"Back in the day," Chubby Checker tells Billboard from his home in New Jersey, "I said, ‘I don't want to be in the Rock Hall when I'm dead. I want to smell my flowers when I'm here.' And I'm smelling my

Here’s the seven inductees in the main category, ranked from least- to most-deserving of one of music’s highest honors.

When the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced Sunday night that Chubby Checker would be inducted into its ranks later this year, many fans of early rock ‘n' roll who'd assumed that the Hall would never reach back that far again were surprised and exultant that a longtime wrong was being righted.