Roll over Beethoven and Tell Tchaikovsky the news!

The class of 2006 is about to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And it’s a rather diverse group of rockers destined for their moment of fame. From metal to punk, new wave to southern rock all the way to progressive jazz, it should be quite the cross section in New York City on March 13th.

One wonders if the folks at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, host for the induction ceremonies, plan on putting away the good china and bringing out the cheap chairs when they get a look at the roster of inductees.

Black Sabbath which was formed in 1968, will take their bows as the lads who brought us Paranoid, Iron Man and Fairies wear boots to name a few, receive the accolades of those who like to rock and shock. At the onset of the days of Sabbath, the music was loud the antics outlandish and the shock value immense, as the era of the peace and love pop songs gave way to an avalanche of guitars and drums and of course Ozzy.

The Sex Pistols, the UK quartet that put the fear of anarchy into the Margaret Thatcher era, will be recognized for their achievements in the late seventies, they and they alone took a disjointed punk movement of the time and gave it a platform, paving the way for other shift change musicians like the Clash and the Ramones to push their way onto the stage and change music forever. When Never Mind the Bollocks, here’s the Sex Pistols was released it was one of those events of rock history, that defined a change of guard for the industry. Indicative of the excess of the era, their time in the spotlight was short (as was the life of Sid Vicious) greeted by equal parts of glee and horror at what would unfold

Blondie took advantage of the groundwork laid by the punk movement and took the music into the mainstream. The album Parallel lines defined the impact of the band that mixed the early days of punk with the soon to explode disco era, fronted by the luscious Deborah Harry the Blondie machine ruled the New Wave waves for most of its ride in the eighties.

Lynyrd Skynyrd defined the southern rock sound of the seventies, their answer to Neil Young’s Southern Man was Sweet Home Alabama, which to this day the unofficial anthem for southern rockers everywhere. At one time in the seventies you could not turn on an FM rock station and not hear Skynyrd's Freebird, the song featured guitar licks that were the homework of many a garage band in the seventies.

Miles Davis will get the nod of the hall in March based on a lifetime of change in his concept of where music is, was and should go. Over the years he’s been a chameleon in his musical output. Davis put his soul out for six decades covering every era of musical change and style, from soul to funk, jazz to hip hop Davis was the conductor of change and godfather to many of today’s musical stars.

Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss will be recognized for their contributions to rock in the Non Performer Category, receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award for their long time work in giving new artists a place to record and distribute their music. The roster of bands that got their start thanks to A & M include the Police, Supertramp and Peter Frampton to name a few.

About 700 International Rock experts were provided with ballots of nomination for the 2006 induction year and cast their votes for the fortunate five. The induction takes place in New York City but the memorabilia and permanent tributes will be placed in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio. The shrine and hands on destination for Rock and Roll the world over.