Luke Bryan, Brad Paisley and Gwen Stefani will join more than a dozen other artists tasked with honoring the new members of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame during a ceremony on Nov. 7.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2020 includes Nine Inch Nails, the Notorious B.I.G., Whitney Houston, Depeche Mode, the Doobie Brothers and T. Rex.
Sean “Diddy” Combs, Miley Cyrus, Dave Grohl, Don Henley, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys, Adam Levine, Chris Martin, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Bruce Springsteen, St. Vincent, Ringo Starr and Charlize Theron will also take part in the celebration.
While no country artists were on the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ballot this year, there’s certainly a country connection for a couple of the new electees.
- Whitney Houston’s best-selling song, “I Will Always Love You,” was penned by Dolly Parton, who originally recorded the tune in 1974. Whitney’s 1992 rendition has been certified 8X Platinum by the RIAA for sales of 8 million units.
- The Doobie Brothers’ 2014 album, Southbound, featured the Doobies teaming with some of country’s top talent for one-offs, including Blake Shelton (“Listen to the Music”), Brad Paisley (Rockin’ Down the Highway”), Toby Keith (Long Train Runnin’) and Zac Brown Band (“Black Water”).
- Luke Bryan and the Doobie Brothers teamed up for an episode of CMT Crossroads in 2011.
The virtual induction ceremony will air on HBO on May 2 at 8 p.m.
photos: Brad Paisley & Luke Bryan by Curtis Hilbun, AFF-USA.com; Gwen Stefani by O’Connor, AFF-USA.com