Queen crowned in hall of fame

Queen frontman Freddie Mercury died in 1991

British rock band Queen has been given pride of place in the rock and roll Hall of Fame almost 10 years after the death of lead singer Freddie Mercury.

The band are part of a group of eight artists to be included in the US hall of fame for 2001.

Michael Jackson is one of the world's biggest pop stars

Rock band Aerosmith, singer/songwriter Paul Simon and singer/songwriter Michael Jackson were among those also honoured.

The hall of fame was started in 1983 and more than 200 legendary performers and non-performers, such as Beatles' producer George Martin, have been included in the roll of honour.

Artists become eligible for induction 25 years after the release of their first record.

An international voting body of 1,000 rock experts decide who is entered there. Many are nominated but not all are successful.

Aerosmith: Joining the honoured ranks

Lou Reed, AC/DC and Patti Smith were among those who were nominated but failed to be inducted for the 2001 hall of fame.

The successful artists this year, who also included R&B legend Solomon Burke, doo-wop combo the Flamingos, duo Steely Dan and the late pop pioneer Ritchie Valens, will be officially included in the hall of fame at a ceremony in New York in March.

Organisers will also honour entertainment mogul Chris Blackwell, founder of Island Records, as a non-performer inductee while Elvis Presley's guitarist, James Burton, and Chuck Berry's pianist, Johnnie Johnson, will be feted as sidemen inductees.

I am thrilled and humbled to receive this great honour

Michael Jackson

Both Paul Simon and Michael Jackson are already in the Hall of Fame, as members of folk duo Simon and Garfunkel and pop group the Jackson 5, respectively.

Simon is being honoured for such solo efforts as his landmark Graceland album, while Jackson's Thriller album is considered the biggest world-wide seller of all time, selling more than 46 million copies.

"I am thrilled and humbled to receive this great honour," Jackson said in a statement.

'Sincere thanks'

He added: "I could not ask to be in better company than the list of fellow inductees. Each and every one is a master from whom I have learned.

"My sincere thanks to the rock and roll historians and experts who have chosen me."

Solomon Burke is best known for such 60s soul hits Just Out of Reach (Of My Two Open Arms) and Everybody Needs Somebody to Love.

The Flamingos' biggest hit was 1959's I Only Have Eyes For You.

Ritchie Valens burst onto the music scene in the late 1950s with hits such as La Bamba and Donna but he died along with Buddy Holly in a plane crash in 1959, aged 17.