyed that honor).
The Zombies, whose hits included “She’s Not There,” “Tell Her No” and “Time of the Season” (the latter from their critically praised album Odessey and Oracle), were quick to express their gratitude for their induction. Posted singer Colin Blunstone, “What fantastic news! On behalf of the whole Zombies family, past and present, a resounding and sincere ‘thank you’ to the members of the Rock Hall for adding our name to the list of this year’s inductees, and of course also to our wonderful and loyal fans who have supported us so enthusiastically and tenaciously in the public vote. When The Zombies first played together all those years ago we would never have dreamt of this kind of recognition which makes today’s news all the more exciting and fulfilling! Thanks once again to everyone who voted for us, as we go forward as inductees of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, into a brand new year of writing, recording and touring!”
Related: Other rock Hall Class of 2019 inductees react
Throughout her groundbreaking career, Janet Jackson has sold more than 160 million records worldwide, scored seven #1 albums, and is the only artist in Billboard’s history to have three different albums— Control, Janet Jackson’sRhythm Nation 1814 and janet.—each produce five or more Top 10 hits on the Hot 100 chart. She is also one of only four artists, alongside Bruce Springsteen, Barbra Streisand and U2, to have earned #1 albums in the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s and 2010s.
Roxy Music added elements of modern fashion, cinema, art and the avant-garde into rock and roll, and pushed listeners’ perceptions about the essence of pop music. An experiment that envisioned the future of rock and roll and, in doing so, changed the course of music.
The 2019 class does not include any new inductees in the occasional categories the Hall sometimes utilizes to honor individuals who don’t fit into others, like Sidemen, Early Influences, etc.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2019 Induction Ceremony, presented by Klipsch Audio, will be held at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., on March 29, 2019. Ticket on-sale information will be announced in January. HBO will broadcast highlights from the event at a later date.
Official ballots are sent to more than 1,000 voters, including every living Rock Hall inductee, artists, members of the music industry and music historians.
The selection of Def Leppard, in particular, would have been unthinkable not long ago. But in recent years, the Hall’s selection committee has selected numerous bands that it had overlooked — in some cases, not even nominated — for decades. These include recent selections Journey, Chicago, Electric Light Orchestra and Yes. Some can point to the licensing fee paid to the Hall by HBO for its need for star power for its broadcast of the induction ceremony.
Related: Links to 100s of classic rock tours
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