Green Day, Lou Reed Lead 2015 Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Inductees

December 16, 2014

The 2015 inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame have officially been announced with Lou Reed, Green Day and Joan Jett leading next year’s class as Nine Inch Nails, The Smiths and Sting all missed the cut.

2015 marks the first year of eligibility for pop punkers Green Day, whose debut EP 1,000 Hours came out in 1989. “I had to go for a walk when I heard the news,” frontman Billie Joe Armstrong told Rolling Stone upon hearing the news.

“We’re in incredible company and I’m still trying to make sense of this. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has always held something special for me because my heroes were in there. This is a great time for us to sort of reflect and look back with gratitude.”

The late Lou Reed will be posthumously inducted for his solo work, having already been acknowledged in 1996 as a member of The Velvet Underground. Joan Jett will receive her long awaited induction for her work with The Blackhearts, having been nominated on numerous previous occasions and even performing at this year’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony with Nirvana.

“I’ve always been hopeful [that I’d get in] because I think it’s an incredible acknowledgment,” said the rocker. “I’m very proud to be with all these great musicians. It’s going to take a few minutes to sink in before I see how I really feel about it.”

Rounding out the rest of 2015’s inductees are Stevie Ray Vaughan, who will also be inducted posthumously with his band Double Trouble, as well as Bill Withers and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band.

Beatles drummer Ringo Starr will be presented with the Award For Musical Excellence and 1950s R&B group The “5” Royales will be given the Early Influence Award. “This means recognition to me,” said Starr about the acknowledgment. “And it means, finally, the four of us are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame even though we were the biggest pop group in the land, though now it all looks funny in black and white.”

This year, fans were offered an opportunity to vote for the nominees and a fan ballot was added to the over 600 other ballots from artists and music industry members. Nominees who didn’t quite make the cut for the class of 2015 include Nine Inch Nails, The Smiths, Sting, N.W.A., Kraftwerk, Chic and The Marvelettes.

The 2015 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place on April 18th, 2015 at Cleveland’s Public Hall.