December 13, 2000 (Yahoo/Hoopla Media) – 11 new inductees to the Cleveland-based hall of fame were announced in a live presentation Tuesday morning. The induction ceremony, featuring the traditional all-star jam session, will take place March 19 at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York.

Paul Simon was inducted in 1990 as the shorter half of folk-rock duo Simon & Garfunkel. He has been on the ballot as a solo artist (with hits including "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover," "Still Crazy After All These Years" and "Graceland") since 1997. Jackson was inducted in 1997 as part of his flashy family quintet, the Jackson 5. But he's been eligible since 1997 for his solo work, which includes megahits like Thriller, Bad and Dangerous.

"I am thrilled and humbled to receive this great honor," Jackson said. "I could not ask to be in better company than the list of fellow inductees. Each and every one is a master from whom I have learned."

On the rock side, Boston boys Aerosmith will be inducted after having been nominated once before. And across the pond, campy Brit royalty Queen will enter the hall one year after its first nomination. Seventies jazz rockers Steely Dan were picked Tuesday, two years after their first nomination.

Other inductees include...

Ritchie Valens, whose '50s hits include the Latin-influenced "La Bamba" and the weepy ballad, "Donna." His life was cut short by the 1959 plane crash that also killed Buddy Holly and the Big Bopper, later immortalized in the movie La Bamba.

The Flamingos, the Chicago-based doo-wop group who scored a hit in 1959 with "I Only Have Eyes for You."

Solomon Burke, who can kiss off his Susan Lucci curse after getting snubbed eight times. The gospel and soul singer finally got his due Tuesday, honored for work that includes the 1965 hit "Got to Get You Off My Mind" and "Cry to Me."

Pianist/composer Johnnie Johnson is among the 2001 inductees in the "Side-Man" category. As Chuck Berry's bandleader and writing partner for almost 40 years, Johnson has been championed as the true father of rock 'n' roll by Hall of Famers Keith Richards, Eric Clapton and Bob Weir. Criteria considered for induction into this 1999 established category includes the influence and significance of the musician's contribution to the development and perpetuation of rock and roll.

"This is the best Christmas present I could have gotten," enthused Johnson, 76, who is widely recognized as the best blues pianist in the world today. "I'm so happy I could burst. They (Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation) didn't know where to put me for a while. Even though I made up the music to a lot of Chuck's songs, my name wasn't on the records, so I guess because of their rules they couldn't put me in with Chuck. But thanks to all the people who supported me, they came up with this "Side-Man" category last year, and now all of us who weren't famous have a place to go. I'm very thankful for that."

For Johnson and his many supporters, this day has been a long time coming. Since 1995, Johnson has been the subject of an intense and unprecedented campaign by Houston businessman George Turek, who publicly urged the voting members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Nominating Committee to induct Johnson. It is believed that Turek's efforts in part led to the Foundation creating its "Side-Man" category last year. "Johnnie changed the course of music history. I'm ecstatic for him and his family," remarked Turek.

A self-taught player, Johnson tickled the ivories with his patented "Left-hand Boogie" fashion to become half of the first rock 'n' roll writer/performer team in history along with Berry. Together, the duo collaborated on 50+ songs including "Roll Over Beethoven," "No Particular Place To Go," "Rock and Roll Music," and "Sweet Little Sixteen." The inspiration behind the first rock and roll hero, "Johnny B. Goode," Johnson's music has influenced the entire rock pantheon, from Elvis, Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis to the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.

Ironically, the induction comes after Johnson filed a lawsuit against Berry, claiming he cowrote and is entitled to royalties on many early hits.

Also inducted in the side-men category was guitarist James Burton, who became known for his "chicken pickin'" guitar style and worked on records for Elvis Presley, Ricky Nelson and Gram Parsons, among others. Chris Blackwell, the founder of Island Records whose discoveries have included Bob Marley and U2, will be inducted in the non-performer category.

Ballot nominees who didn't make the cut this year include AC/DC, Brenda Lee, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Lou Reed, Bob Seger, New York Dolls and Patti Smith. Ozzy Osbourne also will no doubt be pleased to know that his legendary metal group Black Sabbath was snubbed a fourth time by the Rock Hall. (Last year, the bat-biting metal god demanded his pioneering group be pulled from the running after getting dissed three times.)

Most notable, however, was that no women will be inducted this year, and no first-time nominees made the cut, either.

To be nominated, the 2001 inductees had to have released an album in 1975 or earlier. The nominees are picked by a 70-member committee of rock 'n' roll historians, record company execs and journalists, with ballots then mailed to 1,000 music industry types for the final decision.