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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Rock acts getting recognition

John Soeder Newhouse News Service

A closer look at the acts being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Monday night:

Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five

Members: Joseph “Grandmaster Flash” Saddler (turntables), Melvin “Melle Mel” Glover (vocals), Nathaniel “Kid Creole” Glover (vocals), Eddie “Scorpio” Morris (vocals), Keith “Cowboy” Wiggins (vocals), Guy “Rahiem” Williams (vocals).

Formed: 1976.

Hometown: New York City.

Claim to fame: Took hip-hop from the mean streets of the Bronx to the rest of the world, thanks to Flash’s wizardry on the wheels of steel and the Five’s eye-opening raps.

Recommended listening: “The Message” and “White Lines.”

R.E.M.

Members: Bill Berry (drums), Peter Buck (guitar), Mike Mills (bass), Michael Stipe (vocals).

Formed: 1980.

Hometown: Athens, Ga.

Claim to fame: Won over the college-radio crowd first, then met with Top 40 success. Berry left the band on good terms 10 years ago, although R.E.M. has soldiered on, creating an uncompromising body of work while constantly branching out beyond their jangly indie-rock roots.

Recommended listening: “Radio Free Europe,” “Losing My Religion,” “Imitation of Life” (avoid “Shiny Happy People” at all costs).

The Ronettes

Members: Estelle Bennett (vocals), Ronnie Spector (vocals), Nedra Talley (vocals).

Formed: 1959.

Hometown: New York City.

Claim to fame: Maybe too much is made of the fact Ronnie Spector used to be married to super-producer Phil Spector. Granted, his “wall-of-sound” productions never sounded better than they did behind this trio from the girl-group heyday. But the Ronettes’ appeal also owed much to Ronnie’s remarkable voice and the sublime backing harmonies of Bennett and Talley.

Recommended listening: “Be My Baby.”

Patti Smith

Born: Dec. 30, 1946.

Hometown: Chicago.

Claim to fame: When she wasn’t writing poetry, she paved the way for punk. Few artists have struck a more compelling balance between the cerebral and the visceral.

Recommended listening: “Gloria,” “Because the Night,” “People Have the Power.”

Van Halen

Members: Michael Anthony (bass), Sammy Hagar (vocals), David Lee Roth (vocals), Alex Van Halen (drums), Eddie Van Halen (guitar).

Formed: 1974.

Hometown: Pasadena, Calif.

Claim to fame: Made hard rock palatable for the masses, with a virtuoso guitarist in Eddie Van Halen and a lovably full-of-himself frontman in Roth, whose departure in 1985 didn’t stop the band from cranking out more hits with Hagar. Given the volatile personalities involved, it’s a wonder they got anything done.

Recommended listening: “Runnin’ with the Devil,” “Jump,” “Why Can’t This Be Love.”