Jay-Z, Tina Turner among this year's Rock Hall of Fame inductees

NEW YORK • Tina Turner and Jay-Z feature among this year's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class, the organisation announced this week.

Carole King, The Go-Go's, Foo Fighters and Todd Rundgren round out the elite group of performers selected for induction into the rock pantheon, which in recent years has made efforts to broaden its acceptance of genre and honour more artistes who are not white men.

This year, the 1,200 voters responsible for doling out the top rock awards appear to have taken to heart the perennial criticism that they were falling short.

The 2021, class diverse in generation and genre, should make for an eventful induction ceremony concert, which was forced to go virtual in its 35th edition that added The Notorious B.I.G. and Whitney Houston to the organisation's ranks.

The 36th annual ceremony is planned for Oct 30 in Cleveland, Ohio, where the Hall of Fame is based.

Jay-Z, Foo Fighters and the Go-Go's are all first-time nominees; artistes are eligible for nomination 25 years after the release of their first recording.

The Go-Go's - known for their 1980s punk-inflected dance pop - have been eligible since 2006.

Rap magnate Jay-Z - whose hits include 99 Problems and Hard Knock Life - enters the Hall of Fame a 23-time Grammy winner and the first hip-hop artiste inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Turner's entry into the hall comes after a year that saw her celebrated in an HBO documentary, which told her story of leaving her abusive husband Ike Turner, who was also her musical partner, before launching a successful solo career that includes hits like What's Love Got To Do With It.

Boasting a decorated career as a songwriter for other stars, King's 1971 record Tapestry is one of the best-selling albums ever, with top tracks including You've Got A Friend and (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman - a hit made even more popular with an Aretha Franklin cover.

And pop rocker Rundgren, known for hits like Bang The Drum All Day, was inducted after his fourth nomination and after he dubbed the vote "a scam".

The hall will also honour LL Cool J, Billy Preston and Randy Rhoads with "musical excellence awards", while Kraftwerk, Gil Scott Heron and Charley Patton will receive "early influencer" designations.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE