Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to Induct ABBA, 3/15

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced today that ABBA is one of the 2010 artist inductees. ABBA, Swedish's most famous band, has sold more than 370 million records worldwide and inspired a phenomenally popular Broadway musical, Mamma Mia!

This smash-hit musical combines ABBA's greatest hits, including "Dancing Queen," "S.O.S.," "Super Trouper," "Take A Chance on Me" and "The Winner Takes It All," with an enchanting tale of love, laughter and friendship.  On the eve of her wedding, a daughter's quest to discover the identity of her father brings three men from her mother's past back to the island they last visited 20 years ago...

With music & lyrics by Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus, "MAMMA MIA!" is written by Catherine Johnson, directed by Phyllida Lloyd and choreographed by Anthony Van Laast. The production is designed by Mark Thompson with lighting design by Howard Harrison, sound design by Andrew Bruce & Bobby Aitken and musical supervision, additional material & arrangements by Martin Koch.

From West End smash to global phenomenon, "MAMMA MIA!" has already been seen by more than 40 million people in over 200 cities across North America, Australia, Europe and Asia. It has already grossed over $2 billion at the box office worldwide. The original London production opened in 1999 and has grossed £180 million at the UK Box Office. At this point in time, the London production has been seen by over one in ten of the UK population.

Other inductees include Genesis, Jimmy Cliff, The Hollies, and the Stooges. The 2010 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame performer inductees were chosen by over 500 voters of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation.  Artists are eligible for inclusion in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twenty-five years after their first recording is released.

All inductees are ultimately represented in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio.  Through approaches as creative and diverse as the music itself, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum tells the story of rock music with its exhibits, education programs and Library and Archives, which will open to the public in downtown Cleveland in late 2010. 

The induction ceremony will take place on March 15, 2010 at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City and will air live on Fuse, Madison Square Garden's national music television network.  

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation was established 25 years ago by legendary record executive Ahmet Ertegun and a group of music business executives to honor the artists that have defined rock and roll and have inspired and continue to inspire a generation. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is the nonprofit organization that exists to educate visitors, fans and scholars from around the world about the history and continuing significance of rock and roll music. It carries out this mission both through its operation of a world-class museum designed by I.M. Pei in Cleveland, Ohio that collects, preserves, exhibits and interprets this art form and through its library and archives as well as educational programs. For further information, please visit rockhall.com.