The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced today the 2022 class of inductees. In addition to a diverse set of performers, several industry professionals will be honored Nov. 5 as the induction ceremony moves to Los Angeles. The festivities will also air at a later date via HBO.
Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo
First nominated in 2020, the 1980s arena rocker and her Cleveland-born husband and producer shot into the Hall of Fame this time. The New York-native won several Grammy awards for her powerful vocals and was regularly featured in the early days of MTV.
Pat Benatar and husband Neil Geraldo on stage at Great Adventure in New Jersey during her 2007 Summer Tour. [Andrew F. Kazmierski / Shutterstock]
Duran Duran
This British-born, synth-pop group emerged from Birmingham, England, in the early 1980s and became leaders of a style called the New Romantic movement. The band’s career took a huge leap thanks to a series of cinematic music videos that played in heavy rotation on MTV.
Eminem
The white Detroit rapper walks into the hall of fame in his first year of eligibility. Groomed by L.A. producer/performer Dr. Dre, Eminem is one of the best-selling artists in pop music history. Both he and Dr. Dre made surprise appearances at the 2021 inductions in tribute to fellow rap legend LL Cool J.
Eurythmics
This British synth-pop duo also got a considerable career boost from the early days of MTV. Producer and instrumentalist Dave Stewart shaped the group’s sound, and Annie Lenox’s dominating vocals helped power the group through a series of hit singles throughout the 1980s.
Dolly Parton
Despite Parton's concern that her country music stylings didn't qualify her for hall of fame status, voters begged to differ. Parton comes from a family of 12 children who grew up on a Tennessee farm in the 1950s. She started her recording career at the age of 13 and has since become an international star as a singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur.
Dolly Parton arriving to "Joyful Noise" Los Angeles Premiere on January 19, 2012, in California. [DFree / Shutterstock]
Lionel Richie
Richie took the soul-singing style he developed with the Commodores in the late 1970s into international stardom. As a singer-songwriter and producer, he was comfortable with music ranging from country to pop. In his first time on the Rock Hall ballot, Richie was fresh on voters’ minds thanks to his appearance during last year’s induction ceremony with his tribute to music executive Clarence Avant.
Lionel Richie playing Glastonbury Festival's Pyramid Stage in 2015. [Anthony Mooney / Shutterstock]
Carly Simon
A scion of the family that founded the Simon & Shuster publishing company, this singer-songwriter made a name for herself in the early 1970s with a series of confessional ballads that led to a string of gold records.
Carly Simon attends movie "Clive Davis: The Soundtrack Of Our Lives" premiere at Radio City Music Hall in New York in 2017. [lev radin / Shutterstock]
Musical Excellence Award
Judas Priest
A product of the heavy metal scene of Birmingham, England, that spawned Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin in the early 1970s, Judas Priest helped create a new wave of metal towards the end of that decade.
Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis
Decked out in their fedoras, dark glasses and suits, this record-producing team helped make Janet Jackson just as famous (if not more so) than her brother Michael. Other notables from their stable of hitmakers include Mary J. Blige, Usher and Cherrelle.
Early Influence Award
Harry Belafonte
During the wave of acoustic music in New York in the 1950s, he popularized calypso and other forms of folk music. He was also an influential social activist in the mold of his hero Paul Robeson.
Elizabeth Cotten
She was a vastly influential singer-songwriter who only started playing out in her sixties. Her famous finger-picking style developed because she was left-handed and taught herself to play guitar holding the instrument upside down.
Ahmet Ertegun Award
Music executives Sylvia Robinson, Jimmy Iovine and Alan Grubman made their marks as industry professionals who nurtured major performers behind the scenes.
