December 14, 2001 – Yesterday, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation announced the Inductees for the 17th Annual Induction Ceremony, which will be held in New York on Monday, March 18, 2002. VH1 will air the ceremony at 9:00pm (ET/PT) on March 20, 2002.

This year's honorees represent genres such as Memphis Soul, early Sixties pop, classic rock and the New York punk movement (finally!).

The following performers, listed in alphabetical order, will be inducted:

Isaac Hayes first arrived on the 60's scene in Memphis as the keyboardist for the Mar-Keys, the Stax Records ensemble, where he can be heard on recordings for Otis Redding and William Bell. There Hayes teamed up with David Porter, which led to a string of hits they wrote and produced for other Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees, including Sam & Dave ("Hold on I'm Comin'" and "Soul Man"). This set the stage for Hayes' emergence as a solo artist. He virtually invented the Blaxploitation film score with "Shaft" and constructed a persona that presaged hip-hop's posturing by decades.

Brenda Lee's childhood was pulled out from under her at age 8 when her father died and she was forced to employ her prodigious vocal power as the family breadwinner. By age 12, Brenda Lee was recording for Decca. She was (and is) "Little Miss Dynamite," with an unbroken string of #1 and top 10 chart hits.

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Gainsville Florida's most famous musical native son, has charted more than two dozen singles (and a dozen original studio albums) during his long and productive career with the Heartbreakers, Mike Campbell, Benmont Tench, Ron Blair, Stan Lynch and Howie Epstein. Their hits include "American Girl," "I Need To Know," "Refugee" and "Don't Do Me Like That."

Gene Pitney, one of the golden voices of early 60's rock, amassed scores of hit records while also writing hits as one of the most successful "Brill Building songwriters", including "Hello Mary Lou" for Rick Nelson, "He's A Rebel" by the Crystals and "Rubber Ball" for Bobby Vee. Pitney was among the first to combine country and rock through his numerous duets with the legendary George Jones and also Melba Montgomery.

Ramones, Joey Ramone, Johnny Ramone, Tommy Ramone, Dee Dee Ramone and Marky Ramone, were five guys who adopted the same surname and the same look, and started a band. Inspired by the perfect simple songs of groups like the Beatles, the Kinks and the attitude of the NY Dolls and Iggy Pop, they detested instrumental virtuosity and all things arty. So they invented a sound that was at once reductive, revolutionary alternative and classic. Playing at a velocity that smashed the sound barrier, and fronted by the late and wonderful Joey Ramone, the Ramones toured for 22 years, released 22 albums, and played 2,263. Today the chant "Hey Ho Lets Go" is heard before all home games of the NY Yankees, and their songs are everywhere.

Talking Heads, David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Jerry Harrison and Tina Weymouth, turned punk rock into an art form and were at the very forefront of the new wave of mid-70's music, which spawned the alternative rock movement of the 80's. Not only one of the most critically acclaimed bands of their time, the Talking Heads chalked up several major top 40 hits. Their influence can be seen in scores of bands as diverse as REM, B-52's, Nirvana, Jane's Addiction, Live, Living Colour, Red Hot Chilli Peppers and many more.

The "Non-Performer" inductee is Jim Stewart, who co-founded Stax Records, an independent record label that was synonymous with rhythm and blues and soul music during the 60's and 70's. Stewart's Stax Records virtually created contemporary soul music and had a racially diverse group of black and white musicians and producers that was unprecedented.

The "Side-men" inductee is Chet Atkins, who was one of the most successful guitar players in the history of popular music. Atkins played on recording sessions for Elvis Presley, The Everly Brothers, Hank Williams and numerous Nashville legends, while his playing style influenced such rock legends as George Harrison, Mark Knofler and Eddie Cochran.

Artists become eligible for induction 25 years after the release of their first record. Criteria considered includes the influence and significance of the artist's contribution to the development and perpetuation of rock and roll. Similar criteria are used for the "Non Performer" and "Side-men" category, whose career must have commenced at least 25 years prior to induction. Those eligible for the "Non Performer" category include songwriters, producers, disc jockeys, record company executives (who are mainly related to A&R), recording engineers, managers, journalists and other industry professionals.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation was formed in 1983 and the first induction ceremony was held in 1986. All inductees are represented in the "Hall of Fame," a permanent exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame & Museum, in Cleveland Ohio.