The music world is preparing to celebrate the new members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the American pantheon of rock and popular music, on Saturday. Among them, the rapper Eminem or the queen of country Dolly Parton.
Pop rock group Eurythmics, singer-songwriter Lionel Richie, Brits Duran Duran, lyricist Carly Simon and the rock duo formed by Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo complete this 2022 vintage which will be honored at a concert. gala in Los Angeles.
The prestigious Cleveland institution has never been reserved solely for rock and has opened up, since its first promotion in 1986, to other musical genres: soul, blues, R & B, folk, country, then rap.
Dolly Parton, 76, had however initially requested that her name be removed from the selection not having “the feeling of having deserved this nomination”.
But the temple of rock and roll had praised the “pioneering career as a composer, the remarkable voice, the theatrical glamour, the business acumen and the humanitarian work” of Dolly Parton, “adored icon” of the Americans, stressing that she fully deserved its place.
“I felt like I was going to take something that someone else probably deserved more than me, because I never thought of myself as a rock artist,” the singer said. of “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You”. “But obviously it goes beyond that.”
An eclectic promotion
This promotion is one of the most eclectic that the institution has known in recent years.
Eminem made a thunderous arrival in the world of rap in the 1990s with his album “The Slim Shady LP”, which includes the hit “My Name Is”, with dark and provocative humor.
Known for his blistering flow, the Detroit artist cemented his superstar status with the release of “The Marshall Mathers LP” in 2000, which became one of the best-selling albums in the United States.
He thus joins rappers Jay-Z, Tupac, Ice Cube and Grandmaster Flash, as well as his faithful producer and mentor Dr Dre, in the pantheon of rock.
Lionel Richie, crooner behind the unforgettable love songs “All Night Long” and “Hello”, and Eurythmics – a duo composed of Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart – receive this honor for their part after having already been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
“We were constantly renewing ourselves. That was always the goal,” the singer of the hit “Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)” told the magazine. RollingStone shortly after the winners were announced last May. “That’s what kept our spark going. »
Duran Duran should take advantage of Sunday’s concert to reunite again, with his former guitarists Andy Taylor and Warren Cuccurullo.
“We haven’t had any so-called ‘acrimonious separations’. It was courteous, rather mutual,” said Simon Le Bon, leader of the group, to RollingStone.
The couple and duo Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo, who dominated the 1980s with titles like “Hit Me With Your Best Shot”, are also rewarded for all of their work.