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Glamorous. Futuristic. Alien. Mortal. You can never fully encapsulate the many faces of David Bowie.

David Bowie

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

Queen was one of the most popular, ambitious and beloved classic rock bands ever.

Queen

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

Prince redefined artistic possibility, mixing rock, funk, soul, pop and jazz into a genre-defying blend that both challenged and satisfied audiences. 

Prince

Stevie Wonder was quite literally born to make music—he was discovered at age 12.

Stevie Wonder

Elton John has delivered everything we want from a rock star and more—wild rock anthems, searing ballads, undiluted exuberance—for almost fifty years.

Elton John

Marvin Gaye used his honeyed tenor to explore sexuality and social issues on such sprawling concept albums as the intensely exploratory What's Going On.

Marvin Gaye

Michael Jackson redefined both the sound and look of pop, worldwide. Transcending  cultural and racial boundaries, his music continues to influence generations.

Michael Jackson

Hal Blaine is the accompanist to Phil Spector's "Wall of Sound" and one of the most sought-after session drummers in L.A.

Hall and Oates

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

Duran Duran are a band of delicious dichotomies: infectious pop melodies concealing complicated musical arrangements; pioneering synthesizers combined with distorted glam rock guitars.

Duran Duran

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Adopting a Bo Diddley-beat, and inspired by Prince, this rock & roll pastiche was Michael’s first No. 1 hit from his debut solo album. 

Faith

This dreamy R&B ballad features elements of Egyptian music and gospel, another inspired by Prince. And another No. 1. 

Father Figure

This sombre reflection on social ills and injustice was Michael’s first political song since Wham!. With no chorus, it went to No. 1.

Praying for Time

With a Clyde Stubblefield sample from James Brown’s “Funky Drummer,” this gospel-tinged dance hit (No. 8) is a critique of Michael’s unsatisfying stardom.

Freedom! ‘90

A melancholy tribute to Michael's Brazilian lover Anselmo Feleppa, who had died from an AIDS-related brain hemorrhage.  A critically-acclaimed Top Ten hit.

Jesus to a Child

Timeless Funky Pop Soul

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"Michael was blessed with a soulful R&B tone – including an angelic falsetto croon as pure and tranquil as clear ocean water – and a fluid sense of dynamics."

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**Impact**

Career Spotlight Film - featured during their induction ceremony in 2023.

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**Influence**

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Justin Timberlake

Bruno Mars

Ricky Martin

Robbie Williams

Sam Smith

Adele

Mika

Ed Sheeran

**Induction**

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**George Michael combined a keen sense of melody with an embrace of rhythm** that encompassed rock, R&B and electronica. His songwriting themes resonated across multiple demographics, from the MTV generation to the LGBTQ community. Beginning with pop duo Wham!, he focused tireless ambition on creating a compelling persona, shapeshifting with the music, incorporating dance and extravagant video, and earning a reputation as a dependably riveting performer.

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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George Michael

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George Michael combined a keen sense of melody with an embrace of rhythm that encompassed rock, R&B and electronica. He earned a reputation as a riveting performer.

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{{year}} Induction | Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

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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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

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. 

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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

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

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

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

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

Jimi Hendrix was the most gifted instrumentalist of all time.

Jimi Hendrix Experience

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

The Who

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. 

Earth, Wind & Fire

RUN DMC was a group of firsts. The trio established “street-style,” shattered boundaries between rap and rock and transformed the sound and audience of hip-hop.

RUN DMC

Eminem

Unbridled controversy. Unparalleled talent. Unmatched superstardom. Eminem solidified hip-hop as the most commercially successful music on the planet.

Induction

Impact

Timeless Funky Pop Soul

Timeless Funky Pop Soul

Faith

Father Figure

Praying for Time

Freedom! ‘90

Jesus to a Child

He was probably one of the most brilliant songwriters this country has ever produced, and certainly one of the best vocalists ever.

Influence

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Shop George Michael and More

Shop George Michael and More

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the hall

explore the hall of fame

explore the hall of fame

Induction

Impact

Timeless Funky Pop Soul

Timeless Funky Pop Soul

Faith

Father Figure

Praying for Time

Freedom! ‘90

Jesus to a Child

He was probably one of the most brilliant songwriters this country has ever produced, and certainly one of the best vocalists ever.

Influence

sealed with a signature

Shop George Michael and More

Shop George Michael and More

more from the hall

explore the hall of fame

explore the hall of fame

more from
the hall