metallica immortalized in Rock hall of fame

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame gave fans a trip through modern music history on Saturday, inducting a variety of performers into its ranks from "Queen of Rockabilly" Wanda Jackson to rappers Run-D.M.C and rockers Metallica.

The climax for the Hall of Fame's induction ceremony came when Metallica, whose hits include "Enter Sandman," took the stage to play a medley of their hit songs. Two of the group's bassists, Jason Newsted and Robert Trujillo, jammed together.

Singer James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich hugged onstage after giving speeches, and both thanked fans who have followed the band through its ups-and-downs that included the death of first bassist Cliff Burton in 1986.

"Dream big and dare to fail," Hetfield said to the audience. "I dare you to do that, because this (Metallica's success) is living proof that it is possible to make a dream come true."

The Rock Hall of Fame began naming new inductees in 1986 and opened its doors in Cleveland in 1995. In recent years, the induction ceremony has been held in New York City, but it moved back to Cleveland for the 2009 version.

Metallica got their start in the 1980s and made their mark with albums like 1986's "Master of Puppets" and 1991's self-titled "Metallica," which proved to be a smash hit.

But their influence extended beyond just making music. In the early 2000s, Metallica sued song-sharing website Napster, alleging copyright infringement. Eventually their battle led to legal downloads and the rise of sites like Apple's iTunes.

The heavy metal group was only one of many bands and performers to whom the rock museum paid tribute on Saturday.

Run-D.M.C. -- composed of rappers Joseph "DJ Run" Simmons and Darryl "D.M.C." McDaniels, as well as Jason "Jam-Master Jay" Mizell spinning records on two turntables -- helped usher rap music and hip hop into mainstream pop culture with hit albums like 1986's "Raising Hell."

That album featured the lead single "Walk This Way," a cover of the classic Aerosmith song of the same name that fused rap and rock and thrilled fans of both genres.

Simmons, McDaniels and Mizell, who was shot and killed in 2002, were inducted into the Hall of Fame by rapper Eminem, who said he first heard them at age 11.

Run-D.M.C. was "something fresh, something tough, something dangerous and something unique. Two turntables and a microphone," said Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Mathers.

Inductees on Saturday night stemmed from the roots of rock and roll, embodied by Wanda Jackson, who got her start playing alongside Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash, to classic rocker Jeff Beck, who was inducted by Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page.

Soul singer Bobby Womack received his key to the Hall from Rolling Stone guitarist Ron Wood, and Motown legend Smokey Robinson welcomed his friends, Little Anthony & The Imperials, into the ranks of modern music legends.

Inductees are picked by 600 voters from a pool of performers who are eligible 25 years after their first record was released. Being named to the Hall of Fame is considered a great honor among rock musicians from the 1950s onward.

Joan Jett the cherry bomb

Joan jett has been writing great rock music since she penned "Cherry Bomb" at 15 years old on the Runaways' debut LP, insisted on testing herself anew on SINNER. "If anything, the lyrical content might be expanding", she explains " it's not all about falling in or out of love."

For example, there is "Naked". "I think everyone's first image of the word "naked" is about being physically naked, and this isn't that at all. This is about introspection. This is a very lonely song in a sense. I think it's kind of cool to go inside and figure out what's behind the emotions of what makes people who they are. It can be scary to think about it all".

The album kicks off with "Riddles" and pulls no punches.

"Five" is about the tabloids.

At only 17, Joan was headlining clubs like CBGBs with bands such as Tom Petty, Talking Heads, Television and Cheap Trick opening up for her, and she later toured with the Ramones. Joan has since worked with Bikini Kill, Peaches, Ian MacKaye of Fugazi, Lars Fredrickson of Rancid, Bratmobile, L7, The Gits, The Replacements' Paul Westerberg, The Sex Pistols and Blondie among others. Joan produced G.I., the lone album of the seminal L.A. punk act, The Germs.

About her Sirius radio show, "That's been interesting, and different. I never aspired to it, I'm really kind of shy, so for me to get on the radio and talk, I had to build up to it. But I'm having a good time, and I get to turn people on to different things!"

Another is her ongoing acting career. She's appeared in movies like Light of Day (with Michael J. Fox and Gena Rowlands), the indie films Boogie Boy and The Sweet Life (she and her Blackhearts sing the title song) and was actually killed in an on-screen karate fight with martial-arts legend Chuck Norris. On Broadway, Joan was in the original cast of The Rocky Horror Show. "I wanted to be an actress before I wanted to play the guitar!"

One of Joan Jett's proudest accomplishments is the 25th anniversary of her record label, Blackheart Records. This company was forged during the trials and tribulations of trying to get a record deal after The Runaways, and she was rejected by every label out there....28 to be exact. Believing in themselves, Joan and her long-time songwriting partner and producer, Kenny Laguna, decided to be the masters of their own fates and pressed the records up and sold them out of the trunk of Kenny's car. It was almost immediately that they had a hit on their hands, and the company has not only survived, but flourished, in a volatile record industry.

In addition to Joan's long awaited CD, Joan and Kenny produced The Vacancies, a punk group from Cleveland. That Blackheart release A Beat Missing Or A Silence Added, has gone Top 20 on the college charts. The Eyeliners, a pop/punk band from Albuquerque, released No Apologies on Blackheart. Since the Warped tour, The Dollyrots, a pop punk band from LA and Girl in a Coma, indie rock band from San Antonio, have joined the roster. The Dollyrots, Girl in a Coma, and The Vacancies all have upcoming release this Spring/Summer.

Jett stands at a point in her life where she can appreciate her past and longevity, but still look towards the future. It is an exciting time. "I went to a school reunion in Maryland not long ago and some people reminded me I had said I was going to go to California to become a rock n roll star! I hadn't remembered that I had focused on it that early!!! To say that as a kid and actually do it is pretty cool. It just goes to show you that if you can believe in yourself, if you're lucky and have the right timing, you have a shot. I'm an example of what can be, if you don't give up!