Whitney Houston, Nine Inch Nails and Doobie Brothers join Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020

Whitney Houston will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year alongside some big names, but critics say the institution is still an old boys’ club.

Pop diva Whitney Houston, industrial rock outliers Nine Inch Nail and soft rock heroes Doobie Brothers are among the Class of 2020 to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Rounding out the roll call of this year’s inductees are goth synth-pop band Depeche Mode, 70s glam rockers T-Rex and the late great rapper Notorious B.I.G.

Whitney Houston is the only female artist to be inducted to the Hall of Fame in 2020. Picture: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images.

The eclectic list of artists reflects the Hall of Fame’s efforts to bring pop, rap and other genres into the rock’n’roll tent.

Trent Reznor, frontman of Nine Inch Nails and Oscar-winning film composer, told Rolling Stone he was “pretty freaked out” after the announcement.

Oscar winning rocker Trent Reznor was surprised Nine Inch Nails made the cut. Picture: News Corp Australia.

“I’m actually quite surprised,” Reznor said. “When I look back at how Nine Inch Nails are received, it always seems like we fall between the cracks or we’re not in this category or ‘that thing’.

“I don’t know if it’s a defence mechanism, but I just assumed we’d stay in that category, so I’m pleasantly surprised to see us acknowledged. It feels pretty good.”

The Doobie Brothers will be reunited for the Hall of Fame ceremony. Picture: Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP.

The Doobie Brothers’ Michael McDonald welcomed the genre diversity of the 2020 list of inductees.

“Each of those bands has helped shape the form that rock’n’roll has taken over the years. That’s what I like to see the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame do: pick those bands that have sculpted what we see rock’n’roll as today,” he said.

English synth rock act Depeche Mode get in this year. Picture: AP Photo/Charles Sykes.

But many fans and critics believe the Hall of Fame’s voting academy of more than 600 artists, industry executives and music historians haven’t gone far enough in their attempt to be more inclusive.

Janet Jackson, who was inducted last year, made a point of calling out the organisation’s glacial pace in bringing more female artists into the Hall of Fame.

“2020 — please induct more women,” she said in her acceptance speech.

But the voters clearly weren’t listening.

Pat Benatar was on the long list of eligible artists for the Class of 2020.

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The late rapper Notorious B.I.G. will be inducted on May 2.

She was the first female rock artist to have a video broadcast on MTV when it launched in 1981; her You Better Run clip was the second ever aired on the network and she has sold more than 30 million records worldwide.

Rufus featuring the soul-voiced legend Chaka Khan were also among the 16 acts on the long list who didn’t get the votes.

Women make up only eight per cent of the Hall of Fame honours list.

The lack of gender equality in the Hall of Fame prompted NPR’s respected music critic Ann Powers to publish a list of more than 40 female artists who are eligible but so far ignored by the voting academy.

The genre-busting list featured superstars including Carole King, Barbra Streisand, Dolly Parton, Karen Carpenter, Carly Simon, The Runaways, Kate Bush, Mariah Carey, Kylie Minogue, Sheryl Crow and the Eurythmics.

The induction ceremony will be held on May 2.

Originally published as Whitney Houston, Nine Inch Nails and Doobie Brothers join Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020