Madonna, John Mellencamp, Leonard Cohen, the Ventures and the Dave Clark Five will be enshrined next year in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, organizers announced today (Dec. 13). The 2008 induction will be held March 10 at New York’s Waldorf Astoria hotel.
Since signing with Sire Records in 1982, Madonna has been one of the biggest pop stars in the world. The artist’s new album, her last for Warner Bros. before she transitions to Live Nation’s new Artist Nation company, is due in the spring.
Mellencamp emerged from Bloomington, Ind., in the early 1980s with enduring, heartland rock tracks like “Pink Houses,” “Rain on the Scarecrow” and “Jack & Diane.” “I’m very honored and pleased to be recognized this way, especially among people whom I greatly admire,” Mellencamp said in a statement.
Cohen has been a leading purveyor of folk-tinged rock since the late 1960s, with tracks like “Suzanne” oft-covered by contemporaries and a new generation of singer/songwriters alike.
The Ventures are best known for instrumental rock evergreens such as the theme from “Hawaii Five-O,” “Walk Don’t Run” and “Perfidia.” Thanks to hits like “Glad All Over,” “Over and Over” and “Catch Us if You Can,” the Dave Clark Five were one of the earliest and most successful of the British Invasion bands.
Little Walter will be inducted in the sideman category, while producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff will be inducted in the non-performer category, which has been renamed in honor of the late Ahmet Ertegun.
Artists are eligible for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25 years after the release of their debut single or album.
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