Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Eight years on from the unexpected passing of Chris Cornell, Soundgarden‘s Ben Shepherd has teased the release of an unreleased album of new material in a tribute post to his late bandmate.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
In the post shared on Saturday (May 17), Shepherd reflected on the legacy of Cornell, noting he had been reflecting on an unheard song written by the late musician alongside drummer Matt Cameron. “Its a song Chris and Matt wrote ‘The Road Less Traveled’ for our album that has yet to be named,” he explained.
“Just hearing Chris’ voice helps, I know he did that for everyone he knew… help them, he did for me, filled with self doubt and indebtedness and in just his tone knew what I was going through and forgave me like he always did even when he was older,” Shepherd continued. “It’s at this point of recording all of our previous albums I’d get this overwhelming hit of awe, camaraderie, power of creativity, majesty even, and love, from the music, and my bandmates… and I guess just pure life force.”
Trending on Billboard
Soundgarden disbanded following Cornell’s passing on May 17, 2017, though they have since performed on a handful of occasions with guest vocalists. Most recently, they performed as Nudedragons in December 2024, with Shaina Shepherd on vocal duties.
In 2023, the surviving members of Soundgarden reached an “amicable out of court” agreement with Cornell’s widow Vicky to end a four-year legal battle centered around seven unreleased audio recordings made by the singer before his death.
Upon the conclusion of the legal dispute, the band noted that their newfound “reconciliation marks a new partnership between the two parties, which will allow Soundgarden fans around the world to hear the final songs that the band and Chris were working on.” To date, no further update has been given in regard to when this unheard music may arrive.
In April, Soundgarden were one of the many acts announced as the 2025 inductees into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Speaking to Billboard, guitarist Kim Thayil said he feels confident Cornell would “definitely be stoked” about the induction.
“He’s the one who convinced me how appreciative the fans and our peers and the Soundgarden community — that includes the people that we work with and work for us — would be about it,” Thayil explained. “He realized how important that was, and he understood that would be important to us because it’s important to people who cared about us and helped us and supported us all along.
“That’s how I believe Chris would respond to this. I think he’d be very appreciative and thankful to all the people who have believed in him and believed in the work he did and the work that we all did, collectively.”
The 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction will be live on Saturday, Nov. 8 at the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live in Los Angeles. The 2025 ceremony will once again stream live on Disney+, with a special airing on ABC at a later date and available on Hulu the next day. It currently remains to be seen whether the surviving members of Soundgarden will perform at the ceremony.
‘Weird Al’ Yankovic has been a staple of pop culture and the musical world at large for over 40 years now, and comedian John Mulaney feels it’s high time that Yankovic received the recognition he’s due with an induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Speaking to Rolling Stone recently, Mulaney – himself a diehard fan of the Rock Hall – reflected on this year’s list of inductees, which includes the likes of The White Stripes, Outkast, Cyndi Lauper, and Soundgarden, but didn’t include the likes of Phish, who won’t be inducted this year despite winning the fan vote.
“The music they introduced my generation to as well was hugely important,” Mulaney said of the Vermont veterans. “I learned to be eclectic from them. They were always getting compared to the Grateful Dead, but they had this whole world of influences that was really fun to pick up on and cross-check.”
Trending on Billboard
When speaking of Chubby Checker, Mulaney reflected on the impact that he had upon the world of novelty music, specifically thanks to the likes of his debut single “The Class,” which peaked at No. 38 on the Hot 100 upon its release in 1959.
“I’m a big proponent of novelty music,” Mulaney admitted. “I’m a big proponent of ‘Weird Al’ getting into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. This is one step closer, though I don’t know why they need to be led via steps. ‘Weird Al’ brought more people to music than is recognized at all.
“I will, in fact, greatly devalue my coolness by saying [when I was young], it wasn’t until ‘Smells Like Nirvana’ defanged ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ that I could enjoy ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit,’” Mulaney added. “It was scary at first. It just was like, ‘I’m pretty happy, I’m a kid.’ I needed a way in. And after you laugh at ‘Smells Like Nirvana,’ you go, ‘Oh, this is a really good song.’”
Despite Yankovic having been eligible for inclusion into the Rock Hall since 2005, he’s yet to be nominated on any annual ballot. However, chairman John Sykes did admit in December that the influential musical satirist has “come up in conversations” over the years.
“He’s a genius,” Sykes explained. “He has made brilliant versions of the songs, but I’ll be honest: He’s never made it close to the ballot.”
Though it remains to be seen whether or not Yankovic will make it onto the ballot in future years, Sykes’ comments also saw him reflect on other artists who are yet to make it in, despite continued support. This included the likes of The B-52s, the Pixies, and even Phil Collins‘ solo career.
“There’s been a group of nominees who’ve been passionate about the Pixies,” Sykes said. “The same thing with Warren Zevon, who actually did get on the ballot one year. I’m passionate about Warren, and he’ll get in, too. But the Pixies have had a lot of support.”
Given that this year will indeed see the late Zevon inducted into the Rock Hall, it appears that Mulaney and the legion of Yankovic’s fans might just need to sit tight.
He’s here to answer all your questions about how the Rock Hall works.
As those who learned they will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year receive congratulatory messages from numerous friends and colleagues, the seven artists who were passed over for induction are likely get messages from friends and supporters along the lines of “you were robbed” or “you’ll get in eventually.”
If you missed the announcement on American Idol on Sunday night (April 27), Bad Company, Chubby Checker, Joe Cocker, Cyndi Lauper, Outkast, Soundgarden and The White Stripes are this year’s inductees in the performer category. Salt-N-Pepa and Warren Zevon are set to receive the musical influence award; Philly Soul producer Thom Bell, English studio pianist/organist Nicky Hopkins and studio bass guitarist Carol Kaye will receive the musical excellence award; and producer and executive Lenny Waronker will receive the Ahmet Ertegun Award.
The other seven nominees in the performer category were denied admission to the Rock Hall – this year, anyway. Oasis and Mariah Carey were both passed over for the second year in a row. Both were surprising snubs – Oasis is reuniting for a global tour in 2025; Carey’s profile, never low, has been boosted in recent years by her status as the uncontested Queen of Christmas. Of the other passed-over artists, Joy Division/New Order were previously on the ballot in 2023; this was the first time on the ballot for The Black Crowes, Billy Idol, Maná and Phish.
Trending on Billboard
The voters showed no love for brother acts this year. Oasis includes Liam and Noel Gallagher; The Black Crowes includes Chris and Rich Robinson.
Maná was vying to become the first rock en español act to make the Rock Hall. Joy Division/New Order was vying to join the short list of two related acts being inducted in tandem, following Parliament/Funkadelic in 1997 and The Small Faces/Faces in 2012.
Phish, which won this year’s fan vote, has never landed a Hot 100 hit, but the band is a powerhouse live attraction, as evidenced when it played the Sphere in Las Vegas in April 2024.
Idol was a mainstay of early MTV – as was Lauper, who did get in. In an interview with Vulture, Idol said of his guitarist Steve Stevens, “Because of our special relationship, if I get in, they will induct him as well.” This would have echoed Pat Benatar’s induction three years ago, where the Rock Hall inducted both Benatar and her husband and musical partner, Neil Giraldo. But it’s academic, as Idol didn’t make it this year.
Critics and pundits are already weighing in with their opinions, but we want to hear from you: Which of the seven artists who were nominated in the performer category, only to be passed over, do you think constitutes the biggest snub? They’re listed here in alphabetical order. Vote!
Take Our Poll
Chubby Checker, whose “The Twist” was a global smash in 1960, has been eligible for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame since the first class was inducted in 1986, but he was never even nominated until this year. Despite having been ignored for decades, he made it in his first time on the ballot.
So did first-time nominees Bad Company, Joe Cocker and Outkast, as well as Cyndi Lauper and The White Stripes, who had each been nominated once before, and Soundgarden, which had been nominated twice before. These seven acts were all inducted in the performer category.
The inductees were announced by Ryan Seacrest on ABC’s American Idol on Sunday night (April 27).
Trending on Billboard
There are six other inductees this year in other categories. Salt-N-Pepa and Warren Zevon are set to receive the musical influence award; Philly Soul producer Thom Bell, English studio pianist/organist Nicky Hopkins and studio bass guitarist Carole Kaye (who was part of the fabled Wrecking Crew of top L.A. studio musicians) will receive the musical excellence award; and producer and label executive Lenny Waronker will receive the Ahmet Ertegun Award.
Sadly, several of these people didn’t live to see their inductions. Hopkins died in 1994 at age 50; Zevon in 2003 at 56; Chris Cornell of Soundgarden in 2017 at 52; and Bell in 2022 at 79.
Checker had to wait even longer for induction than Cher, who was finally inducted last year, 59 years after Sonny & Cher’s breakthrough smash “I Got You Babe.”
With Outkast and Salt-N-Pepa both being inducted this year, this is the sixth consecutive year that one or more rap acts has been in the induction class.
With Lauper, Salt-N-Pepa, Meg White of The White Stripes and Carol Kaye being inducted this year, this is the fourth consecutive year that four or more female acts were in the induction class.
Bell won the first Grammy Award ever presented for producer of the year, non-classical, in 1975. By coincidence, Waronker was among the other nominees in the category that year. Waronker was also nominated for record of the year that year for producing Maria Muldaur’s classy and sexy “Midnight at the Oasis.” Waronker’s many other hits as a producer include Gordon Lightfoot’s Hot 100-topping “Sundown,” Rickie Lee Jones’ “Chuck E.’s in Love” and Randy Newman’s “I Love L.A.,” which Dawes performed as the opening song on this year’s Grammy telecast.
Carol Kaye, 90, is this year’s oldest inductee. Checker and Waronker are both 83, but will both be 84 by the time of the Nov. 8 induction ceremony.
All of the artists who were induced in the performer category have landed top five albums on the Billboard 200. Three of them reached No. 1: Bad Company (Bad Company, 1974), Outkast (Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, 2003) and Soundgarden (Superunknown, 1994). Three more reached No. 2: Chubby Checker (Your Twist Party, 1962), Joe Cocker (Mad Dogs and Englishmen, 1970) and The White Stripes (Icky Thump, 2007). Lauper climbed as high as No. 4 twice, with She’s So Unusual in 1984 and True Colors in 1986.
Both of the artists who are receiving musical influence awards made the top 10. Salt-N-Pepa reached No. 4 with Very Necessary in 1994. Zevon hit No. 8 with Excitable Boy in 1978.
Lauper won the Grammy for best new artist in 1985. She’s the sixth artist who was a past winner of that award to go on to a Rock Hall induction.
Outkast won the Grammy for album of the year in 2004 for Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. André 3000 was nominated again in that category at this year’s ceremony for New Blue Sun.
Two of the inducted acts are duos – Outkast (André 3000 and Big Boi) and The White Stripes (Jack White and Meg White).
The other seven nominees in the performer category were denied admission to the Rock Hall – this year, anyway. Oasis and Mariah Carey were both passed over for the second year in a row. Both were surprising snubs – Oasis is reuniting for a global tour in 2025; Carey’s profile, never low, has been boosted in recent years by her status as the uncontested Queen of Christmas. Of the other passed-over artists, Joy Division/New Order were previously on the ballot in 2023; this was the first time on the ballot for The Black Crowes, Billy Idol, Maná and Phish.
The voters showed no love for brother acts this year. Oasis includes Liam and Noel Gallagher; The Black Crowes includes Chris and Rich Robinson.
Maná was vying to become the first rock en español act to make the Rock Hall. Joy Division/New Order was vying to join the short list of two related acts being inducted in tandem, following Parliament/Funkadelic in 1997 and The Small Faces/Faces in 2012.
Phish, which won this year’s fan vote, has never landed a Hot 100 hit, but the band is a powerhouse live attraction, as evidenced when it played the Sphere in Las Vegas in April 2024.
Idol was a mainstay of early MTV – as was Lauper, who did get in. In an interview with Vulture, Idol said of his guitarist Steve Stevens, “Because of our special relationship, if I get in, they will induct him as well.” This would have echoed Pat Benatar’s induction three years ago, where the Rock Hall inducted both Benatar and her husband and musical partner, Neil Giraldo. But it’s academic, as Idol didn’t make it this year.
The 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction will be live on Saturday, Nov. 8 at the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live in Los Angeles. The 2025 ceremony will once again stream live on Disney+, with a special airing on ABC at a later date and available on Hulu the next day. The 2024 ceremony aired on New Year’s Day.
Here’s the full list of 2025 inductees:
Performer Category
Bad Company
Chubby Checker
Joe Cocker
Cyndi Lauper
Outkast
Soundgarden
The White Stripes
Musical Influence Award
Salt-N-Pepa
Warren Zevon
Musical Excellence Award
Thom Bell
Nicky Hopkins
Carol Kaye
Ahmet Ertegun Award
Lenny Waronker
Fans will have to wait until Sunday (April 27) to find out if Phish makes it into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year on its first try, but the veteran jam band’s enthusiasts showed their support. The band won the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame fan vote, receiving 329,000-plus votes — nearly 50,000 more than runner-up Bad Company, who got 280,725.
The top five finishers in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s Fan Vote will have their results counted alongside ballots from more than 1,200 artists, historians and music industry professionals to help determine the Class of 2025. Joining Phish and Bad Company in the fan vote’s top five are Billy Idol (260K votes), Cyndi Lauper (nearly 237K), and Joe Cocker (233K).
Trending on Billboard
As was announced Monday, Ryan Seacrest will announce this year’s inductees into the Rock Hall on a live episode of American Idol on Sunday. James Taylor will serve as mentor on the episode, on which this year’s contestants will perform songs associated with past Rock Hall inductees.
Soundgarden just missed the top five in the fan vote, receiving about 300 fewer votes than Cocker. They were followed by Chubby Checker (203K), The Black Crowes (165K), Mariah Carey (nearly 138K), Joy Division and New Order (120K), The White Stripes (110K), OutKast (108K), Oasis (99K) and Maná (34K).
Phish has had an unorthodox career. The band has yet to put a single on the Billboard Hot 100 and has received just one Grammy nomination — best rock instrumental performance for “First Tube” in 2001. But the band has put 38 albums on the Billboard 200, including three that made the top 10 — Billy Breathes (No. 7 in 1996), The Story of the Ghost (No. 8 in 1998) and Fuego (No. 7 in 2014).
The band has had its greatest radio success in the adult alternative format. It has had four top 10 hits on Billboard’s Adult Alternative Airplay chart — “Free” (No. 7 in 1996), “Heavy Things” (No. 2 in 2000), “The Connection” (No. 2 in 2004) and “Backwards Down the Number Line” (No. 9 in 2009).
And the band is a powerhouse live attraction, as evidenced when it played the Sphere in Las Vegas in April 2024.
The 2025 inductees into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame will be announced on a live episode of American Idol on Sunday (April 27). Show host Ryan Seacrest will make the eagerly awaited announcement. James Taylor, who was inducted into the Rock Hall in 2000, will serve as a mentor on the episode, on […]
Mexican superstars Maná have made history by being the first Spanish-language act to receive a nomination to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The band, composed of Fher Olvera, Alex González, Sergio Vallín and Juan Calleros, has left an indelible mark on music, not only in Latin America but globally, through their career spanning more than three decades.
Since their formation in Guadalajara, Jalisco, the quartet has captured the hearts and minds of millions with their lyrics full of passion and their sound that mixes rock, pop and pan-Latin rhythms. With this nomination, they celebrate a milestone not just in their career, but for music in Spanish too. (Fans can cast a vote for Maná’s induction into the Hall of Fame here.)
The band made their debut on the Billboard charts in 1994 with their seminal album Dónde Jugarán los Niños, which reached No. 2 on the Top Latin Albums chart. Their success continued to grow and, over the years, they have managed to position 10 of their songs at No. 1 on the Hot Latin Songs chart, including classics like “Mariposa Traicionera” and “Labios Compartidos.”
These tracks, along with other timeless hits not on this list — such as “Oye Mi Amor,” “Rayando el Sol” and “Clavado en un Bar” — have solidified the Mexican rockers as one of the most influential bands in Latin music. Although the Hot Latin Songs chart, which started in 1986, is the barometer of success in the Latin market — combining data from radio plays, streaming, and digital sales — their achievements go beyond certifications and accolades. They have connected with a worldwide audience through their philanthropic efforts aimed at social justice and peace.
“We want to share this recognition with all Latinos everywhere, especially the immigrants who are suffering right now,” frontman Fher Olvera said in a statement about their nomination. “Don’t lose faith. Our people always find a way. Maná loves you. We’ll always be here standing with you.”
In honor of their nomination to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Billboard Español has compiled their 10 songs that have topped the chart, in chronological order.
“Mariposa Traicionera”
Image Credit: Bernardo Flores
About four months ago, Billy Idol was in Cleveland to sing “No More Tears” as part of Ozzy Osbourne’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction.
Asked backstage about Osbourne’s comment that Idol himself should be inducted, he noted that, “It was really lovely of him to say so. It would be really incredible.”
Now it may indeed be Idol’s turn.
The man born William Broad in England, made famous as part of Generation X and then a solo career that’s notched hits such as “White Wedding,” “Rebel Yell,” “Eyes Without a Face” and “Dancing With Myself,” is one of eight first-timers out of 14 nominees on this year’s Rock Hall ballot, which was announced Wednesday morning (Feb. 12). Public voting is underway at vote.rockhall.com, and the inductees are expected to be announced during late April, with the ceremony held this fall in Los Angeles.
“It’s pretty incredible,” Idol told Billboard via phone from Los Angeles. “I’m really knocked out. It’s really fantastic, and what a great honor just to be included with those other fellow artists on that list. It caught me by surprise today, and I was completely bowled over.”
Trending on Billboard
Idol has been eligible since 2006 as a solo artist, but he said he’s never thought of himself as slighted or overlooked. “Well, there’s so many great people who have yet to be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame — someone like [fellow nominee] Joe Cocker, for instance,” he noted. “So of course you don’t tend to think about yourself.
“I think in some ways it’s a big thank-you to the fans, who really have stuck with you through thick and thin — sometimes more thin than thick. But they’ve really stuck with you. In some ways, if you’re in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, they are [too].”
Idol began his career as a guitar player in the punk band Chelsea before forming Generation X with guitarist Tony James in 1976. The group released four albums and had British hits with “Your Generation,” “King Rocker” and “Valley of the Dolls” before breaking up in early 1981. Idol then moved to New York, working with former Kiss manager Bill Aucoin. His first EP, Don’t Stop, featured a remake of Generation X’s “Dancing With Myself” and a cover of Tommy James and the Shondells’ “Mony Mony,” but his self-titled 1982 debut was the real breakthrough, going gold on the strength of “White Wedding” and “Hot in the City,” and a warm embrace from MTV.
That helped make Rebel Yell even bigger in 1983, a double-platinum, top 10 Billboard 200 smash that turned Idol into an arena-sized headliner.
“It’s just kind of incredible ’cause you never could have imagined this when you began,” said Idol, who’s released eight studio albums total and has another coming this year, with details expected to be announced soon. “When we started out in punk rock, we really were doing it for the love. We thought this might last six minutes, six months, maybe a year, maybe two years. We’re nearly talking about 50 years now.
“Look, if you do something for the right reasons, it can take you the whole way. Just to have lived this life, to have this musical life, at one point it was a dream. To get to live your dream, that’s pretty incredible.”
Idol has been in the Rock Hall already via one of his Harley-Davidson motorcycles, which is on display in the museum in Cleveland. He visited during October’s induction festivities and reports that “it’s beautiful seeing it there. They’ve done a good job of taking care of it.”
The Osbourne induction, Idol adds, was “really good fun. Playing with [producer] Andrew Watt and Wolfgang Van Halen and everybody, it was an incredible night. The vibe amongst everybody was fantastic, and to feel the sort of energy and excitement of the fans being there. Just getting to thank the fans is an incredible moment.”
While the Rock Hall voting is going on, Idol will be rolling out the new album and prepping for the It’s A Nice Day To…Tour Again! trek that kicks off April 30 in Phoenix and runs through late September. Idol will be joined by Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, reconnecting with someone he met during a Generation X press tour back in 1978.
“We ended up in L.A., watching the Germs and Black Flag at the Whisky a Go Go with Joan and about 20 other girls [in] go-go boots and short mini-skirts,” Idol recalls. “It was great meeting her. It should be a really fantastic [tour], a good time.”
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has unveiled its 2025 nominees, and while every person and band on the list is more than deserving to be welcomed into the institution’s esteemed ranks, only a few can be.
As announced Wednesday (Feb. 12), the names on this year’s ballot include Mariah Carey, Oasis, Bad Company, The Black Crowes, Chubby Checker, Joe Cocker, Billy Idol, Joy Division/New Order, Cyndi Lauper, Maná, Oasis, Outkast, Phish, Soundgarden and The White Stripes. Eight of those acts — Bad Company, the Black Crowes, Checker, Cocker, Idol, Maná, Outkast and Phish — are first-time nominees, while the other six have been in RRHOF consideration in years past.
Those names will now be narrowed down by an international panel of more than 1,200 artists, historians and music industry players, with a fan-voted element factored in. That group’s selected nominees will be revealed in April, as well as whether they’ll be entering in the musical influence or musical excellence categories. An induction ceremony in Los Angeles will follow in the fall, coming one year after the 2024 class comprised of Mary J. Blige, Cher, Dave Matthews Band, Foreigner, Peter Frampton, Kool & the Gang, Ozzy Osbourne and A Tribe Called Quest was inaugurated into the hallowed Rock Hall.
Trending on Billboard
But while the list of nominees chosen for immortalization in the coveted hall of fame is largely up to panelists, Billboard wants to know who you would select from this year’s shortlist. Tell us who you most want to see inducted into the RRHOF by casting your vote below.