The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has announced its 2025 class of inductees. The group of performers receiving the honor include a 1960s hitmaker who spent decades advocating for his own induction, a trailblazing Southern rap duo and a 1980s flamboyant pop superstar currently on her farewell tour.
"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 & Roll forever," said John Sykes, Chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, in a press release. "Their music gave a voice to generations and influenced countless artists that followed in their footsteps."
To be eligible for nomination, artists have to be at least 25 years out from the release of their first commercial recording. Inductees are awarded through four categories: performers whose music and cultural impact has changed the course of rock and roll, influential musicians whose innovative styles have propelled cultural change, a "musical excellence" award designated for writers, producers and session musicians who've played a key role behind the scenes of some of rock's most important songs and the Ahmet Ertegun award honoring industry professionals who are not performers but have made a sizeable impact on the business of music. In recent years, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has expanded its definition of rock icons to include artists from a wider range of genres and backgrounds, but it still continues to recognize artists from a traditional rock lineage.
Ryan Seacrest announced the performers receiving the honor during a themed episode of American Idol.
Here is the 2025 class of inductees:
Performer Category
According to the Rock Hall, this category recognizes "artists who have created music whose originality, impact, and influence has changed the course of rock & roll."
Bad Company
The English rock band released its self-titled debut album in 1974, which included its hit song "Can't Get Enough." The supergroup's original lineup featured vocalist Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke, who'd both been in the band Free, as well as former Mott the Hoople guitarist Mick Ralphs and former King Crimson bassist Boz Burrell. Though they've been eligible since 1999, Bad Company won induction on its first-ever nomination for the Rock Hall.
Chubby Checker
Chubby Checker's 1960 cover of "The Twist" (which had been a minor hit for Hank Ballard and the Midnighters two years earlier) landed him at the top of Billboard's Hot 100 chart on two separate occasions. It's a definitive hit of the early rock era, but Checker spent decades feeling underappreciated for his contributions to the genre. In 2001, he took out a full-page ad in Billboard magazine requesting not only induction to the Rock Hall, but also a separate courtyard statue in his honor. "I want my flowers while I'm alive," he wrote. "I can't smell them when I'm dead." It took a while for the Hall to prepare that bouquet — but like Bad Company, Checker is getting in on his first nomination.
Joe Cocker
The late English musician became a star in the U.S. with his raspy rendition of "With a Little Help from My Friends" at Woodstock in 1969. But he spent decades releasing albums and major hits, including "Feelin' Alright?," "Up Where We Belong" and "You Are So Beautiful," which he told NPR in 2012 was among his favorites. Cocker was another first-time nominee this year.
Cyndi Lauper
Cyndi Lauper became a household name in the 1980s with a remarkable string of hits like the off-kilter girl power anthem "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" and the pop ballad "Time After Time." But the eccentric, rainbow-haired Lauper reinvented her sound and image over the course of several decades, dabbling in genres like country, blues and rock and establishing herself as an outspoken advocate for LGBTQ rights. Announcement of her induction coincides with her ongoing farewell tour across the U.S. and Europe, and follows her second nomination for the Rock Hall. Whereas several members of Lauper's cohort of '80s hitmakers — like Madonna, Prince and Michael Jackson — were inducted more than a decade ago, several of her contemporaries (George Michael, Duran Duran) did not make the cut until recently.
OutKast
When much of hip-hop's attention in the mid-1990s was focused on the west coast vs. east coast rivalry, OutKast turned heads in a completely new direction: towards the South. The groundbreaking duo made up of Big Boi and André 3000 released its debut album in 1994, when they were still teenagers, and marked Atlanta as an epicenter of musical innovation with albums like ATLiens, Aquemini and the Grammy-winning Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. Over the last few years, the Hall has been admitting one hip-hop act each year — A Tribe Called Quest last year, Missy Elliott and Eminem and LL Cool J before that. But the Rock Hall isn't the only pop music institution who has failed to adequately reward the genre: In the 21 years since OutKasttook the prize, no other rap album has won the album of the year prize at the Grammys. OutKast has been eligible since 2019. The group received its first nomination this year.
Soundgarden
Three-time Rock Hall nominee Soundgarden is finally being awarded for taking the Pacific Northwest's grunge scene with songs like "Black Hole Sun" and "Fell on Black Days." The Seattle-born band stood out for singer Chris Cornell's aggressive vocal style and a tortured edge that worked in the group's favor as metal turned grunge towards the late 1980s. Soundgarden broke up and reunited over the course of several decades and was reportedly working on new material at the time of Cornell's death in 2017.
The White Stripes
The White Stripes led the garage rock revival of the early '00s with songs like "Seven Nation Army" and "Fell in Love With a Girl." The guitar, drums and vocal duo made up of Jack and Meg White — who initially pretended to be siblings but were actually married, and then divorced — are being inducted after their second nomination to the Rock Hall of Fame. Although the group achieved modest commercial success by Rock Hall standards, their influence remains monumental. The guitar riff in "Seven Nation Army" has become one of the most recognizable pieces of music released in the 2000s thanks to its widespread popularity as a soccer stadium chant.
Musical Influence Award
The Hall distinguishes this category from the "performer" field — acts who have been selected by its contingent of voters — in order to recognize "artists whose music and performance style have directly influenced, inspired, and evolved rock & roll and music impacting culture."
Salt-N-Pepa
Salt-N-Pepa was not only the first female rap group to have a platinum album and to win a Grammy — they also led an emblematic crossover from hip-hop to mainstream pop with hits like "Push It," "Shoop," and "Whatta Man." The group, made up of Cheryl "Salt" James, Sandra "Pepa" Denton and Deidra Roper, a.k.a. DJ Spinderella, was honored by the Rock Hall during a special 2023 exhibit celebrating hip-hop's 50th anniversary.
Warren Zevon
Warren Zevon's first love was classical music. But he became a bona fide rock star in the 1970s with hits like "Werewolves of London" and "Lawyers, Guns and Money." Eligible for induction as far back as 1994, Zevon — who died in 2003 — has long been a favorite of other musicians (and, notably, former Late Night host David Letterman) more than a true commercial star, and was first nominated in 2023 after Billy Joel wrote a letter to the Hall's nominating committee on his behalf.
Musical Excellence Award
Once known as the "sidemen" award, the hall uses this category to recognize the kind of names who you'll find in liner notes, but who might not be well known to most fans: "artists, musicians, songwriters and producers whose originality and influence have had a dramatic impact on music."
Thom Bell
The Jamaican-born producer and songwriter was a pioneer of the Philadelphia soul scene of the 1970s, writing and producing for artists like the Delfonics, Dionne Warwick and the Spinners. Bell was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2006.
Nicky Hopkins
The English session musician played piano on some of rock and roll's most emblematic songs, from the Rolling Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil" to the Beatles' "Revolution." A highly-respected pianist and organist, he was a member of bands like Quicksilver Messenger Service, the Jerry Garcia Band and the Jeff Beck Group.
Carol Kaye
A member of the famed "Wrecking Crew," L.A.-based session musicians who played on hundreds of hit recordings in the 1960s and '70s, Carol Kaye had already played guitar on Ritchie Valens' hit "La Bamba" and several Sonny & Cher songs when a bassist failed to show up for a session at Capitol Records in 1963. She decided to give the instrument a shot, and since then has played bass on thousands of recordings, including some by the Beach Boys, Nancy Sinatra and fellow 2025 Rock Hall inductee Joe Cocker.
Ahmet Ertegun Award
This category recognizes "non-performing industry professionals who have had a major influence on the creative development and growth of rock & roll and music that has impacted culture."
Lenny Waronker
The record producer-turned-music executive served as Warners Bros president for much of the 1980s and 1990s, leading the label out of an industry-wide slump by bolstering the careers of artists like Talking Heads, ZZ Top and Madonna. Known for his artist-first approach to leadership, Waronker went on to work at DreamWorks Records.
The official induction ceremony will take place on November 8 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles and will be streamed live on Disney+, with an ABC special to follow.
Copyright 2025 NPR
