Four-time Grammy-winning singer, 1980s pop icon, and Lindenhurst High School graduate Pat Benatar will have to wait another year for a chance to get inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Benatar, known for her top 10 hits “Hit Me with Your Best Shot,” “Love Is a Battlefield,” “We Belong,” and “Invincible,” was among 16 music stars nominated in October for induction into the music industry’s highest honor this year, but did not make the cut this time around — and fans were not happy Pat was snubbed.
“How the hell did Pat Benatar not make it?” tweeted @TheSlackerMcFly “She is the #1 snubb… what the hell? I am genuinely pissed at the voters and Rock Hall for not voting her in!”
Those slated to be inducted include the late Whitney Houston, Depeche Mode, the Doobie Brothers, Nine Inch Nails, the Notorious BIG, and T. Rex. Besides Benatar, those left waiting at least another year were Dave Matthews Band, Judas Priest, Kraftwerk, MC5, Motorhead, Rufus featuring Chaka Khan, Todd Rundgren, Soundgarden, and Thin Lizzy.
What most rankled fans was the fact that Benatar ranked second after DMB in the fan vote for who should be inducted into the 2020 class. Artists are eligible 25 years after their debut album. The 2020 induction ceremony will be held at Public Auditorium in Cleveland, Ohio on May 2.
Born Patrician Mae Andrzejewski, Pat Benatar was born in Brooklyn and raised in Lindenhurst. She originally didn’t have musical aspirations, and briefly attended Stony Brook University while pursuing a health education degree. She ended up dropping out to marry her sweetheart and started to perform at Catch A Rising Star, a popular comedy club in New York City, where she first got noticed before releasing her debut album, In The Heat of The Night in 1979.
That year she divorced her first husband after seven years. In 1982, she married guitarist Neil Giraldo, with whom she still tours. They have two daughters and now live in Los Angeles.
