Which Georgians are in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame?

Winners will be announced during Sunday’s episode of “American Idol,” which airs on ABC at 8 p.m..

In the meantime, here’s a list of previous inductees with Georgia ties:

The Allman Brothers Band

Credit: Frank Driggs

Credit: Frank Driggs

Based in Macon, the Allman Brothers Band, led by Duane and Gregg Allman, incorporated blues, jazz and country into their music. Some of their biggest hits included “Whipping Post,” “Midnight Rider” and “Melissa.” Duane Allman died in 1971, and Gregg Allman died in 2017. The band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1995.

Chet Atkins

Country legend Chet Atkins was born in Tennessee but moved to Fortson when he was a child to live with his father. He’s credited with helping to develop the Nashville-sound style of country music, with songs including “Mr. Sandman” and “Blue Blue Day.” Atkins, who died in 2001, was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.

Mary J. Blige

Although Yonkers, New York, rightfully gets to claim the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, Georgia also shaped her childhood. Blige spent some of her formative years in Richmond Hill. Throughout her career, the singer has formed an R&B standard that centers around women’s pain and strength — a relatable style of storytelling that won nine Grammy across 16 studio albums. Blige was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2024.

James Brown

James Brown, one of the chief architects of the funk music genre, was raised in Augusta and started his career as a gospel singer in Toccoa. He served as the lead singer for the Famous Flames (also Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees) before striking out on his own with songs like “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” and “I Got You (I Feel Good).” He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1986 and died in 2006.

Ray Charles

Charles, widely considered one of the most influential singers, songwriters and pianists and an architect of soul music, was born in Albany. Despite losing his sight as a child, Charles learned to play multiple instruments and recorded hits including “Georgia On My Mind” and “Hit the Road Jack.” He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, and his life was depicted in the 2004 Jamie Foxx biopic “Ray.”

Missy Elliott

Credit: Derek Blanks

Credit: Derek Blanks

The Portsmouth, Virginia, native and longtime Atlanta resident already had a strong reputation as a songwriter and producer (most notably for late R&B singer Aaliyah) before dropping her debut album in 1997. Since then, the multifaceted star forged an unprecedented trail in hip-hop, led by captivating visuals and memorable lines that were witty and raunchy. Elliott was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2023, becoming the first female rapper to do so.

The Famous Flames

Formed as a quartet in 1953 in Toccoa, the Famous Flames was a blues vocal group that included James Brown, Bobby Byrd, Bobby Bennett and Lloyd Stallworth. The act, inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2017, is most known for the hit “Please, Please, Please.”

Isaac Hayes

A pioneering soul artist, Isaac Hayes lived in Atlanta in the mid-1970s until 1992. The Grammy and Oscar winner was raised in Memphis and is widely credited for shaping the city’s soul sound. Hayes also scored the 1971 film “Shaft,” for which he became the first Black person to win an Oscar for best original song. Hayes, joining the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s 2002 class, died in Memphis, Tennessee, in 2008.

Whitney Houston

Born in Newark, New Jersey, Whitney Houston’s Georgia ties run deep. Her maternal grandparents had roots in Blakely (which inspired her mom, Cissy, to record the hit “Midnight Train to Georgia,” made popular by Glady Knight and the Pips). Whitney Houston spent a chunk of her later career in Alpharetta with her ex-husband, Bobby Brown. The singer, known for her powerful voice and inescapable love ballads, died in 2012. She was posthumously honored by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2020.

Elton John

British artist Elton John spent a significant amount of time in Atlanta after purchasing a residence in the city in 1991 (his 2004 album “Peachtree Road” was a nod to his adopted hometown). The singer, songwriter and pianist has penned countless hits including “Crocodile Rock,” “Your Song” and “Tiny Dancer.” He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.

Gladys Knight and the Pips

Atlanta native Gladys Knight helped form the Pips, which later became Gladys Knight and the Pips, in 1952. The group recorded several Motown hits including “Heard it Through the Grapevine” and “Nitty Gritty,” and later released one of their biggest hits, “Midnight Train to Georgia.” The group, which was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1996, disbanded in 1989, with Knight embarking on a successful solo career.

Al Kooper

Songwriter and producer Al Kooper was born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in Queens. In the 1960s, Kooper became an in-demand studio musician, garnering the most buzz for playing the organ riff on the Bob Dylan hit “Like a Rolling Stone.” Kooper moved to Atlanta in 1972 and discovered the rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. Kooper produced the act’s first three albums. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2023.

Brenda Lee

Credit: Laura Roberts/Invision/AP

Credit: Laura Roberts/Invision/AP

Brenda Mae Tarpley, known professionally as Brenda Lee, was born in Atlanta and spent her childhood between Atlanta and Augusta. While hits including “I’m Sorry” and “All Alone Am I” make up her repertoire, she’s best known for her 1958 version of “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.” Lee was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.

Curtis Mayfield

Influential soul artist Curtis Mayfield, a Chicago native, moved to the Atlanta area with his family in the 1980s, and lived in Georgia until his death in 1999. He penned the famous soundtrack for the blaxploitation film “Super Fly,” and hits including “Move On Up” and “People Get Ready.” He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1991 as part of the group the Impressions and as a solo artist in 1999.

Bill Monroe

Bluegrass musician Bill Monroe formed the first version of his band Blue Grass Boys while he was living in Atlanta, recruiting Cleo Davis, Amos Garen and fiddler Art Wooten through local newspaper ads. Monroe, who died in 1996, was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.

R.E.M.

Credit: (AJC Staff Photo/Celine Bufkin)

Credit: (AJC Staff Photo/Celine Bufkin)

Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Michael Stipe formed R.E.M. in 1980 in Athens while they were students at the University of Georgia. They achieved critical and commercial success with albums including “Murmur” and “Automatic for the People,” and were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.

Ma Rainey

Blues legend Gertrude “Ma” Rainey was raised in Columbus, where she started out performing in minstrel and vaudeville shows and helped develop what is now known as “classic blues.” At her death in 1939 at age 53, she owned three theaters in Georgia, including one in her hometown. A fictionalized account of her life was depicted in the 1982 August Wilson play “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and a 2020 film based on the play starring Viola Davis. She was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.

Otis Redding

Nicknamed “the King of Soul,” Otis Redding was born in Dawson and raised in Macon. Before dying in a plane crash at 26 in 1967, he recorded influential hits, including “Try A Little Tenderness” and “(Sittin’ On) the Dock of the Bay.” He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1989.

Little Richard

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

Richard Wayne Penniman, known professionally as Little Richard, was born and raised in Macon. He rose to popularity with hits that included “Tutti Frutti,” “Long Tall Sally” and “Lucille,” and is known as “the architect of rock and roll.” He died in 2020 and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986.

Sam and Dave

David Prater, one half of the iconic soul and R&B duo along with Sam Moore, was born and raised in Ocilla. The pair, who were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1992, gained popularity with songs including “Soul Man” and “Hold On, I’m Comin.” Prater died in 1988, and Moore died in 2025.

Tupac Shakur

Actor and rapper Tupac Shakur, who formed his career in Oakland, California, in the 1990s, had a penchant for amplifying social justice issues in his music (best shown in songs like “Brenda’s Got a Baby,” “Keep Ya Head Up” and “Changes”). Later in his career, Tupac and his family lived in Atlanta. Tupac Shakur died in 1996. His mom, Afeni Shakur, opened the Tupac Amaru Shakur Center for the Arts in Stone Mountain shortly after. In 2017, he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Bessie Smith

The blues singer, who died in 1937 at 45, spent a chunk of her career in Atlanta at the now-closed 81 club. She was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1989 and was portrayed by Queen Latifah in the Georgia-shot film “Bessie” in 2015.