The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame have announced next year’s inductees: Guns N’ Roses, Beastie Boys, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Donovan, Laura Nyro, and the Faces/Small Faces will join the prestigious Rock Hall in an induction ceremony set to air on HBO in April of 2012. Also included in the honors will be producing legends Glyn Johns (who produced one of our favorite albums of the year, Ashes & Fire), studio recording pioneer Tom Dowd, and Cosimo Matassa. Meanwhile, bluesman Freddie King will be honored for his iconic role in the history of rock and legendary Monkees manager Don Kirshner will be given the Ahmet Ertegun Award.
All in all, the 2012 honorees aren’t too surprising, though it’s a shame that the Cure were left off, in our opinion. The big question that springs to mind as we anticipate the big event: will Slash and Axl Rose reunite for the Guns N’ Roses induction? They’ve had a contentious and, at times, litigious relationship ever since they split in the ’90s, but here’s hoping that iconic vocals/guitar duo can bury the hatchet… at least for one night.