The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has announced its 2025 inductees, with Soundgarden, Cyndi Lauper, and Bad Company leading the Performer category alongside Chubby Checker, Joe Cocker, OutKast, and The White Stripes.
Salt-N-Pepa and Warren Zevon will receive the Musical Influence Award, while Thom Bell, Nicky Hopkins, and Carol Kaye are being honored with Musical Excellence Awards. Former Warner Bros. Records president Lenny Waronker will be presented with the Ahmet Ertegun Award.
John Sykes, chairman of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame expressed:
“Each of these inductees created their own sound and attitude that had a profound impact on culture and helped to change the course of rock and roll forever. Their music gave a voice to generations and influenced countless artists that followed in their footsteps.”
The induction ceremony is set for November 8 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, streaming live on Disney+, with a later broadcast on ABC.
Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil told Billboard about finding a vocalist to fill in for the late Cornell:
“It’s a high bar, not just technically, but emotionally. There has to be a reverence for the missing brother and founder, and there also has to be reverence for the legacy — both for Chris’ work and Chris’ creativity, as well as the regard and reverence we have for ourselves collectively and for each other.”
Thayil added:
“Some suggestions have come out; I’m not prepared to share that, but I’ll just say it’s a higher bar than the usual composite of guitarists and drummers or singers.”
Reflecting on their induction, Thayil addressed how Cornell would “definitely be stoked,” stating:
“He’s the one who convinced me how appreciative the fans and our peers and the Soundgarden community, that includes the people that we work with and work for us, would be about it.
He realized how important that was, and he understood that would be important to us because it’s important to people who cared about us and helped us and supported us all along. That’s how I believe Chris would respond to this. I think he’d be very appreciative and thankful to all the people who have believed in him and believed in the work he did and the work that we all did, collectively.”
Read the full discussion here.
Vicky Cornell, Chris’s widow, also shared her gratitude on social media:
“Thank you @rockhall… And huge thanks to all the fans who voted who’s constant love and support keep his legacy alive. It’s always bittersweet but Chris would be so honored and it is well past due and beyond well deserved! On behalf of Chris and our family -thank you!! Loud love”
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