Innovative rap group Outkast, pop star Cyndi Lauper and 1960s pioneer Chubby Checker have all won places in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. This year's inductees were revealed live on American Idol, with the UK represented by hard rock band Bad Company and gravel-voiced eccentric Joe Cocker, 11 years after his death from lung cancer. However, Manchester bands Oasis and Joy Division/New Order failed to qualify from the shortlist. Performers become eligible for inclusion 25 years after the release of their first commercial recording. The nominations are voted on by more than 1,200 music historians, industry professionals and previously inducted artists. The full list of performers to be inducted this year is: Bad Company Chubby Checker Joe Cocker Cyndi Lauper Outkast Soundgarden The White Stripes Salt-N-Pepa, the first commercially successful female rap group, will also receive the musical influence award, alongside Warren Zevon — a cult singer-songwriter who was revered by Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan. The induction ceremony will take place in Los Angeles on 8 November, and will be streamed live on Disney+. "Each of these inductees created their own sound and attitude that had a profound impact on culture and helped to change the course of Rock & Roll forever," said the Hall of Fame's chairman John Sykes. "Their music gave a voice to generations and influenced countless artists that followed in their footsteps." However, equal amounts of attention will be paid to the artists who didn't make it into the hallowed hall, which encompasses all genres of popular music. Mariah Carey's omission, in particular, will be seen as an egregious oversight. With 19 US number one singles, she is second only to The Beatles in terms of chart success. Her self-titled debut album spent 11 weeks at the top of the Billboard chart in 1990, and her Christmas classic, All I Want For Christmas Is You, is the 11th best-selling single of all time. This is the second time she has been overlooked by the Rock Hall's voters. Asked for her thoughts on being snubbed last year, Carey said: "My thoughts are, I didn't get in." A second snub will embolden critics who say the Hall of Fame has a poor record of admitting women. Lauper, who did make it through the voting process, was the only other woman on this year's main ballot. Oasis were also passed over for a second time, having been nominated in 2024. But singer Liam Gallagher has previously criticized the institution, saying he wasn't interested in receiving an award from "some geriatric in a cowboy hat". Veteran jam band Phish also missed out on a place — despite winning a fan vote that counted towards this year's ceremony. However, losing a nomination doesn't mean an artist is disqualified from future ceremonies. Nile Rodgers and Chic famously had to sit through 11 nominations before they were finally inducted in 2017. A similar story emerges this year for Checker, whose song The Twist became a global phenomenon in 1960. The star, now 83, was ignored by the Rock Hall for years, even as contemporaries like Sam Cooke, Bill Haley, Wilson Pickett and Fats Domino were admitted. In 2001, Checker took out a full-page ad in Billboard magazine calling on the Rock Hall to recognise him for the song that, he said, became "the biggest dance of the century". "I want my flowers while I'm alive," he wrote. "I can't smell them when I'm dead." Demanding a statue in the courtyard of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, he added: "I will not have the music business ignore my position in the industry." That wish has finally been granted. This year's other inductees include Outkast — aka André 3000 and Big Boi. Known for hits like Ms Jackson, Rosa Parks and Hey Ya!, their swampy Southern rhythms and bohemian take on hip-hop changed the sound of the genre in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Soundgarden, best known for grunge anthem Black Hole Sun, have also earned a place; as have The White Stripes — the garage rock band formed by Jack and Meg White in 1997, whose hits include Seven Nation Army, Hotel Yorba and Fell In Love With A Girl. Fans will speculate about whether Meg, who hasn't been seen in public since 2009, will attend the induction ceremony. There are also musical excellence awards for Thom Bell, an architect of the Philadelphia Soul sound, and English pianist Nicky Hopkins, who contributed to records by The Rolling Stones, The Beatles and The Who. US guitarist Carol Kaye, whose fretwork can be heard on classic tracks like You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling and the theme to Mission: Impossible, receives the same honor. Finally, record executive Lenny Waronker, who helped develop acts like Madonna, REM and Prince, will receive the Ahmet Ertegun award, given to non-performers who have had a major influence on rock music. — BBC
