The late Whitney Houston and The Notorious B.I.G. top the list of artists that will be incorporated into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, along with Depeche Mode, the Doobie Brothers, Nine Inch Nails and T-Rex.
Houston, trained for the gospel and whose powerful voice transformed Dolly Parton’s song “I Will Always Love You” into a mega success, is among the four artists chosen the first year they are nominated. The others are the Doobie Brothers, Biggie and T-Rex.
The annual incorporation ceremony will be on May 2 at the Public Auditorium in Cleveland, the city where the rock museum is located. The show will be broadcast live for the first time, on the HBO cable channel.
Houston, who died in 2012 after years of drug abuse, had instant success after signing her record deal at age 19. His 1985 debut album included three No. 1: “Saving All My Love for You,” “How Will I Know” and “The Greatest Love of All.” He had seven consecutive singles at the top of the popularity charts, a milestone for any artist. Daughter of the gospel singer Cissy Houston and cousin of Dionne Warwick, Houston grew up in the music industry.
The imposing Brooklyn-born rapper Christopher Wallace assumed the names of The Notorious B.I.G. and Biggie Smalls and was enormously influential when rap became the dominant style of music in the 1990s. With hits like “Juicy” and “Big Poppa,” he was the leader of the American East Coast rap school that rivaled artists from the west coast.
In 1997, at age 24, he was shot dead from a car in Los Angeles in a crime that has not been clarified. With the posthumous album “Life After Death”, from which successes such as “Mo Money Mo Problems” and “Hypnotize” were released, he was the first artist who had several No. 1 after his death.
Depeche Mode remains active, but had its greatest influence in the 80s, when its post-punk music dominated by the synthesizer made the British group a favorite of the Gothic subculture. His hits include “Personal Jesus,” “Just Can’t Get Enough” and “Enjoy the Silence.”
Depeche Mode shares with the entertainers of Nine Inch Nails the honor of having had a song versioned by the country music icon Johnny Cash, who recorded NIN’s “Personal Jesus” and “Hurt” during a resurgence at the end of his career.
With themes like “Closer,” NIN was a leader of the industrial rock movement in the 1990s. Like Green Day, a memorable performance in the muddy Woodstock ’94 brought them closer to a wider audience. Its leader, Trent Reznor, has become a prominent producer of soundtracks parallel to his work with the band.
The Doobie Brothers were not critics’ favorites, but they had some indelible successes in the 70s, including “Listen to the Music,” “Black Water” and “China Grove.” This year they will embark on a tour for their 50th anniversary, bringing their members Michael McDonald, Pat Simmons, Tom Johnston and John McFee for the first time in 25 years. His incorporation into the Hall of Fame is perfect advertising.
The British group T-Rex is mainly known for successes of the 70s as “Bang a Gong (Get it On)” and, on a smaller scale, for “Jeepster”. The death of its leader Marc Bolan in 1977 put an end to the group.
The two built-in non-interpreters could bring with them some great stars. Music manager Irving Azoff has overseen the finances of several bands, but is best known as the Eagles’ attorney since 1974. Jon Landau is a music-focused journalist known for an emblematic phrase from 1974, when he saw a little-known artist: “I saw the future of rock ‘n’ roll and his name is Bruce Springsteen.” Shortly after he became Springsteen’s manager, a job he keeps up until today.
Tickets for the incorporation ceremony will go on sale on February 27. The artists who will perform at the gala will be announced later.
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