Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony 2020

It was definitely a mixed bag of artists at this year’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.

Held virtually due to the ongoing public health restrictions, the special presentation honoured this year’s inductees: Depeche Mode, The Doobie Brothers, Nine Inch Nails, T. Rex., Whitney Houston and The Notorious B.I.G

The November event was held as a replacement for the live Induction Ceremony originally scheduled for May 2.

The ceremony kicked off with Dave Grohl giving the introduction to this year’s class of inductees. Special guests including , Sean “Diddy” Combs, Don Henley, Jennifer Hudson, Billy Idol, Iggy Pop, Alicia Keys, Adam Levine, Chris Martin, Bruce Springsteen, Ringo Starr, Gwen Stefani, Charlize Theron, Nancy Wilson all highlighted  the importance and influence of the 2020 Inductees and how they have impacted on both their personal and professional careers.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame praised Depeche Mode for “pushing sonic and lyrical boundaries with new synthesizer technology and captivating live performances”, The Doobie Brothers for being “ a mainstay in the rock & roll landscape for nearly five decades”, Nine Inch Nails for juxtaposing “the brutal and delicate, chaos and order, nihilistic despair and spiritual rapture” and praising T.Rex as “a rock and roll comet that graced Earth and left behind a new rock style that inspired generations of musicians.”

Perhaps using the definition of Rock & Roll in its broadest sense, they also celebrated Whitney Houston as the “greatest singer of her generation,” and Biggie Smalls aka The Notorious B.I.G,. who prophesied his short but impactful career with albums “Ready to Die” and “Life After Death” – two of hip-hop’s most influential albums.

In one of the strangest years in music for years, perhaps the inclusion of the latter in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame was to be expected.

In the words of Dire Straits ‘ “Money for Nothing” – “It ain’t what we call Rock & Roll”…