So unusual, and so beautiful. Live on ABC’s American Idol Sunday night, ’80s icon Cyndi Lauper and the late British rock vocalist Joe Cocker were announced as two of the inductees into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for 2025.
Lauper is a Grammy, Tony and Emmy Award winner and LGBTQ+ activist known for her album She’s So Unusual and her hits “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” “Time After Time,” “True Colors” and “She Bop.”
Cocker, a Grammy winner known for his soulful voice and his expressive body movements onstage, died in 2014. His best-known recordings include “Up Where We Belong,” “You Are So Beautiful,” “You Can Leave Your Hat On” and his version of The Beatles‘ “With a Little Help from My Friends,” which was the theme song for The Wonder Years.
In addition to Lauper and Cocker, this year’s class of inductees in the Performer category include “The Twist” rock ‘n’ roller Chubby Checker, Grammy-winning Atlanta rappers Outkast, Seattle grunge pioneers Soundgarden, British rockers Bad Company and indie rock duo The White Stripes.
Of note, the act that won this year’s fan vote, jam band Phish, was not selected. Others nominated but not being inducted this year include Mariah Carey, Oasis and Billy Idol.
Two artists will also be honored in the Musical Influence category: female hip-hop trailblazers Salt-N-Pepa and late singer/songwriter Warren Zevon, best known for his own hit “Werewolves of London” and the songs he wrote for artists like Linda Ronstadt, including “Hasten Down the Wind” and “Poor Poor Pitiful Me.”
Honorees in the Musical Excellence category are Thom Bell, the late producer, arranger and songwriter who helped create the Philly Soul sound via his hits with The Spinners, The Stylistics and The Delfonics; bass player Carol Kaye, who as part of the legendary LA session band the Wrecking Crew played on an estimated 10,000 recordings, including classics by The Beach Boys; and the late piano player Nicky Hopkins, who can be heard on albums by nearly every major British rock group of the ’60s and ’70s.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony will stream on Disney+ on Nov. 8, live from the Peacock Theater in LA. A highlights special will air on ABC at a later date and stream on Hulu the next day. Ticket information has not yet been announced.
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