The final three 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees come in the Musical Excellence category, which is reserved for lesser-known talents who have little chance of making it in via a ballot. These entrants are inducted into the Hall by a special committee.

This year’s Musical Excellence additions are Carol Kaye, Nicky Hopkins, and Thom Bell. And if those names are new to you, that’s why they made it in this way.

Kaye is one of the most prolific bassists in rock music, credited with more than 10,000 recordings over a 65-year career. She supported tracks by some of the biggest names in the industry, including The Beach Boys, The Supremes, The Temptations, Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, and Simon & Garfunkel. Her work in film and TV soundtracks includes the iconic Mission: Impossible theme. Kaye is still with us at age 91. You can hear one of her bass lines on today’s SOTD.

Hopkins was an English keyboardist. Afflicted with Crohn’s disease, he was unable to tour so worked as a session musician, playing piano and organ for many of Britain’s best bands. He played extensively for The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, and The Who, and manned the electric piano on The Beatles’ ‘Revolution.’ That’s just a tiny sample of the many big-name artists he supported before his death at just 50 years old.

Thom Bell was an R&B songwriter and producer recognized as one of the creators of Philadelphia soul. He wrote and produced a ton of material for The Stylistics, a successful Philly R&B group, and supported a laundry list of other artists, including Johnny Mathis, The Temptations, James Ingram, The Delfonics, and Elton John. Bell died in 2022 at age 79.

While none of these artists found fame or fortune, they all made careers supporting incredible, history-making music. I’m glad the Rock Hall found a way to recognize their contributions.