‘We belong’: Go-Go’s head class of Rock Hall inductees

CLEVELAND — The Go-Go’s didn’t have any musical master plan. Punks at the start, they became rock and roll pioneers.

Defying odds and smashing norms in a male-dominated field, the female quintet who had a string of hits propelled by MTV play in the 1980s were inducted Saturday into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as part of a powerhouse class that included Tina Turner, Jay-Z, Carole King, Foo Fighters and Todd Rundgren.

On Friday, the Go-Go’s — guitarist Charlotte Caffey, lead singer Belinda Carlisle, drummer Gina Schock, bassist Kathy Valentine and guitarist/singer Jane Wiedlin — took part in a ceremony to dedicate their Hall of Fame signature plaque and toured a new exhibit featuring this year’s inductees.

“It’s a little overwhelming,” Caffey said as she and her bandmates were whisked from floor to floor.

“We’re really thrilled. … We appreciate how gracious everyone has been. We belong here, too.”

While the Go-Go’s are being enshrined in the performer category, rapper LL Cool J, keyboardist Billy Preston and guitarist Randy Rhoads will be honored for musical excellence.

Kraftwerk, Gil Scott-Heron and

Charley Patton are being inducted as early influencers, and Sussex Records founder Clarence Avant is receiving the Ahmet Ertegun Award.

“The magical 13,” Public Enemy frontman Chuck D said of the eclectic 2021 class.

Not only did the Go-Go’s write catchy tunes like “We Got the

Beat,” “Our Lips Are Sealed” and “Vacation,” the Los Angeles-based group stood out as women playing their own instruments — something rare 40 years ago that’s become common in the industry today.

Still, they were dismissed by some critics and musicians who didn’t take them seriously. Caffey said those obstacles only strengthened them.

“We just kept pushing forward,” she said. “We knew there was sexism and it was a maledominated world in rock, certainly back then. But we kept going, going and going and we’re happy we did that.

After last year’s enshrinement ceremony had to be entirely virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was back on stage, this time at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, home of the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers.

The show was taped for broadcast on HBO and stream on HBO Max on Nov. 20.

Taylor Jewell / Invision / AP file Gina Schock, from left, Jane Wiedlin, Belinda Carlisle, Charlotte Caffey and Kathy Valentine defied the odds as The Go-Go’s.