page_title: List of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees
section_title: Award for Musical Excellence
hierarchical_section_title: List of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees / Inductees / Award for Musical Excellence
caption_attribution_description: Leon Russell playing in Fort Lauderdale, FL 20009 Culture Room, Fort Lauderdale, April 3rd, 2009
context_page_description: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, established in 1983 and located in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, is dedicated to recording the history of some of the best-known and most influential musicians, bands, producers, and others that have in some major way influenced the music industry, particularly in the area of rock and roll. Originally, there were four categories of induction: performers, non-performers, early influences, and lifetime achievement. In 2000, "sidemen" was introduced as a category.
  The only category that has seen new inductees every single year is the performers category. Artists become eligible for induction in that category 25 years after the release of their first record. In order to be inducted, an artist must be nominated by a committee that selects a number of candidates, the highest being 16 for the 2020 class. Ballots are then sent to more than 1,000 "rock experts" who evaluate the candidates and vote on who should be inducted. The performers that receive the highest number of votes are inducted. This number varies; for example, seven were inducted in 2019. Starting in 2012, fans could vote on a fan ballot with an equal weight to the other ballots.
context_section_description: Established in 2000 as "Sidemen", the category "honors those musicians, producers and others who have spent their careers out of the spotlight working with major artists on various parts of their recording and live careers". A separate committee, composed mainly of producers, chooses the inductees. In 2010, the category was renamed to the "Award for Musical Excellence". According to Joel Peresman, the president of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, "This award gives us flexibility to dive into some things and recognize some people who might not ordinarily get recognized."
  G. Inducted members: Garry Tallent, Roy Bittan, Max Weinberg, Steven Van Zandt, Nils Lofgren, Patti Scialfa, Clarence Clemons, Danny Federici, Vini Lopez, David Sancious.
caption: Leon Russell, inducted in 2011.
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