15 NAMED TO ROCK HALL OF FAME

Soul singer Aretha Franklin will be the first woman admitted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In a Jan. 21 ceremony in New York, she will be inducted along with 14 other artists: Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, Eddie Cochran, Bo Diddley, Bill Haley, Clyde McPhatter, Ricky Nelson, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins, Joe Turner, Jackie Wilson, the Coasters, Muddy Waters and B.B. King.

The list of inductees was raised from 10 to 15 this year by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation. A requirement for nominees is having released a record more than 25 years ago. The most prominent of the nominees refused this time are Tina Turner and the Supremes.

The first group of artists admitted to the Hall of Fame included Elvis Presley, Sam Cooke, Fats Domino, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, James Brown, Ray Charles, Buddy Holly and the Everly Brothers.