Celebrating the twentieth anniversary of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the fiftieth birthday of rock & roll transformed the 2005 Induction Ceremony into an extra-special occasion. As Jann Wenner pointed out in his opening remarks, "In 1954 came the first record by Elvis Presley, followed by Chuck Berry's, Bo Diddley's, and Little Richard's first releases in 1955, the same year that Bill Haley's "Rock Around the Clock" hit Number One. Jerry Lee Lewis released his first national record in 1956.
A half-century later, Buddy Guy, the O'Jays, The Pretenders, Percy Sledge, U2, Frank Barsalona and Seymour Stein were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
