Narrowed down from a pool of sixteen, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame selected six performers to be inducted in the upcoming 2014 ceremonies. Here are the artists:
1. KISS
2. Nirvana
3. Hall and Oates
4. Linda Rondstadt
5. Cat Stevens
6. Peter Gabriel
In addition, the Hall will be awarding Brian Epstein  and Andrew Loog Oldham the Ahmet Ertegun Lifetime Achievement Award, given to influential, non-performing members of the music community. Finally, The E Street Band will receive The Award for Musical Excellence, awarded to lesser-known musicians who have collaborated with and influenced the music of someone more well-known, like, in this case, Bruce Springsteen.
While there is certainly no denying that these artists are all incredibly deserving of Clevelandic commemoration, my personal list would have taken a different shape. That Yes has not yet been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a tragedy. A tragedy!
But, I am happy to see that Nirvana is finally being recognized for their contributions to rock music. Love them or hate them, there is no denying that they were influential rockers. And now, it’s official.
This is also the second induction for Peter Gabriel; the first was for his work in the band Genesis, which was inducted in 2010. Gabriel did not show up for that performance, as he had a tour starting two days after, and was in rehearsals, but was quoted as saying he will definitely be attending this time around.
-David Melamed (@DMelamz)