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Who is Being Inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame This Year? Cyndi Lauper, Outkast & More

Entertainment

Nov 4, 2025 2:35 pm·

By Lauren Schuster

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Bad Company (Performer)

Bad Company were an English rock supergroup formed in London in 1973. They were well-known in the UK and US for their 70s rock hits, including “Can’t Get Enough,” which hit number five on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart following its release in 1974. Surviving members Simon Kirke and Paul Rodgers are set to play two songs at the ceremony in honor of their induction.

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Chubby Checker (Performer)

Chubby Checker, born Ernest Evans, is an American rock and roll singer and dancer best known for popularizing several iconic dance styles in the 1960s. The most popular of these dances was the Twist, which coincided with his 1960 hit cover of Hank Ballard & The Midnighters’ R&B song “The Twist.” His cover of “The Twist,” and his hit song “Pony Time” both spent 3 weeks each sitting at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart following their respective releases.

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Joe Cocker (Performer)

Joe Cocker was an English singer and composer known for bringing his unique, soulful voice to his interpretations of popular songs in the 1960s, reinventing them each in his own way. His rendition of the Beatles’ “With a Little Help from My Friends,” which he performed at Woodstock, became his best-known cover, and helped catapult him into stardom. Cocker died after battling lung cancer in 2014, but his memory will now live on forever in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

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Cyndi Lauper (Performer)

Cyndi Lauper is an American pop icon best known for her 1983 smash-hit “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.” Her debut album, She’s So Unusual, was the first debut album by a female artist to achieve four top-five hits on the Billboard Hot 100. Lauper received a number of awards throughout her career, including Best New Artist at the 27th Annual Grammy Awards in 1985 and Best Female Video Award for “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” at the inaugural 1984 MTV Video Music Awards.

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Outkast (Performer)

Outkast was an American hip-hop duo consisting of Big Boi (born Antwan Patton) and André 3000 (born André Benjamin) best known for their hit songs like “Ms. Jackson” and “Hey Ya!” (performed by André 3000). The duo was extremely influential in hip-hop culture of the late 1990s and early 2000s, winning Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards and Album of the Year at the 46th Annual Grammy Awards for their double album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below.

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Soundgarden (Performer)

Soundgarden was an American rock band formed in 1984. The group is considered a pioneer of grunge music, a style of alternative rock that developed in the mid-1980s and became popular in the early 1990s. They were the first grunge band to be signed to a major record label, signing to A&M Records in 1988.

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The White Stripes (Performer)

The White Stripes were an American rock duo formed in 1997, consisting of Jack White and Meg White. They were key players in the decade’s garage rock revival, and often combined elements of garage rock and blues in their music. They were also known for their unique and mysterious public image, from their red, white, and black visual aesthetic to their pretending to be siblings when they were actually a married couple. Though the couple divorced in 2000, they continued making music and performing together on and off until 2011. While Jack has continued his music career, Meg has stayed out of the limelight since they disbanded in 2011, so a reunion at the ceremony is said to be unlikely.

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Salt-N-Pepa (Musical Influence)

American female hip-hop duo Salt-N-Pepa are best known for their late-80s and early-90s hits, like “Push It” and “Whatta Man.” They became the first female rap act to win a Grammy Award when they won the 1995 Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for their song “None of Your Business,” a title they share with Queen Latifah, who also won that same night.

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Warren Zevon (Musical Influence)

Warren Warren Zevon was an American rock singer and songwriter. Best known for his hit song “Werewolves of London,” he was involved in a wide spectrum of musical endeavors from writing 1960s commercial jingles to collaborating with Fleetwood Mac and Bob Dylan. Zevon unfortunately passed away from mesothelioma at just 56 years old in 2003, but his legacy will now live on in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

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Thom Bell (Musical Excellence)

Thom Bell was an American record producer, arranger, and songwriter. He is known as one of the most prolific R&B songwriters and producers of all time, working with popular 1970s groups like the Delfonics, the Stylistics, and the Spinners. He was also musical director for fellow honoree Chubby Checker. Unfortunately, Bell passed away in 2022 after an unspecified “lengthy illness,” but his memory is now forever a part of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

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Nicky Hopkins (Musical Excellence)

Nicky Hopkins was an English pianist and organist best known for his performances on many popular British and American rock music recordings from the 1960s through the 1990s. His work can be heard on songs recorded by some of the biggest bands and musicians of all time, including the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Who, the Kinks, the Steve Miller Band, fellow honoree Joe Cocker, and many more. Hopkins unfortunately passed away in 1994 at just 50 years old from complications resulting from intestinal surgery, but his legacy now lives on in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

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2025 Inductee_CarolKaye_Social Card 1080x1350

Carol Kaye (Musical Excellence)

Carol Kaye is an American musician considered to be one of the most prolific recorded bass guitarists in rock and pop music, playing on an estimated 10,000 recordings in her 65-year career. Notably, Kaye has chosen to reject being honored in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. “First off, I’m not a rocker, I’m a jazz musician,” she shared, explaining her reasoning for boycotting the ceremony with The New York Times. “And I’m not a soloist. I worked in the studio as part of a team.”

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2025 Inductee Larry Waronker Rock Roll Hall of Fame

Lenny Waronker (Ahmet Ertegun Award)

Lenny Waronker is an American record producer and music industry executive known for pioneering the “artist-first” approach in the music business, insisting on prioritizing artists’ ability to create and experiment over immediate financial success. He helped bolster the careers of greats like Randy Newman, Rickie Lee Jones, R.E.M., and Prince.

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