Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2016: Chicago, Deep Purple, N.W.A. to be inducted

California rap group N.W.A., British metal band Deep Purple and rock-pop group Chicago are among the musicians chosen to join the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016, organizers announced on Thursday.

Singer Steve Miller, who crosses multiple genres from blues to pop, and 1970s rock band Cheap Trick will round out the five 2016 inductees, which were chosen by fans and more than 800 voters of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation.

Artists are eligible for inclusion in the Cleveland, Ohio-based Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25 years after the release of their first recording.

Pop singer Janet Jackson, English progressive rock band Yes and Britain's The Smiths were among those on the short list but who failed to make the cut this time.

N.W.A.

N.W.A., formed by five rappers including Dr Dre and Eazy-E in the troubled Compton neighbourhood of Los Angeles, revolutionized the music scene in the mid 1980s with lyrics drawn from the violence, crime and anti-police sentiments that the rappers themselves experienced growing up. They went on to sell more than 100 million albums and their story was chronicled in this summer's hit movie Straight Outta Compton, which has been nominated for a Screen Actors Guild award.

Deep Purple

Deep Purple, formed in England in 1968, are regarded as heavy metal pioneers thanks to their ear-splitting live shows, ground-breaking albums and classic rock radio staples Hush and Smoke On The Water, the latter song including one of the most recognizable guitar riffs in the genre.

The band has had numerous lineup changes through the years, with drummer Ian Paice the only member since the group's inclusion. Paice, Ritchie Blackmore, David Coverdale, Rod Evans, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Glenn Hughes and Jon Lord will be the members of the band to be enshrined, according to Rolling Stone.

Cheap Trick

Cheap Trick "display a musical consistency over almost 40 years," Hall of Fame organizers said in a statement. The Illinois band was a cult favourite until their Cheap Trick at Budokan and Dream Police releases launched them into the mainstream in 1979 with hits like Surrender and I Want You To Want Me. They topped the charts in 1988 with the power ballad The Flame.

Steve Miller

Miller, 72, moved from blues to pop and back again. He emerged from the San Francisco scene in the 1960s making album-oriented music. His greatest hit-making run began in 1973, with The Joker, followed by songs later the decade such as Fly Like an Eagle, Rock 'N' Me, Take the Money and Run and 1982's Abracadabra.

Chicago

Chicago, who broke onto the music scene in the late 1960s, fused jazz and rock. Their first major release produced favourites such as Does Anybody Really Know What Time It is? and Beginnings, and hits followed in ensuing years with 25 or 6 to 4, Saturday In The Park and the romantic ballad If You Leave Me Now.

The 2016 induction ceremony will be held in New York on April 8, and broadcast later in the year in the U.S. on cable channel HBO.