2015 Rock Hall of Fame: Green Day, Joan Jett, Bill Withers lead list of inductees

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced an eclectic group of artists to be inducted into the 2015 class early Tuesday, including Green Day, Joan Jett, and Bill Withers.

Green Day, led by singer Billie Joe Armstrong are the most modern of all the inductees, going in on their first year of eligibility. The band found massive success with 1994's Dookie, and were critically hailed a decade later for the release American Idiot.

Jett and Withers, by contrast, have waited some time for the honour.

Jett was a member of the all-teen female group The Runaways in the 1970s, and enjoyed smashes with backing band The Blackhearts the next decade with I Love Rock 'n' Roll and I Hate Myself For Loving You.

Withers emerged in the early 1970s, blending singer-songwriter appeal with. He wrote or co-wrote his biggest hits, which include Lean on Me, Ain't No Sunshine, and Lovely Day.

Lou Reed and Ringo Starr will be inducted for their solo work, which sees them join 19 other artists who've gone into the hall on at least two occasions. That list includes Starr's bandmates in The Beatles — Paul McCartney, John Lennon and George Harrison.

The drummer of The Beatles, who were inducted in 1988, followed that band's seismic influence on rock music with a solid solo career that produced 1970s hits It Don't Come Easy and Photograph.

Reed, who died two years ago, was inducted in 1996 as a part of pioneering group The Velvet Underground. He's now being recognized for a three-decade solo career, which included popular songs Walk on the Wild Side and Perfect Day, and heralded long players Street Hassle and New York.

Late blues artists recognized

The roster for next year's ceremony on April 15 in Cleveland will undoubtedly include some artists paying tribute, as many of Tuesday's choices are posthumous honours.

That includes Reed, the front men of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble and The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, and members of the doo wop group The "5" Royales, inducted under the Early Influence category.

Vaughan was killed in a 1990 helicopter crash after releasing influential albums Texas Flood and Couldn't Stand The Weather, which were marked by guitar wizardry influenced by the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Albert King, among others.

Featuring late guitarist Mike Bloomfield, the Paul Butterfield Blues Band mixed original songs and blues covers on a string of 1960s releases. Butterfield, who died of an accidental drug overdose in 1987, sang and is considered by many to be one of the best ever blues harmonica players.

The "5" Royales recorded gospel and doo wop sides in the 1950s, including songs that would be covered through the years such as Dedicated To The One I Love and Think.

Artists considered for this year but left out included:

• Chic.
• Kraftwerk.
• The Marvelettes.
• N.W.A.
• Nine Inch Nails.
• The Smiths.
• The Spinners.
• Sting.

It was the ninth time Chic has been put up for nomination.

Sting, meanwhile, is already in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Police, who were inducted in 2003.