Jay-Z, Vedder, Richards Among Rock Hall Inducters

[Damien J.]

Several superstar artists have signed on to induct artists into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at a March 12 ceremony in New York. Jay-Z will induct Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, while Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder will induct R.E.M. and the Rolling Stones' Keith Richards will usher in the Ronettes. Patti Smith will be inducted by reclusive Rage Against The Machine vocalist Zach de la Rocha.

In what will be the evening's most anticipated induction, Velvet Revolver will introduce Van Halen, whose summer tour with original vocalist David Lee Roth collapsed last week. The group's camp has yet to make any statement about which members, if any, will attend the event; it is understood that Velvet Revolver will perform live in Van Halen's place.

Also, Aretha Franklin will perform as a tribute to the late Ahmet Ertegun, who served as the Chairman of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation and spoke at the beginning of each annual induction ceremony.

In a first, VH1 Classic will air the induction ceremony live.

This report is provided by Billboard.com