2016 was a big catch-up year for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. In addition to the long-awaited inductions of Cheap Trick and Chicago, the English hard rock band Deep Purple made it into the Hall after a 22-year wait.
Considered part of the “unholy trinity” of English hard rock bands, along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, Deep Purple had been nominated twice before (in 2013 and 2014) before finally making the cut.
It took 21 years for Chicago to make the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. First eligible in 1995, the Windy City rock band went un-nominated until 2016, when they finally made it in.
Formed in 1967, the band has sold more than 100 million albums worldwide, with scores of gold, platinum and multi-platinum records to their credit. At one point in the mid-70s, Chicago had seven albums on the Billboard 200 at the same time. Whatever you think of their music, these guys were huge.
It’s time for another round of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees. Having covered the artists inducted in 2017 through 2020, I’m now turning my attention to the 2016 class.
First up is Cheap Trick, the Illinois-based rock band that debuted in 1973 and is still making music today (a planned 2020 album release was delayed due to Covid and will come out later this year).
Cheap Trick has been eligible for the Rock Hall since 2003 and made it in the first year they were nominated.
The final inductee from the 2017 class of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is Yes, a band for which I have a total blindspot.
The only Yes song I know — or at least the only one I can actively identify as a Yes song — is ‘Owner of Lonely Heart,’ from the band’s top-selling album, 1983’s 90125. That album, I learned today, was the band’s first after they broke up and reformed with a new lineup. It also marked a change in sound toward pop and away from progressive rock.
Tupac Shakur recorded for just five years, but the influence and popularity he demonstrated in that short time was enough to make him a first ballot inductee in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Tupac is one of seven rap acts in the Rock Hall, and the best-selling artist of them all. Next year, Eminem and Jay-Z will be eligible for inclusion, and I’ll be surprised if they don’t make it in on their first shot, given their massive sales and influence.
Meet Me In Montauk 