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U2, Pretenders, Buddy Guy among 2005 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Inductees and Tommy is Celebrated in April

The twentieth annual induction ceremony for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame took place at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York City on March 14, 2004, with an edited ceremony aired on VH-1 on Saturday, March 19.

The inductees to for 2005 celebrated and performed. They included blues guitarist Buddy Guy, soul vocalist Percy Sledge, the soulful O'Jays, the modern rock Pretenders and the still-kicking anthem-makers U2.

Frank Barsalona, credited with creating the first big rock 'n' roll booking agency, and Sire Records founder Seymour Stein were inducted in the nonperformer category.

Musicians, industry professionals and journalists vote on the inductees. Hall of fame members are permanently enshrined in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which is in Cleveland.

A new exhibit, "TOMMY: The Amazing Journey," will be launched by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum on April 7, which will remain on display until March 2006.

As one of the earliest and most important rock operas, Tommy has had many incarnations, including an album, movie (starring the Who, Ann-Margaret, Oliver Reed, and Jack Nicholson and appearances by Eric Clapton, Tina Turner and Elton John), soundtrack, a Broadway musical (1992) as well as an orchestral version and a ballet interpretation. Conceived and primarily written by The Who's Pete Townshend, Tommy was released in 1969. March 18, 2005 marks the 30th anniversary of the motion pictures version of Tommy, directed by Ken Russell.

"The Who are one of the great bands in rock and roll history, and Tommy is one of their greatest works," said Jim Henke, the museum's vice president of exhibitions and curatorial affairs. "We have worked closely with Pete Townshend, who created Tommy, and the result is a comprehensive look at the first rock opera."

The exhibition features Townshend's handwritten manuscripts and production notes as well as costumes, instruments, posters and other artifacts from the numerous incarnations of Tommy.