Rock & Roll Hall of Fame set to induct Tom Waits, Alice Cooper
(CBS) The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is set to induct eight people Monday night - six performers and two "non-performers" - who shaped the music biz. The inductees include Alice Cooper, who, along with David Bowie and Marc Bolan, ushered a new era of performance art into rock. Rob Zombie is on tap to present Cooper at the ceremony.
Pictures: Rock Hall of Fame Inductions 2010
Pictures: Rock Hall rocks out 2009
Cooper recently told Billboard about plans for a sequel to his 1975 concept album "Welcome to My Nightmare."
Other inductees include Neil Diamond, Tom Waits, Leon Russell, Art Rupe, Darlene Love, Jac Holzman and Dr. John.
Holzman will be inducted by John Densmore of The Doors. Holzman, the founder of Elektra Records, saw The Doors perform at the Whiskey a Go Go in 1966 and signed them to the label soon after. The Doors released all its albums during Jim Morrison's lifetime on Elektra.
Art Rupe founded Specialty Records and is responsible for putting Little Richard on the map. The label also released music that featured Sam Cooke in the Soul Stirrers. Rupe produced records that topped the R & B charts throughout the 1950s.
Darlene Love sang lead on the #1 Crystals' song, "He's a Rebel," but is perhaps best known to movie audiences as Trish Murtaugh, Det. Roger Murtaugh's wife in the "Lethal Weapon" series of films starring Danny Glover and Mel Gibson.
Tom Waits' career has covered a gamut of styles from jazz crooner and piano man to music-performance artist, all with a ragged voice that's gotten more ragged as time wears on. He's also appeared as an actor in movies by Francis Ford Coppola, Tony Scott and Robert Altman.
Waits' songs have been recorded by so many different artists that it's difficult to keep track, but here's just a small sample of musicians who have covered him: Bruce Springsteen; Bob Seger; Eagles; Rod Stewart; Scarlett Johansson; 10,000 Maniacs; Violent Femmes.
Leon Russell is being inducted as a sideman (the category is being renamed as the "Award for Recording Excellence"), but he's released many well-respected solo albums. He's also appeared as a session player for just about everyone, including The Byrds. Elton John will do the induction honors for Russell, with whom he collaborated on the album "The Union" in 2010.
Dr. John has five Grammy Awards and a slew of albums under his belt, many featuring his love for Zydeco. His song "Right Place, Wrong Time" may be his best known.
The "Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony" will air on the Fuse network on March 20.