According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the band has over 21 Top 10 singles, 5 consecutive Number One albums, 11 Number One singles. Nielsen’s son Dax has taken over drumming duties from Bun E. Carlos in recent years.
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Deep Purple’s drummer Ian Paice – who has just completed a world tour with the British rockers – thinks his group’s honour is long overdue. Though some overhauls and changes have been made to help ensure younger voters and more women have the opportunity to vote the musical artists who will join the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, this year, the voters have still played it safe, for the most part, with the possible exception of N.W.A. They will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in a ceremony in April. “Chicago’s early line-up created such an unmistakable sound and their inclusion into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is not only well-deserved, but an honour that has been overlooked”.
Cheap Trick, and Steve Miller also made the 2016 list, but Chic – nominated for a record tenth time – missed out on the honour.
For fans who want to start lobbying for next year’s nominees, Pearl Jam, 2Pac, Paul Weller, PJ Harvey, Bikini Kill and Alanis Morissette will become eligible for the first time. As the Rock Hall said in their press release, they have stayed consistent over their nearly forty years “Remaining interesting, sometimes hilarious, in that way is also pretty much unparalleled – and indispensable to understanding them”.
They include NWA, Deep Purple, Cheap Trick, Chicago and Steve Miller. “They’re not rock and roll!” It has embraced all forms of popular music in what can be called the “rock era” from about 1955 to today. The Hall is yet to properly acknowledge artists from the progressive/art rock movement that also included the Moody Blues, King Crimson and Emerson, Lake and Palmer.
Ice Cube on the NWA’s induction: “This means that the group’s mark is solidified”.
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Chicago, who won the fan ballot and last performed in Singapore in 2012, grew out of the jazz tradition of the band’s namesake city with early hits like Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is and 25 Or 6 To 4, bringing the genre’s free-flowing melodies to pop. While initially taking up political themes, Chicago turned into the quintessential soft rock band with a slew of radio-friendly ballads such as If You Leave Me Now, Hard to Say I’m Sorry and You’re The Inspiration. Not making it were Yes and The Cars.
