Photos: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2025

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Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2025 Bad Company - Performer Category. From the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: "Hard rock’s quintessential supergroup, Bad Company featured some of the most highly skilled musicians in 1970s rock & roll. Formed in 1973, in London by former members of Free, Mott the Hoople, and King Crimson, they stripped the music down to its elemental soul and groove, selling tens of millions of records and delivering FM rock & roll radio standards 'Bad Company,' 'Can’t Get Enough,' 'Ready for Love,' 'Feel Like Makin’ Love,' and 'Shooting Star.'" (Rock & Roll Hall of Fame)

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2025 Thom Bell - Musical Excellence Award. From the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: "With a career that spanned more than six decades, producer/arranger/songwriter/ musician Thom Bell was, along with Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, one of the “Mighty Three” figures in the creation of the Philadelphia Sound, a brand of soul music typified by lush arrangements and sophisticated funk. A prolific creator, Bell’s work crafting hit after hit for artists like the Delfonics, the Stylistics, the Spinners, and many more, laid the groundwork for the disco of the 1970s and R&B of the 1980s. " (Rock & Roll Hall of Fame)

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2025 Chubby Checker - Performer Category. From the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: "Chubby Checker harnessed the explosion of youth culture in rock & roll’s early years, combining the power of records, radio, television, and movies to engage a worldwide audience. The undisputed king of 1960s rock & roll dance crazes, Chubby Checker inspired millions to shake it all night long to hits like 'The Twist,' 'The Fly,' 'The Hucklebuck,' 'The Pony,' and 'Limbo Rock.'" (Rock & Roll Hall of Fame)

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2025 Joe Cocker - Performer Category. From the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: "Joe Cocker’s true genius lay in his rare ability to take someone else’s music and use his raw and powerful voice to make it uniquely his own. "Joe Cocker was one of rock & roll’s most gifted and influential artists. With his distinctive, soulful voice and his singular talent as a song stylist, Cocker’s true genius lay in his rare ability to take someone else’s music and make it uniquely his own, captivating the imagination of millions of listeners." (Rock & Roll Hall of Fame)

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2025 Nicky Hopkins - Musical Excellence Award. From the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: "A hero of the piano, Nicky Hopkins played on over 250 albums during his career. Helping to craft classic songs by the Rolling Stones, Beatles, Kinks, the Who, Jeff Beck Group, Steve Miller Band, and Jefferson Airplane, Hopkins was one of the most in-demand session musicians in rock & roll for more than three decades. Hopkins’ playing transcended genre: From the locomotive boogie-woogie and blues of Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis to the virtuosic expressiveness of Rachmaninoff, Hopkins was known for finding the “magical spaces between the guitars that would wind up filling out the song.” (Rock & Roll Hall of Fame)

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2025 Carol Kaye - Musical Excellence Award. From the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: "Carol Kaye is a pioneering bassist who shaped the sound of modern music. With her inventive lines and impeccable timing, Kaye was a key architect behind countless rock, pop, R&B, and film recordings. Though rarely in the spotlight, her playing powered the work of legends, from the Beach Boys and Simon and Garfunkel to the Supremes and Frank Zappa. A first-call member of the elite stable of Los Angeles session musicians known as the Wrecking Crew, Kaye played on an estimated 10,000 recordings, making her one of the most recorded bassists in history. Her musical intuition, sense of rhythm, and deep understanding of harmony redefined what the electric bass could do in popular music – serving not just as a supporting instrument but also as a melodic voice central to composition, arrangement, and groove." (Rock & Roll Hall of Fame)

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2025 Cyndi Lauper - Performer Category. From the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: "With her distinctive four-octave voice and songwriting chops, Cyndi Lauper broke down barriers for waves of future artists and empowered them to perform as their unique, authentic selves. Lauper became one of the biggest stars of the 1980s with her eclectic mix of pop, rock, reggae, funk, and dance styles. Her record-breaking debut album 'She’s So Unusual' featured four consecutive Top Five U.S. singles – 'Girls Just Want to Have Fun,' 'Time After Time,' 'She Bop,' and 'All Through the Night' – and earned her two Grammys. Through MTV, Lauper brought her unique look, style, and sound to living rooms throughout America – inspiring legions of young fans, her video for 'Girls Just Want to Have Fun' also won the inaugural VMA for Best Female Video." (Rock & Roll Hall of Fame)

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2025 Outkast - Performer Category. From the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: "Outkast redefined hip-hop with their genre-blending sound and relentless innovation, proving the 'Dirty South' could compete with rap music’s long-standing East and West Coast scenes. Outkast’s distinctive sound – a blend of funk, soul, and jazz with introspective storytelling – helped them become one of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful hip-hop groups of all-time. With massive tracks like 'Hey Ya!,' Outkast challenged every norm, defied every genre, and pushed every boundary. " (Rock & Roll Hall of Fame)

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2025 Salt-N-Pepa - Musical Influence Award. From the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: "When Salt-N-Pepa jumped into the rap scene, a new era of hip-hop was born – a time for women to harness their own power and flip the male-dominated genre on its head. They established a new look and style with their spandex, asymmetrical haircuts, and Dapper Dan jackets. Musically they mixed a two-MC flow with expert DJ technique, all while blending hip-hop beats with pop– and R&B–influenced melodies and confident lyrics celebrating female empowerment. They were the first major all-female rap group and the first women in rap to go platinum, crowning them the First Ladies of Rap." (Rock & Roll Hall of Fame)

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2025 Soundgarden - Performer Category. From the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: "Soundgarden ignited the grunge movement that radically changed rock & roll in the 1980s and 1990s. The band’s raw power came out of the Northwest and flew in the face of a disconnected world, giving fans what they had long desired: a voice and a sense of belonging. A unique combination of alternative, metal, and punk, Soundgarden’s compelling sound cemented their place in music history. " (Rock & Roll Hall of Fame)

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2025 Lenny Waronker - Ahmet Ertegun Award. From the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: "Lenny Waronker is celebrated for his artist-first philosophy and transformative leadership. As head of A&R and later president at Warner Bros., he championed creative freedom for artists, forging an environment where musicians could innovate free from the confines of commercial pressure. Alongside his mentor and Rock Hall Inductee Mo Ostin, he turned Warner Bros. into a juggernaut, but also a haven where musicians felt trusted, empowered, and true to themselves." (Rock & Roll Hall of Fame)

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2025 The White Stripes - Performer Category. From the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: "The White Stripes reimagined minimalist garage and punk rock for a new generation and brought blues into the twenty-first century. The band stripped down rock & roll to its essentials and delivered the uninhibited freedom that only the best music can offer. They proved that a band could create massive, genre-defining sound with only two people, inspiring a wave of rock & roll revivalists and making a lasting mark on popular music." (Rock & Roll Hall of Fame)

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2025 Warren Zevon - Musical Influence Award. From the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: "Warren Zevon was an artist’s artist. One of the most talented and significant singer-songwriters to emerge in the 1970s, Zevon wrote poetic but offbeat songs, often with darkly humorous and acerbic lyrics, and delivered them with a dry wit and a twisted energy like no other performer could. Throughout his career, Zevon built a devoted fan base and earned the respect of his greatest peers, including Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, and Neil Young." (Rock & Roll Hall of Fame)

April 28, 2025 at 6:59 am PDT

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