INDIO, CA – MAY 01: (L-R) Musicians Patrick Simmons, Tom Johnston and John McFee of The Doobie Brothers perform onstage during 2016 Stagecoach California’s Country Music Festival at Empire Polo Club on May 01, 2016 in Indio, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Stagecoach).
This morning the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced the 2020 class of inductees. The list of honorees include: The Doobie Brothers, Depeche Mode, Whitney Houston, Nine Inch Nails, The Notorious B.I.G. and T-Rex. Jon Landau and Irving Azoff are the recipients of the Ahmet Ertegun Award.
Congratulations to The Doobie Brothers on their induction into the @RockHall of Fame! Thanks to all who voted and made it possible. pic.twitter.com/nhwGYKG4ZX
— The Doobie Brothers (@TheDoobieBros) January 15, 2020
FYI, in order to be nominated, artists become eligible 25 years after their debut album. The 2020 class made the cut from a group of 16 nominees that were announced last October. The remaining nominees who did not get in this year include Judas Priest, Soundgarden, Motorhead, Thin Lizzy, Pat Benatar, Dave Matthews Band, Kraftwerk, MC5, Rufus featuring Chaka Khan and Todd Rundgren.
Ballots were received from an international voting group of more than 1,000 artists, including current living Inductees, historians and members of the music industry. The Ahmet Ertegun Award, to be presented to Landau and Azoff, honors songwriters, producers, disc jockeys, record executives, journalists and other industry professionals who have had a major influence on Rock & Roll.
The 35th Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place on May 2nd in Cleveland, Ohio. Tickets will go on sale to the public on February 27th. Performances and special guests will be announced soon. The ceremony will be broadcast live on HBO on May 2nd at 8pm ET.