The official 2018 class for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was announced this morning.

As in years past, the class comprises five performers who have firmly established themselves as major influences on the sound and evolution of rock and roll, and one singer whose career is notable for its early influence on the development of proto-rock sounds like country, folk, and blues into what we now call rock and roll.

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Making up the performers class are GRAMMY-winning hair-metal mainstays Bon Jovi, new wave/power-pop quartet the Cars, rootsy pub rockers Dire Straits, progressive R&B-influenced art rockers the Moody Blues, and influential folk-club gospel goddess Nina Simone.

Sister Rosetta Tharpe — known as the "godmother of rock and rock and roll" and "the original soul sister" for her role in inspiring the early sounds of artists such as Little Richard, Johnny Cash, Chuck Berry, and others — has been selected to posthumously receive the Rock Hall's 2018 Award for Early Influence. She has two recordings inducted into the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame: "This Train" and "Strange Things Happening Every Day."

The 33rd annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place on Sunday, April 12, 2018, at the Rock Hall in Cleveland. Ticket sales information will be released in early January, and a premiere date for the official HBO taped broadcast of the event is expected to be announced in early 2018.

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