The 2009 Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame inductees have been announced. Besides the already mentioned induction of Bill Black into the Sidemen Category Elvis' one time girlfriend and who on tour often shared the bill with Elvis Presley (he encouraged her to sing rockabilly) will be inducted into the Early Influences category.
The 2009 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame performer inductees were chosen by the 600 voters of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation. Artists are eligible for inclusion in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twenty-five years after their first recording is released.
On April 4, 2009, the Induction Ceremony will take place in Cleveland for the first time since 1997. The 2009 Induction Ceremony will be broadcast live on Fuse TV.
Bill Black
Bill Black is best known as the bassist for Elvis Presley. Black played double bass on early Presley recordings including “Good Rockin’ Tonight”, “Heartbreak Hotel”, “Baby Let’s Play House”, “Mystery Train”, “That’s All Right” (Mama), “Hound Dog”; and eventually became one of the first bass players to use the Fender Precision Bass guitar in popular music on “Jailhouse Rock” in the late 1950’s. Black’s bass playing had an extraordinary impact on rock and roll bass playing, influencing many players including Paul McCartney. Afterward, he formed the Bill Black Combo and scored numerous instrumental hits during the late 1950’s and 1960’s.
D.J. Fontana
D. J. Fontana is best known as the drummer for Elvis Presley for 14 years. Fontana, joined a band consisting of Scotty Moore (lead guitar), Bill Black (bass) and Elvis Presley (rhythm guitar), calling themselves “The Blue Moon Boys”. The band would perform and record the vast majority of the Elvis Presley hits of the 50’s including “Heartbreak Hotel”, “Hound Dog”, “Don’t Be Cruel”, and “Jailhouse Rock”. The band also toured extensively and performed on several television appearances through 1956 and 1957. His drumming built the foundation of rock and roll percussion influencing future players such as Ringo Starr, Charlie Watts and Max Weinberg.
Wanda Jackson
Wanda Jackson is an American rockabilly and country music singer who began recording in the mid-50s. She was one of the first female rockabilly singers to come to popularity during the 1950s. Jackson began her professional career while she was still in high school after being discovered by Hank Thompson in 1954. She mixed regular country music material with fast-moving rockabilly music, often cutting each side of a record with a different type of music. In the mid-1960s, Jackson moved to a successful career in country music, having a string of hits between 1966 and 1973, including, “Tears Will Be the Chaser for Your Wine,” “The Box it Came in,” “My Big Iron Skillet,” and “Fancy Satin Pillows.”