Thursday, December 17, 2015

Cheap Trick, Chicago, Deep Purple, Steve Miller and N.W.A. set to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Here is today's breaking music news. 

Cheap Trick, Chicago, Deep Purple, Steve Miller and N.W.A. have been announced as next year's inductees into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Cheap Trick one of artists set to enter The Rock
and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016.

I think this is a pretty good selection, that honors a variety of styles and makes up for lost time in getting some pretty well-known and/or groundbreaking names into the Hall. In particular, I am very happy with the long-overlooked inclusion of Cheap Trick and Deep Purple. Cheap Trick blended power-pop and late '70s hard rock styles together masterfully, taking up the torch from Big Star and ultimately influencing a slew of other artists. Cheap Trick continues to move ahead, and the band is set to release its next studio album Bang Zoom Crazy... in 2016. 

Deep Purple was one of the seminal and pioneering British heavy metal bands. 

There will likely be a number of questions about what members of Deep Purple will be on hand at the ceremony, but my hope is that guitarist Ritchie Blackmore will be on hand and actually perform. It is sad that long-time band keyboardist Jon Lord passed away in 2012 and didn't live long enough to receive the honor in person.

In terms of Chicago, I loved the band's early albums (those covering the period of 1969 - 1972) but can't say I am a big fan of their subsequent music. Steve Miller is someone I consider to be a sadly-overlooked rock artist, who has enjoyed a well-deserved return this decade with the blues-styled gems Bingo! (2010) and Let Your Hair Down (2011).

With the exception of N.W.A., I have seen all of the artists set to be inducted a number of times and several of them are still worth checking out in concert if you have the chance.

Later today, TJR and yours truly plan to shoot an in-depth analysis on the artists who will be inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and we'll get that episode of MUSIC WORTH BUYING posted this week.

Robert Kinsler

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