Rock n Roll Hall of Fame 2015 Class Includes Lou Reed, Ringo Starr, Joan Jett, Green Day and More

By Casey Morada - 17 Dec '14 12:20PM

Lou Reed, Ringo Starr, Joan Jett and Green Day are among the honored musicians included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2015 Class. Next year's inductees also include Bill Withers, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. 1950s R&B group the "5" Royales will receive the Early Influence Award.

Lou Reed, who died in October 2013, was previously inducted as a member of the Velvet Underground in 1996, reported The Times of India.

Starr will be given the Award For Musical Excellence. He was inducted as part of The Beatles in 1988, though his three other bandmates have since entered the Hall of Fame as solo artists, Rolling Stone reported.

"This means recognition to me," he says. "And it means, finally, the four of us are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame even though we were the biggest pop group in the land. You know that won't look funny in black and white."

Jett, whose classic "I Love Rock and Roll" speaks to what a lot of them have dedicated their lives to, is equally ecstatic with being honored in the Hall of Fame.

"It's surreal and very humbling," she says. "It's a culmination of all you've dreamed about doing as a musician. I've always been hopeful [that I'd get in] because I think it's an incredible acknowledgment. I'm very proud to be with all these great musicians. It's going to take a few minutes to sink in before I see how I really feel about it."

Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong said on entering the institution on their first year of eligibility: "I had to go for a walk when I heard the news. We're in incredible company and I'm still trying to make sense of this. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has always held something special for me because my heroes were in there. This is a great time for us to sort of reflect and look back with gratitude."

Artists are eligible for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25 years after the release of their first album or single, according to Rolling Stone.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2015 induction ceremony will be held at Cleveland's Public Hall on April 18, 2015.