The 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees have been announced, and among this year’s honorees are Pat Benatar, Judas Priest, Duran Duran and Eurythmics.
Benatar, Duran Duran and Eurythmics are among seven artists being inducted in the Performer category, along with country icon Dolly Parton, rapper Eminem, singer/songwriter Carly Simon, and pop/R&B legend Lionel Richie.
Judas Priest will be inducted in conjunction with receiving the Musical Excellence Award, as will acclaimed R&B production duo Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis.
Regarding Benatar’s induction, Rock Hall president and CEO Greg Harris tells ABC Audio that she “really set a path for lots of…female artists,” noting that with her “unbelievable vocal range…she could bring it both [on] ballads and rockers.”
Benatar will be inducted alongside her husband and longtime guitarist, co-producer and songwriting collaborator Neil Giraldo.
Heavy metal fans are sure to be happy about Judas Priest finally being inducted, but perhaps a bit baffled that the dynamic band isn’t part of the Performer category.
Since 2000, the Musical Excellence Award has been presented to 25 musicians, songwriters and producers in recognition of their “originality and influence creating music have had a dramatic impact on music.” Previous recipients include ex-Beatles drummer Ringo Starr, rapper LL Cool J, and late Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Randy Rhoads.
Harris tells ABC Audio, “Judas Priest are going in through this category because they had such a massive influence on the [metal] genre…and being the godfathers.”
While inductees in the Performer category often get the most attention, Harris says Musical Excellence Award recipients, like Judas Priest, are “equal” to the Performer honorees.
“They’re all Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees,” Harris insists.
Meanwhile, reflecting on Duran Duran’s credentials for induction, Harris cites the British New Wave bands “infectious melodies” and “complex musical arrangements,” as well as their mixture of guitar and synths, as influential.
And speaking of guitars and synths, Harris says U.K. duo Eurythmics took those and made them “really funky,” adding that frontwoman Annie Lennox‘s “unbelievable voice” really brought “’60s soul into the ’80s.”
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction will be held November 5 at L.A.’s Microsoft Theater, and will air later on HBO and stream on HBO Max.
This year’s other inductees include Early Influence Award recipients Harry Belafonte and Elizabeth Cotton; and Ahmet Ertegun Award honorees Allen Grubman, Jimmy Iovine and Sylvia Robinson.
Benatar: Michael Putland/Getty Images; Duran Duran: Fin Costello/Redferns; Richie: Paul Natkin/Getty Image; Eurythmics: Randy Bachman/Getty Images
This year, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is more like the MTV Hall of Fame: The newly-minted inductees are ’80s pop icons Pat Benatar, Lionel Richie, Duran Duran and Eurythmics, plus Carly Simon and country icon Dolly Parton, who also had ‘80spop hits. The one outlier: rap superstar Eminem. But according to the Hall of Fame’s head honcho, it’s all rock ‘n roll.
“Rock and roll has never been one thing,” says Rock Hall President and CEO Greg Harris. “It’s always been changing. It’s heavily influenced by the youth culture of the era and drives people to think differently, to act differently, to dress differently, to really believe in things.”
“We are seeing that in a big way with this class for the 1980s, but we’ll see it for subsequent decades as time marches on and and we continue to evolve,” he adds. “We’re not stuck in any one sound, but it’s all rock and roll in our book.”
According to the Rock Hall, those honored with induction have created music with “originality, impact and influence [that] has changed the course of rock ‘n roll.” So how do these ’80s pop stars fit in?
Harris says Pat Benatar “really set a path for lots of female artists to come after her, because she was “in control, uncompromising” and has an “unbelievable vocal range.” He feels Katy Perry and Miley Cyrus, among others, show her influence.
As for Duran Duran, Harris cites as influential their “infectious melodies” and “complex musical arrangements,” as well as their mixture of guitar and synths, naming The Killers as just one band who followed in their footsteps.
And speaking of guitars and synths, Harris says Eurythmics took those and made it “really funky,” adding that Annie Lennox‘s “unbelievable voice,” really brought “sixties soul into the eighties.” Regarding soul, Harris says, “Lionel Richie is hitting just as hard as Marvin Gaye, in a different era,” noting that acts ranging from Babyface to country superstar Tim McGraw have cited Lionel as an influence.
As for Carly Simon, Harris names Taylor Swift and Alanis Morissette as a few of the women who’ve been impacted by “the honesty of her music and her delivery.”
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction will be held November 5 at LA’s Microsoft Theater, and will air later on HBO and stream on HBO Max.
It’s no longer up for debate: Dolly Parton‘s officially being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
In early February, the Cleveland, Ohio-based institution announced the country superstar was on this year’s ballot. A little more than a month later, Dolly announced she wanted to “respectfully bow out,” because she didn’t “feel that [she had] earned that right.”
It only took a matter of days for the Hall to say they declined to remove her from the running, adding that rock is “not defined by any one genre, rather a sound that moves youth culture,” and they were “proud to have nominated her.” Just last week, Dolly acquiesced, telling NPR she would “accept gracefully” should she be voted in.
Now, she’ll do just that, alongside eighties greats like Pat Benatar, Duran Duran, Eurythmics, Lionel Richie, Carly Simon, and rapper Eminem.
“It was an interesting evolution…” the Hall’s President and CEO Greg Harris tells ABC Audio. “I think early on she just wasn’t aware that Jimmie Rodgers and Bill Monroe and Hank Williams and Bob Wills are in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and that we look at artists from multiple genres that have all contributed to music.”
When the induction takes place November 5 at L.A.’s Microsoft Theater, plan on a spectacle worthy of the beloved legend.
“It’s a long list of artists that would love to pay tribute to Dolly Parton, and they cut across all genres — perhaps it’s more than one artist paying tribute,” Harris speculates. “Think of some of the other amazing tributes for, say, Linda Ronstadt, when we had Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris, Sheryl Crow, Stevie Nicks and Carrie Underwood.”
You’ll be able to watch the ceremony later via HBO and HBO Max.
Judas Priest will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year with the Musical Excellence Award.
Since 2000, the Musical Excellence Award has been given out to 25 musicians, songwriters and producers in recognition of their “originality and influence creating music have had a dramatic impact on music.” Previous recipients include Beatles icon Ringo Starr, rapper LL Cool J, and late Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Randy Rhoads.
“Judas Priest are going in through this category because they had such a massive influence on the genre [of metal]…and being the godfathers,” Rock Hall president and CEO Greg Harris tells ABC Audio.
In the Performers category, the inductees are Pat Benatar, Duran Duran, Eminem, Eurythmics, Lionel Richie and Carly Simon, as well as Dolly Parton, who’d originally announced that she was withdrawing her name from consideration before ultimately deciding that she’d accept the honor should she be chosen.
The Performers inductees are described as “artists who have created music whose originality, impact, and influence has changed the course of rock & roll.” While the Performers category often gets the most attention of the Rock Hall inductees, Harris says that the recipients of the Musical Excellence Award, like Judas Priest, are “equal” to the Performer inductees.
“They’re all Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees,” Harris says.
The 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony takes place November 5 in Los Angeles. The show will air on HBO and HBO Max at a later date.
Beck, Rage Against the Machine, MC5 and Kate Bush were also among the 2022 Rock Hall nominees, but were not chosen for induction.
The 2022 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees include stars who have made an indelible impact on American and Black music and culture, over the course of the last 10 decades or more.
Just as there’s room for all of the many rock and pop artist that receive the honor, legendary musician Lionel Richie has also earned his spot. Referencing the soul singer as the “Marvin Gaye in a different era,” Rock Hall President and CEO Greg Harris says Richie is more than deserving of the recognition.
“You have to look at his body of work, both with the Commodores and as a solo artist and how impactful and influential [he’s been],” Harris tells ABC Audio.
To help illustrate Richie’s impact, Harris says to just take a look at the many artists both of the ’80s and ’90s, who have looked to Richie as influence, like Babyface and country singer Tim McGraw.
The same can be said for that of hip hop icon, Eminem, who will be inducted the earliest chance possible: his first year of eligibility.
“I think the goal is to honor the hip hop artists that have had the most impact on music, right? And it doesn’t matter what era they’re from,” Harris said.
Receiving this year’s Musical Excellence Award is legendary duo Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, who collectively, have produced hits for superstars such as Janet Jackson, New Edition and Mariah Carey.
Harry Belafonte will receive the Early Influence Award in addition to blues singer Elizabeth Cotten who will be recognized posthumously. Also receiving a posthumous award is R&B singer Sylvia Robinson, who will be honored with the Ahmet Ertegun Award– a special accolade presented to those whose music has made an impact on the creative development and growth of rock and roll music.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be held November 5 at LA’s Microsoft Theater, and will air later on HBO and stream on HBO Max.
Benatar: Michael Putland/Getty Images; Duran Duran: Fin Costello/Redferns; Richie: Paul Natkin/Getty Image; Eurythmics: Randy Bachman/Getty Images
This year, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is more like the MTV Hall of Fame: The newly minted inductees in the Performer category include ’80s pop icons Pat Benatar, Duran Duran, Eurythmics and Lionel Richie, plus Carly Simon and country legend Dolly Parton, who also had ’80s pop hits. The one outlier: rap superstar Eminem. But according to the Hall of Fame’s head honcho, “it’s all rock ‘n’ roll.”
“Rock ‘n’ roll has never been one thing,” says Rock Hall president and CEO Greg Harris. “It’s always been changing. It’s heavily influenced by the youth culture of the era and drives people to think differently, to act differently, to dress differently, to really believe in things.”
He adds, “We are seeing that in a big way with this class for the 1980s, but we’ll see it for subsequent decades as time marches on and and we continue to evolve. We’re not stuck in any one sound, but it’s all rock ‘n’ roll in our book.”
According to the Rock Hall, those honored with induction have created music with “originality, impact and influence [that] has changed the course of rock ‘n’ roll.” So how do these ’80s pop stars fit in?
Harris says Benatar “really set a path” for lots of female artists who came after her, because she was “in control [and] uncompromising” and has an “unbelievable vocal range.”
As for Duran Duran, Harris cites their “infectious melodies” and “complex musical arrangements,” as well as their mixture of guitar and synths, as influential.
And speaking of guitars and synths, Harris says Eurythmics took those and made them “really funky,” adding that Annie Lennox‘s “unbelievable voice” really brought “’60s soul into the ’80s.”
And talking about soul, Harris says, “Richie [was] hitting just as hard as Marvin Gaye, in a different era.”
As for Simon, Harris names Taylor Swift and Alanis Morissette as examples of women who’ve been impacted by “the honesty of her music and her delivery.”
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be held November 5 at Los Angeles’ Microsoft Theater, and will air later on HBO and stream on HBO Max.
This year’s other inductees include Musical Excellence Award honorees Judas Priest and Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis; Early Influence Award recipients Harry Belafonte and Elizabeth Cotton; and music-industry figures Allen Grubman, Jimmy Iovine and Sylvia Robinson, who’ll be recognized with the Ahmet Ertegun Award.
(WASHINGTON) — Politically minded eyes were on Ohio and Indiana Tuesday night, as the Republican and Democratic parties faced renewed identity crises, pulled between election denialism and anti-Trump factions on the right and progressives and pro-Biden centrists on the left.
From questions of Trump’s influence to the growing threat of winnowed abortion access, here’s how Tuesday night’s midterm election primaries in Ohio and Indiana shaped the state of politics and set new goalposts for both parties as they vie for majority power in Washington and across the country come November:
Democratic establishment lives on
Progressives suffered dual crushing losses in Ohio, with Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan sailing to an easy victory in the Senate primary quickly after polls closed Tuesday evening. Ryan defeated a more left-leaning primary challenger, Morgan Harper. Harper embraced the Green New Deal, eliminating the Senate filibuster and expanding the size of the Supreme Court, and her wide-margin loss can be seen as a referendum on such progressive politics — even if they play well in Washington and trend popular with younger voters.
In Ohio’s closely watched 11th district, President Joe Biden-endorsed Rep. Shontel Brown delivered a devastating blow to Bernie Sanders-tied challenger Nina Turner. Ryan and Brown’s win could also mean a sigh of relief for Democrats who worry about centrist liberalism — and its champion, Biden, as some version of the Democratic establishment remains popular among this group of key voters in a state that voted for former President Donald Trump by eight percentage points in 2020.
According to ABC News’ Senior Washington Reporter Devin Dwyer, who spoke to Ryan throughout election night, the 10-term congressman campaigned regularly in conservative areas and made a point to visit all 88 Ohio counties.
As the electorate trends Republican, thanks, in part, to this year’s redistricting process, Democrats who play well in red states may be the left’s key to maintaining what slim majority they now have.
Abortion access hangs in balance
It’s not entirely surprising that in the waning hours of Ohio’s Senate primary, Republican victor J.D. Vance, who will continue on to the general election, was quick to praise the prospect of Roe v. Wade being overturned as the unprecedented leak of a Supreme Court draft opinion sent shockwaves through the race — and the country — overnight.
“I do think Roe was a big mistake. And I think if the Supreme Court overturns it, it will be a big success for the pro-life movement,” Vance told ABC News Congressional Correspondent Rachel Scott.
And it may be even less surprising that an establishment Democrat like Tim Ryan, who is expected to go on to face Vance in the general election, said abortion access is an issue of “freedom.”
“I think in many ways to abortion is, in some sense, an economic issue as well … This is a freedom issue, really, for me, and I think it’s a freedom issue for a lot of these women,” said Ryan, who once opposed abortion but changed his mind come 2015.
But an inter-party spar on abortion became critical in the race to cinch Ohio’s Democrat gubernatorial spot, where former Dayton mayor Nan Whaley found a path to victory in part by slamming her challenger John Cranley’s record on reproductive rights. During the campaign, Whaley underscored that she has always been a proponent of abortion rights whereas Cranley reversed his position before the campaign season. A majority of Americans wish to uphold Roe v. Wade, according to a recent Washington Post/ABC News poll, and that message clearly resonates even in a state as red as Ohio.
Trump avoids slump
Ohio’s gubernatorial and senatorial primary results suggest that Trump’s so-called golden touch may in fact be rusty, but not completely out of magic.
Incumbent Gov. Mike DeWine, who rose in popularity after imposing more aggressive coronavirus restrictions in his state, won the Republican bid for reelection and defeated Trump-affiliated candidate Jim Renacci (who was endorsed by Trump in 2018, when Renacci ran and lost a Senate bid). DeWine’s win means a slight loss for the former president, who suggested DeWine needed to be primaried for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Even though Trump steered clear of a formal endorsement, his apparent disdain for the incumbent governor is no secret and his opponents differed little from Trump in campaign talking points, which calls into question the lasting power of Trump’s influence.
DeWine’s race is just one of a handful of governors’ races where anti-Trump Republicans are looking to send a clear signal to MAGA-world with incumbent wins.
Enter the counter-narrative: J.D. Vance, Hillbilly Elegy author and Trump critic turned endorsee and ally, notched a major victory for himself and for MAGA-ism. Trump tapped Vance from a pack of higher-performing rivals. Vance’s victory is a notch in Trump’s victory belt, proving that despite attacks from other Republicans showcasing the apparent hypocrisy of transforming from critic to champion, his word holds some outsized weight with the base.
And in his reelection bid, Greg Pence, the older brother of former Vice President Mike Pence, is the projected winner of the Republican nomination for House in Indiana’s 6th Congressional District after gaining the “complete and total endorsement” of former President Donald Trump.
The question remains: Can Trump pull out wins in upcoming primaries where his picks are more controversial, or take on more established GOP veterans?
(NEW YORK) — The Federal Reserve is expected to raise interest rates on Wednesday in an effort to help battle inflation.
The increase is expected to be half a percentage point.
So what does this latest hike mean for you? ABC News’ Rebecca Jarvis appeared on Good Morning America Wednesday to break down how the increase could impact markets and your bottom line:
(NEW YORK) — This week, Skims, Kim Kardashian’s “solutions-oriented” brand of underwear, shapewear and loungewear, launched The Adaptive Collection for people with limited mobility.
The collection includes four pieces, all within the Fits Everybody wider range: an adaptive scoop bralette, thong, brief and boy short. Each piece comes in four different colors and sizes from XXS to 4X.
Moreover, these pieces all have added hook and eye closures “for added accessibility of dressing,” Skims explains on their website.
Stefanie Schaffer, 25, is one of the models featured in the Skims campaign for this collection. Schaffer lost both of her legs, sustained a spinal cord injury and paralysis, a traumatic brain injury, and suffered multiple broken bones and failing organs in a 2018 boating explosion, she says. She now has two prosthetic legs.
Since the accident, Shaffer says she has found new activities, like hand cycling and Nordic sit skiing, and has “been determined to make the most of what happened to me and live my best new life.”
She also recently signed a modeling contract which led her to “a dream” shoot with Skims, she says.
“From the moment that I was booked for the shoot, the entire Skims team was so professional, and so considerate, making sure they took all of our accessibility needs into consideration,” she adds. On set, “they made me feel beautiful and confident and worthy of being there.”
“A brand like Skims releasing an adaptive collection is so important!” Shaffer says, considering their influence on the industry. “So this was saying to us that being disabled doesn’t mean you have to compromise. You don’t have to miss out on shopping at your favorite brands because [Skims] can see that [you’re] valued and taken into consideration.”
Schaffer says her favorite pieces include the boy short and the briefs, and she adds that the hook and eye system on the sides of the underwear make them easy to take on and off.
People may not realize how tiring day-to-day tasks are for those with physical limitations, Schaffer says.
“Sometimes I’ll be exhausted just from getting clothes on for the day,” she notes. “So even just these basics of bras and underwear being easier, is like, such a relief. Serious props to Skims for this.”
In its launch email to customers, Skims says that this adaptive collection is “just the beginning,” and they “want to offer more solutions to more people.”
(NEW YORK) — After serving 31 years in Florida State Prison for a murder he did not commit, Thomas Raynard James is a free man.
“Emotionally I was overwhelmed. I was not in a state of disbelief, because I knew this day was coming, eventually. I was looking forward to it. But emotionally I wasn’t really prepared for it,” James told ABC News.
James was convicted in 1991, when he was 23, for the 1990 death of Francis McKinnon.
Witnesses told police the robbery and murder of McKinnon was committed by a man named “Thomas James” or “Tommy James.” James was convicted after a witness then told jurors she saw James kill her stepfather during a robbery, due to what his lawyer called a case of mistaken identity.
According to the state attorney for Miami-Dade County, Katherine Fernandez Rundle, the case lacked physical evidence and his fingerprints did not match those found at scene but he was still convicted after an eyewitness said she saw him shoot McKinnon.
James was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.
“It was horrendous …To have somebody to be incarcerated can be dramatic in of itself, but to know that you’re sitting here, and you’re going through these days on a daily basis for something that you didn’t have anything to do with, it was torture,” James says.
James said he “never gave up” thinking that he would eventually be released, but says that life in prison had been difficult.
“It’s hard to even put into words, some of the things that I had to deal with and the feelings that I was dealing with for the last over three decades,” he said.
James said he spent years filing motions proclaiming his innocence and was denied many times. He said he had even reached out twice to The Innocence Project in Florida, and was told both times they could not “proceed with his case.”
Attorney Natlie Figgers who specializes in personal injury and family law, took on James’ case pro bono out of a legal “duty,” she said.
“Once I saw the evidence and reviewed the case, it was pretty clear that a mistake had occurred, and I was pretty flabbergasted that he submitted that many appeals and they didn’t see the same thing… when you hear that it’s just mistaken identity due to a name. How can somebody be wrongfully convicted just based on having the same name?” Figgers told ABC News.
“I was a personal injury attorney, so I never dealt with criminal law. So I definitely want to make sure that it was something that I would be able to prove on his behalf … There were no other attorneys that were taking this case on at that time. So I felt like I had a duty,” she added.
The witness whose testimony placed James behind bars recanted her previous testimony last month, according to Rundle.
While he is a free man now, supporting himself and finding a job could be difficult. James’ family has even launched an online fundraising campaign for him.
Figgers said she is pursuing a civil wrongful imprisonment case, seeking compensation for James.
James said he plans on becoming “gainfully employed,” and also said he is working on a book about his story.
He said he hopes to help others in similar situations, but said he is most focused on making up for lost time.
“The list of things that I missed out on is long. For me, one thing that would mention is that I lost a lot of family, a lot of friends… they went to their grave with me still sitting in prison for a crime I didn’t commit,” James said.
“Injustice to anyone is injustice to everyone. So when people such as myself are crying out don’t just brush them off and automatically call them guilty,” he said.
