U2 is headed to the Hall of Fame

U2, the Irish rock band that for more than two decades has woven commercial success and critical acclaim into a high-minded career, will lead the 2005 class of inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The quartet will be joined by the rock band the Pretenders, Chicago bluesman Buddy Guy, soul singer Percy Sledge and the R&B; vocal group the O’Jays.

The hall’s voters passed on one finalist who would have been noteworthy: Grandmaster Flash would have been the first hip-hop act to join the gallery.

Artists become eligible for induction 25 years after the release of their first record. U2’s induction in its first year of eligibility is no surprise, and it comes with the band enjoying a high profile, with a hit album in stores (“How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb”), a world tour on tap for 2005 and plenty of TV exposure through an Apple iPod commercial channeling its single “Vertigo.”

The induction ceremony will be held March 14 in New York.