Hall of Fame nominees (I vote Cheap Trick, Los Lobos, Smiths and Yes):
http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/m...-nwa/73452100/
Chicago. Formed in Illinois in the late '60s with a revolving door of members ever since, the band is in the midst of a U.S. tour.
Cheap Trick. The hard-rocking, power-pop pioneers (
Dream Police) found success in Japan before breaking through stateside and have toured almost nonstop over the band's four-decade history.
Deep Purple. The British quintet, which helped define the heavy metal genre with its organ-driven thick sound and early covers of
Hush and
Kentucky Woman, hijacked the charts with
Smoke On the Water and
Woman From Tokyo.
The Cars. The Boston rockers have had enduring classics in songs such as
Just What I Needed,
My Best Friend's Girl and
Drive, and reunited for 2011's
Move Like This after Benjamin Orr died from pancreatic cancer in 2000.
Chaka Khan. Hailed as the Queen of Funk, the emotive songstress has won 10 Grammy Awards, including best R&B vocal performance for standard
I Feel for You.
Chic. With dance-floor classics
Le Freak and
Good Times, Nile Rodgers and company gave disco a brilliant, soulful upgrade and influenced generations of pop and hip-hop artists.
The J.B.'s. The original name of James Brown's '70s band, which included members such as Bootsy Collins and Bobby Byrd, and climbed the charts with funk tunes
Gimme Some More and
Doing It to Death.
Janet Jackson. A dance/pop icon and the youngest child of the Jackson family, the
Rhythm Nation singer has gotten some of the best reviews of her career for new album
Unbreakable, which is expected to debut at No. 1 on the
Billboard album charts next week.
Los Lobos. The Latin rockers seamlessly blend country, R&B and folk, and reached No. 1 on the
Billboard Hot 100 in 1987 with their cover of Ritchie Valens'
La Bamba.
Steve Miller. The veteran guitarist has released more than a dozen albums with his Steve Miller Band since the mid-1960s, scoring hits with seminal anthems
The Joker,
Abracadabra and
Jet Airliner.
N.W.A. Immortalized onscreen in this summer's blockbuster biopic
Straight Outta Compton, the West Coast rap group led by Dr. Dre, Ice Cube and Eazy-E caught the attention of the FBI with its gangsta rap classic
F--- Tha Police.
Nine Inch Nails. Trent Reznor's industrial rock project scored its biggest hit more than a decade ago with
The Day the World Went Away, but has remained a force thanks in part to extensive touring, a recent album (2013's
Hesitation Marks) and Reznor's film work as an Oscar- and Grammy-winning composer.
The Smiths. They were only together five years, but the British pop quartet released four influential albums in the '80s, distinguished by Morrissey's baritone howls and Johnny Marr's finesse as guitarist.
The Spinners. The Detroit-bred R&B group helped shape the smooth-funk sound of Philadelphia soul in the '70s, charting hits such as
Could It Be I'm Falling in Love,
I'll Be Around and
Mighty Love.
Yes. Largely responsible for bringing progressive rock to the mainstream, these symphonic, experimental Englishmen are considered the forefathers to other beloved synth-driven bands such as Rush and Dream Theater.
Mostly though makes you want to be outside!
