U2, Pretenders, Guy Lead Rock Hall Inductees

12/13/2004 12:37 PM, Reuters
Christopher Walsh

U2, the Pretenders, Buddy Guy, Percy Sledge, and the O'Jays will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at its 20th annual induction ceremony, to be held March 14 at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York.

Additionally, non-performers set for induction are Sire Records chairman Seymour Stein and Premier Talent Agency founder and president Frank Barsalona.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation's nominating committee is composed of rock historians, which selects nominees each year in the artist category. Ballots are then sent to an international voting body of approximately 700 experts. Inductees are represented in a permanent exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio.

Artists become eligible for induction 25 years after the release of their first album. Last year's nominees included Prince, the late George Harrison , Traffic, ZZ Top, Bob Seger and Jackson Browne .

Reuters/Billboard