Pat Benatar gets into Rock Hall of Fame
LI's Pat Benatar released her first album in 1979. Credit: AP / E.J. Flynn
Lindenhurst native Pat Benatar is among the performers who have been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, a list that also includes Eminem, Lionel Richie, Carly Simon, Eurythmics, Duran Duran and Dolly Parton, who initially resisted the honor.
The honorees — voted on by more than 1,000 artists, historians and music industry professionals — “each had a profound impact on the sound of youth culture and helped change the course of rock ’n’ roll,” said John Sykes, the chairman of the Rock Hall, in a statement Wednesday.
To be eligible, artists are required to have released their first record 25 years prior to induction. Benatar's debut album, "In the Heat of the Night," came out in 1979 and included the hit "Heartbreaker," written by her lead guitarist and future husband, Neil Giraldo. Her follow-up, the 1980 album "Crimes of Passion," yielded the top 10 smash "Hit Me With Your Best Shot." Benatar, 69, has also won four Grammy Awards. Other Long Islanders in the Rock Hall include Billy Joel; Joan Jett; Public Enemy; and LL Cool J, who received the Musical Excellence Award last year.
Parton had gone on social media to “respectfully bow out” of the process, saying she did not want to take votes away from the remaining nominees and had not “earned that right.” The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation responded by saying ballots had already been sent and it was up to the voters to decide if Parton was elected. Parton later said she would accept an induction.
The hall also announced Wednesday that Judas Priest and Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis are getting the award for musical excellence and that Harry Belafonte and Elizabeth Cotten will be honored with the Early Influence Award.
Other artists and groups that failed this year for induction in the performer category are A Tribe Called Quest, Rage Against the Machine, Dionne Warwick, Beck, Kate Bush, DEVO, Fela Kuti, MC5 and New York Dolls.
Parton is most associated with country music and is in the Country Hall of Fame, but she has performed songs with a rock feel. Artists who have made both the Rock Hall and Country Hall of Fame include Brenda Lee, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Chet Atkins, Hank Williams and the Everly Brothers.
The induction ceremony will be held Nov. 5 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.
