AC/DC, The Clash, Costello, The Police & Righteous Brothers Enter Rock Hall

03/10/2003 5:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
Bruce Simon

(3/10/03, 5 p.m. ET) -- AC/DC, the Clash, the Police, Elvis Costello & The Attractions, and the Righteous Brothers were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame on Monday (March 10). Also going in are record executive Mo Ostin and sidemen Benny Benjamin, Floyd Cramer, and Steve Douglas. The annual ceremony takes place at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York City.

An edited version of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony will air March 16 on VH1.

The Rock Hall gave these brief descriptions of each of the artist inductees:

AC/DC--Australia's best-loved hard rock export, AC/DC is characterized by bluesy guitar and screeching vocals, and they have nurtured at least three generations of heavy metal boogie fans.

The Clash--At the dawn of British punk, the overtly political Clash railed out against war, racism, a dead-end economy, and true romance to earn the title of "the only band that really mattered, and the last great British rock 'n' roll band"...The Clash imparted a conscience to punk and a jolly wink at rock's corporate bluster in those first heady days of MTV.

Elvis Costello & The Attractions--Elvis Costello emerged as part of the new wave of next-generation singer-songwriters with the raw energy of punk rock, and his impact as one of New Music's emblematic figureheads was writ large on memorable tours with the Attractions.

The Police--The trio broke through in the late '70s with some of the most influential music since the advent of punk...The band took a pass on histrionics, and instead forged an understated virtuosity, burying their chops inside reggae grooves and intricate arrangements. Between 1977 and 1983, they released five critically acclaimed albums and had numerous top-10 hits before splitting up.

The Righteous Brothers--"Blue eyed soul" was coined to categorize the music of this duo, whose string of hits began with the Phil Spector-produced "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'," one of the most enduring classics of popular music.

Suzan Evans, the Rock Hall's Executive Director, said, "These inductees represent many influential genres of rock, including '60s soul, heavy metal, and 1970s English punk. The potential for historic performances is evident."

Artists become eligible for induction 25 years after the release of their first record, and among the considerations are the influence and significance of the artist's contribution to the development and perpetuation of rock and roll. Similar criteria, including the 25-year rule, are used for the nonperformer and sideman categories.

-- Bruce Simon, New York

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