Baez Among the 2017 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees

Joan Baez is celebrating a special feat…

The 75-year-old Mexican American folk singer, songwriter, musician, and activist will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Joan Baez

Baez, a first-time nominee, will be joined by Pearl Jam, JourneyElectric Light OrchestraTupac Shakur and Yes as the shrine’s 2017 inductees.

Baez, whose contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest or social justice, began her recording career in 1960 and achieved immediate success. Her first three albums, Joan BaezJoan Baez, Vol. 2, and Joan Baez in Concert all achieved gold record status and stayed on the Billboard and other record album charts for two years.

Her songs of acclaim include “Diamonds & Rust” and covers of Phil Ochs‘ “There but for Fortune” and The Band‘s “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down“. She is also known for “Farewell, Angelina“, “Love Is Just a Four-Letter Word“, “Forever Young“,”Joe Hill“, “Sweet Sir Galahad” and “We Shall Overcome.”

Joan Baez

Baez, who performed three songs at the 1969 Woodstock Festival, has displayed a lifelong commitment to political and social activism in the fields of nonviolence, civil rights, human rights and the environment.

“I never considered myself to be a rock and roll artist,” said Baez, who received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007 and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2011, in a statement. “But as part of the folk music boom which contributed to and influenced the rock revolution of the 60’s, I am proud that some of the songs I sang made their way into the rock lexicon. I very much appreciate this honor and acknowledgement by the Hall of Fame.”

The 32nd annual Rock Hall induction ceremony will take place on April 7 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. SiriusXM will broadcast the ceremony live and it will again be filmed for a later telecast on HBO.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame + Museum in Cleveland will open a special exhibit on March 30 to honor the 2017 inductees.

Navarro & His Jane’s Addiction Band Mates Earn First Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Nomination

Dave Navarro is celebrating a special first…

The 49-year-old Mexican American guitarist and his Jane’s Addiction band mates have earned their first-ever Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nomination.

Dave Navarro & Jane's Addiction

“We’re super excited, but it’s hard to talk about because it’s a nomination. The jury’s still out,” Navarro tells Billboard. “Of course it’s very much an honor and we’d love to be in the Hall, but we don’t want to jinx it. We’re a three-time Grammy-nominated band that has never won the Grammy, and here we are now with another nomination. It’s hard to pull the trigger of excitement just yet, but we’re secretly psyched to be nominated.”

The quartet recently wrapped its Sterling Spoon Anniversary Tour, celebrating its sophomore album, Ritual de lo habitualand the 25th anniversary of Lollapalooza.

They’re one of 19 acts nominated for the Rock Hall’s Class of 2017. And if anyone can feel like a winner just being nominated, Navarro sounds like he means it.

“The company we’re in, it’s pretty spectacular,” he says. “They’re all bands that I either grew up with or grew up listening to. So it’s a pretty big deal for me to see the MC5, the Cars, Journey, Pearl Jam and Jane’s Addiction all being mentioned. It’s pretty surreal. And ELO, I think that’s a slam-dunk. I don’t think they should even bother nominating ELO, they should just be in and let everyone figure out who else gets in. So it’s all pretty hard to digest, to be honest with you. To be considered one of those bands just makes me want to cry.”

While Jane’s Addiction waits for the early December announcement of the Rock Hall’s five inductees, the group is releasing a Sterling Spoon vinyl box set on October 21, whose six LPs include a set of rarities as well as a live show from 1990. The group also filmed its Sterling Spoon Tour finale on September 23 at Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre for a concert film whose release date has not yet been determined.

The 2017 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees were announced on Tuesday (Oct. 18) and saw first-time nominations for artists such as Electric Light OrchestraTupac Shakur and Pearl Jam, while artists like ChicChaka Khan and J. Geils Band returned to the list of finalists with hopes of finally entering the elite Hall in 2017.

The CW Developing Gonzalez’s Latino-Themed Drama Project “Casa”

Ed Gonzalez is coming home to The CW

Warner Bros Television and producer Greg Berlanti are developing the drama project Casa, which was co-penned by the Mexican American writer, for the network.

Ed Gonzalez

Written by Gonzalez and Jeremy Haft, the series will touch on the hot-button issue of immigration.

Casa centers on six siblings in a Hispanic family who have to band together to survive when their parents get unjustly deported.

Writing partners Gonzalez and Haft got a break when they were selected as the 2014 Fox Writers Intensive Fellows, leading to a script development deal with Fox Broadcasting Co and 20th Century Fox Television and a staffing job on the first season of the hit Fox drama Empire.

The CW has scored high marks for its depiction of illegal immigration and its toll on families in dramedy Jane the Virgin.

Gonzalez & Haft recently wrote the feature film All Eyez On Me, a biopic directed by Benny Boom about Tupac Shakur for Morgan Creek Productions.

Maná Confirmed to Receive Hollywood Walk of Fame Star in 2014

They’re stars in their native Mexico and Latin America… And, now Maná will now get the ultimate star in Hollywood.

As previously reported, the Mexican rock band has been confirmed as a recipient of a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame next year.

Mana

The band, which was formed in 1986, has sold an estimated 35 million albums worldwide. They initially received international commercial success in Australia and Spain and have since gained popularity and exposure in the US, Western Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

Maná joins Katy Perry, rapper Tupac Shakur and comedian Phil Hartman as honored on the Walk of Fame, which recognizes professionals in film, television, radio and recording industries.

For motion pictures, Orlando Bloom, Ray Dolby, Sally Field, Jessica Lange, Matthew McConaughey, Liam Neeson and Tom Sherak will be recognized.

In television, Dabney Coleman, Kaley Cuoco, Claire Danes, Giancarlo Esposito, Deidre Hall, Cheryl Hines, Don Mischer and Tavis Smiley will be the recipients.

Motown songwriters and producers Holland-Dozier-Holland, Jeff Lynne, Mexican band Mana, Ray Parker Jr., Katy Perry, Rick Springfield.

“We have a great mix of celebrities and industry executives who have made Hollywood what it is today — one of the greatest entertainment destinations in the world,” said David Green, chairman of the Walk of Fame selection committee. “The new selections will bring great joy and fond memories for those millions who visit Hollywood each year!”

Dates for the Walk of Fame ceremonies have not been scheduled. Honorees have up to five years to schedule their ceremonies from date of selection, otherwise they will expire.