Former Heart bassist Mark Andes and drummer Denny Carmassi have launched a lawsuit against the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.
They were left out of the band’s induction ceremony last year – but their photographs were used in promotional material.
And they say they were left “humiliated” when they had to respond to colleagues’ congratulations by explaining that only members of the original line-up were being honoured.
Andes and Carmassa spent nine years with Heart from 1982 and appeared on all their Grammy-nominated tracks and half their total of 20 hit singles.
They say in legal papers: “Plaintiffs are not asking that defendant Rock Hall induct them into the Hall of Fame. Instead, this is an action to protect the rights, reputations, and likenesses of Mark Andes and Dennis Carmassi through the causes of actions false light invasion of privacy, misappropriation of name and likeness invasion of privacy, injurious falsehood, libel, slander, and right of attribution falsification of rock and roll history for Defendants’ wilful and unauthorised use of Plaintiffs’ images and likenesses.”
The rhythm section say Heart leaders Ann and Nancy Wilson wanted them to be inducted along with the original line-up, but Rock Hall bosses refused.
Ann Wilson told Billboard at the time: “They should be here – they really should be here.”
But CEO Joel Peresman countered: “We went very carefully over all the history, and the members of Heart that are being inducted were the ones everyone felt should be inducted. This is the final decision of our committee.”
This year’s inductees included Kiss, Nirvana, Peter Gabriel and the E Street Band.
