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The band that once sang "Welcome to the Jungle" is now being welcomed into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. That's right: Guns N' Roses, the metal band responsible for all of your husband's favorite karaoke songs, is one of eleven bands and musicians who have been selected for induction in 2012.
Joining Axl Rose and Slash's band in the Hall of Fame will be two other groups that exploded onto the scene in the mid-'80s: rap pioneers the Beastie Boys and the rock-funk band Red Hot Chili Peppers. Two singer-songwriters from an earlier era also made the cut: Scottish balladeer Donovan and the late Laura Nyro, the only woman to be inducted this year. Influential British rock group Small Faces/The Faces (whose members over a decade included Rod Stewart and the Rolling Stones' Ronnie Wood) will also be honored, as will electric blues pioneer Freddie King, promoter Don Kirshner, music engineer Tom Dowd, R&B historian Jeff Hannusch and producer Glyn Johns. (Bios for all the honorees are available here.)
Now you know who made the list -- but which artists on this year's ballot didn't make the cut? The answer, in short: a lot of ladies. The Hall of Fame passed on notable girl-centric acts Heart, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts and Rufus with Chaka Khan, as well as disco siren Donna Summer. Also tabled, for this year at least: the Cure, the Spinners, War and Eric B. & Rakim.
Perhaps because they were chosen over such worthy competition, the bands being honored this year are reacting with deep gratitude. In a blog post on the Red Hot Chili Peppers' website, bassist Flea sounds downright ecstatic.
"Our band is really riding a high right now. We are out on the road, playing some of best shows we have ever done," says Flea of his group. "I feel an infinite energy from what we are doing and looking forward to taking this togetherness we are forging out on tour, and getting in the studio and making new music. Feels like we are growing like a new born baby, and that is best feeling that I can have ever have in our band."
Rod Stewart, who was already inducted as a solo artist in 1994, has also released a statement on behalf of The Faces.
"Well it's quite a thrill and honor to make it in the Hall of Fame a second time," says Stewart. "We were always synonymous with a good party and with this list of fellow artists being inducted I'm looking forward to (it)... and it's a hell of a good reason to reunite and celebrate with my old mates."
That reunion will take place at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland, Ohio, on April 14. The induction ceremony will be broadcast on HBO in early May.
