Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2012 Inductees

With the induction ceremony set to take place on April 14 in Cleveland, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has announced the upcoming inductees, as well as the celebrities who will be making the presentations. Among the musicians being honored are Red Hot Chili Peppers, Guns ‘n Roses, Beastie Boys, the Small Faces aka Faces, Laura Nyro and Donovan. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has been running for 26-years as a nonprofit organization that aims to provide information to the public about the history of rock and roll music, while at the same time drawing attention to its continued significance in music today by means of its library, educational programs and archives.

Upon receiving the news, Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis said that the band’s induction into the Hall of Fame made him think of Hillel Slovak, describing the late Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist as a beautiful person. Kiedis also noted that the announcement has reminded him of how much the band loves what they do, and assured fans that they “want to keep on trucking”.

The Faces have been touring with Mick Hucknall, and the group’s keyboardist Ian McLagan reportedly said that he had not been happy to hear that the Small Faces and the Faces were “lumped together”, but will nonetheless be accepting the honor. It seems likely that original Small Faces singer Rod Stewart will perform with the group at the event. Scottish folk singer Donovan was unreservedly pleased with the news of his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, noting that has had lots of recognition during his career, but he considered this one to be singular. As the third hip-hop act to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, the Beastie Boys issued a written statement acknowledging the inspiration of families, friends and other musicians – Bad Brains, The Slits, The Treacherous Three and X-Ray Spex – as well as thanking New York City for its musical influence.

Celebrities that will be inducting the new members into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame include John Mellencamp, Chuck D, Steve Van Zandt, Bette Midler, Carole King, Robbie Robertson, Smokey Robinson, Glyn Johns, Tom Dowd, Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill.