Soul singer Whitney Houston, new wave group Depeche Mode and rapper Notorious B.I.G. are among the 2020 inductees into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.
Rock groups T Rex, Nine Inch Nails and the Doobie Brothers will also join the pop music pantheon after being voted for by more than 1,000 music industry figures.
Congratulations to your @KlipschAudio #RockHall2020 Inductees. Performers: @depechemode, @thedoobiebros, #WhitneyHouston, @nineinchnails , #TheNotoriousBIG and #TRex & Ahmet Ertegun awards #JonLandau and @IrvingAzoff More info: https://t.co/HFHCXkPgVJ pic.twitter.com/ShSbL9XsRo
— Rock Hall (@rockhall) January 15, 2020
Trent Reznor, of Nine Inch Nails, said he was “in shock” at the honour.
He told Rolling Stone magazine: “When I look back at how Nine Inch Nails are received, it always seems like we fall between the cracks.
“I don’t know if it’s a defence mechanism, but I just assumed we’d stay in that category, so I’m pleasantly surprised to see us acknowledged.”
Hall Of Fame inductees are judged on their body of work, innovation, musical influence, style and technique, according to the organisation.
To be eligible, a potential inductee must have released their first commercial recording 25 years before the year of their nomination.
In October last year, 16 acts were nominated, with Dave Matthews Band, Motorhead, Pat Benatar, Soundgarden and Thin Lizzy among those missing out.
Houston, widely considered one of the greatest singers ever and who sold hundreds of millions of records around the world, died in 2012 at the age of 48.
Notorious B.I.G., whose real name is Christopher Wallace, was shot dead in Los Angeles in 1997.
Two of this year’s inductees, Marc Bolan’s T Rex and Depeche Mode, led by Dave Gahan, are British.
Two non-performing music industry figures – band manager Irving Azoff and critic Jon Landau – will receive the Ahmet Ertegun award.
The 35th annual Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony will take place on May 2 in Cleveland, Ohio.
