Now the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is REAL.

After 35 years and three nominations, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts will FINALLY be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Saturday, April 18, 2015, at the Cleveland Public Auditorium in Cleveland, Ohio. Tickets go on sale via TicketMaster to the general public on Thursday, December 18 at 10:00 AM ET:

http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/05004D8AC7075AEA

Said Joan of her induction to Rolling Stone:

It’s incredible. I’m very flabbergasted….It’s a culmination of all you’ve dreamed about doing as a musician, reaching people, getting respect from other musicians. It’s incredibly emotional and getting involved in the last year was really stunning and scary and great at the same time. It was an amazing thing to do.

–Read the rest HERE.

She also told Billboard:

It’s a roiling pot of emotions. I’m amazed. I’m happy. I’m honored. I’m flabbergasted. It feels so surreal. It’s kind of still sinking in. When I think about all the musicians in the history of music that have been out there making records and touring, that I get chosen into this elite group of musicians is pretty incredible.

— Read the rest HERE.

And here’s a cool snippet from the Washington Post:

It’s practically impossible to mention Jett and the Blackhearts getting inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame without mentioning “I Love Rock and Roll.” It’s unnatural right. So there, it’s mentioned. But Jett is so much more than one iconic rock anthem, and it bears reminding that she absolutely killed “Smells Like Teen Spirit” performing with the remaining members of Nirvana last year.

The Blackhearts’ lineup has changed so much over the years, that I doubt the Rock Hall will be able to induct all of them by name. Sometimes the Hall sticks to the original lineup of bands and leaves newer members out, like they did with Kiss last year, and other times multiple members are included, like with Blondie in 2006. So while I’m sure that Gary Ryan (bass), Ricky Byrd (guitar), and the late Lee Crystal (drums) will get in, I’m not sure yet about other key players, like Kasim Sulton and the incomparable Thommy Price. My hope is that they at least include Thommy and Kasim since they played on Up Your Alley and “I Hate Myself for Loving You” was an enormous hit. Regardless of how this all shakes out, for most Jettheads, ALL Blackhearts–past, present, and future–belong in the hall in our hearts. 🙂

Official Fan Vote Results:

The Rock Hall loosened up the official fan ballot this year to allow multiple votes, and Jettheads turned out in droves. It took two months of solid voting, with heavy competition from the other nominees’ fans, but we did secure The Blackhearts’ spot on the Rock Hall’s official fan ballot. We got the band to a solid 3rd place with almost 9 million votes! THANK YOU SO MUCH!! (The top 5 won the fan vote, which counted as one ballot overall, included with the other roughly 700 ballots of the Rock Hall voting committee. The Hall does not publish the other voters’ ballots.)

News Articles:

• Guitar Girl Magazine: http://www.guitargirlmag.com/news/byrd-on-the-beat–joan-jett-earns-induction-to-rock—roll-hall-of-fame
• Spin: http://www.spin.com/articles/lou-reed-green-day-joan-jett-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame/
• VH1 Classic: http://www.vh1.com/music/tuner/2014-12-16/rock-hall-of-fame-2015-inductees-announced/
• Ultimate Classic Rock: http://ultimateclassicrock.com/rock-hall-reactions/
• Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/12/16/joan-jett-bill-withers-lou-reed-and-green-day-among-those-to-join-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame/

Twitter Reactions:

YO JETTHEADS, WE DID IT!!!

Joan Jett and Nirvana – “Smells Like Teen Spirit”: