The “5” Royales started playing standards in the 1940s and grew into a genre-blending outfit of jazz, gospel and blues. Their music has been covered by Mick Jagger, Eric Clapton, James Brown, Ray Charles and the Mamas and the Papas, but it was the “5” Royales that made it all possible.The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has announced its new class of inductees for 2015. Here’s a refresher on the music acts who were nominated for the honor, starting with Green Day. The band, which started out as some East Bay punks, mocked the world on such 1990s albums as “Dookie” and “Insomniac”Joan Jett and the Blackhearts hit the big time with 1981’s “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll.”The smooth-voiced Bill Withers broke out with the hit single “Ain’t No Sunshine” in 1971 and the classic album “Still Bill” the next year, with such hits as “Lean on Me” and “Use Me.”The Chicago-based Paul Butterfield Blues Band took rock ‘n’ roll back to its roots while adding elements of jazz and psychedelia, particularly in its landmark 1966 album, “East-West.”Texas bluesman Stevie Ray Vaughan entered the pantheon of guitar heroes with such albums as “Texas Flood” and “Couldn’t Stand the Weather.”Lou Reed’s band, the Velvet Underground, was inducted into the Hall in 1996. As a soloist, Reed’s works include the song “Walk on the Wild Side” and the album “The Blue Mask.”Former Beatle Ringo Starr will be inducted for Musical Excellence, as the drummer’s illustrious career has spanned over 50 years. Starr gave us such notable drum fills on “Ticket ot Ride” and “A Day in the Life.” (Photo by Rob Shanahan)
