CLEVELAND – The Go-Goes didn’t have a musical plan. Punks initially, they became pioneers of rock and roll.

Defying overwhelming odds and standards in a male-dominated field, the female quintet which enjoyed a string of successful MTV-powered play in the 1980s, will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on Saturday as part of a Powerful class which includes Tina Turner, Jay-Z, Carole King, Foo Fighters, and Todd Rundgren.

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

“It’s a little overwhelming,” Caffey told AP as she and her groupmates were taken from floor to floor. “We are really delighted. … We appreciate how kind everyone has been. We belong here too.

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

Kraftwerk, Gil Scott-Heron and Charley Patton are inducted as early influencers and Sussex Records founder Clarence Avant receives the Ahmet Ertegun award.

“The Magic 13,” Public Enemy frontman Chuck D said of the Eclectic Class of 2021.

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 band stood out as women playing their own instruments – something rare 40 years ago, it has become common in the industry today.

Yet they were rejected by some critics and musicians who did not take them seriously. Caffey said these obstacles only made them worse.

“We just kept moving forward,” she said. “We knew there was sexism and it was a male dominated world in rock, certainly at the time. But we kept going, back and forth and we’re glad we did.

“It didn’t bother us. When the five of us come together, we are a force to be reckoned with.

The group will be inducted by actor Drew Barrymore and perform some of their songs.

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

This is the first time that the event has taken place in Cleveland’s largest venue (capacity 20,000) after previous ceremonies at the Public Hall Auditorium.

Well-kept secrets remain about the ceremony, including whether Turner, who lives in Switzerland, will attend or if Jay-Z will perform.

Taylor Swift inducts King and will sing in his honor, as will Jennifer Hudson.

The show will be taped for airing on HBO and airing on HBO Max on November 20.

Foo Fighters, who performed a surprise gig at a small town club Thursday night, will be inducted by Paul McCartney. This will be the second dedication of Foo founder Dave Grohl, who became Nirvana’s drummer in 2014.

It’s also the second nod to King, who has already been honored as a songwriter for hits like “It’s Too Late”, “You’ve Got a Friend” and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman “.

King’s iconic 1971 album, “Tapestry,” had a profound effect on Caffey, who said being inducted with one of his idols and Turner made him more special.

“Her influence on me was huge because I grew up with ’60s radio and that’s what it was and still is in my life,” Caffey said. “And Tina, I love her so much. I love them both for the music and what they’ve been through.

Equally undeniable is the influence the Go-Go have had. They weren’t only the first all-girl group to top the Billboard 200 charts writing and performing their own material, but they also showed a generation of girls they could rock as hard as boys.

Caffey is proud of the group’s enduring heritage.

“Our songs are timeless, timeless,” she said. “We didn’t know at the time we were writing them, but that’s what happened.”

It also helped that Go-Go’s rise coincided with the advent of music videos, exposing the group to an even wider audience.

“For young women to see a group of women in a group who are just ordinary girls,” Caffey said. “It was really huge.”