2018 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class Announced: Inductees Include Bon Jovi and Dire Straits

The 2018 inductees for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame include a trio of '80s legends: Bon Jovi, Dire Straits and the Cars

The 2018 inductees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame were announced Wednesday morning, and this year’s class includes a trio of ’80s legends: Bon Jovi, Dire Straits and The Cars. Also included this year are progressive rock icons the Moody Blues and the late jazz/soul songstress Nina Simone.

Additionally, rock pioneer Sister Rosetta Tharpe will earn a special honor, the Award for Early Influence, to recognize her contributions to the nascent genre.

Perhaps the biggest question surrounding the upcoming Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony is whether or not it will bring estranged Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora back into the fold. Sambora abruptly left the group in 2013 while in the midst of their Because We Can tour, but odds are certainly in favor of a reunion. During the nomination process earlier this fall, the 58-year-old ax-man told Billboard that he would “of course” play with former songwriting partner Jon Bon Jovi and the rest of the band at the induction ceremony in April.

Portrait Of Bon Jovi
Paul Natkin/Getty

“There’s not a lot of malice there, you know,” Sambora told the outlet. “I mean, there’s just — it was just time for me to leave at that point. So yeah, of course.”

The 33rd Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, presented by Klipsch Audio, will take place on Saturday, April 14, 2018 at Public Auditorium in Cleveland, OH. HBO will broadcast the ceremony in spring 2018.

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