In surprising news to Daryl Hall and John Oates, their band Hall & Oates will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn next April.

A band becomes eligible for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25 years following their first music release, whether it be an album or a single. Following this metric, Hall & Oates would have been eligible for induction in 1997. However, this is the first year the group has appeared on the ballot.

In an interview with Rolling Stone, Daryl Hall commented on why he believed it has taken so long for his band to receive the recognition it deserves: “I didn’t think it would happen as long as the people who were in power stayed in power. I’ve always been sort of on the other side of the fence with the old guard and the powers-that-be. So it was a bit of a surprise to me… It’s probably because they had their own opinions about what constituted exceptional music in that period of time and it was based on a lot of things that I wasn’t really interested in. I have slightly different roots than most of the writers.”

His band-mate, John Oates, shared Hall’s sentiments: “I felt that the Rock Hall, the powers that be, had a point of view and that we didn’t fit into that point of view and it didn’t bother me because if that’s how it is, that’s how it is. I kept saying, ‘If it happens it happens, and if it does it’s going to be great.’ ”

That being said, both Hall and Oates are extremely grateful to be receiving the award, with Oates stating, “I will be there with bells on. I’m dusting off my suit, man… So I’m really going to enjoy it and I think it’s a great class, so to speak. I think the artists are really cool and I’m honored to be in this particular class and with all the other prior inductees.”

Other inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014 include Cat Stevens, Peter Gabriel, Linda Ronstadt, KISS, and Nirvana. This was Nirvana’s first year to be eligible for induction, yet it is no surprise the band made the list on their first attempt: “For once … I’m speechless. From the basements, to the dingy clubs, to the broken down vans, to … the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I’d like to thank the committee not only for this induction, but also for recognizing Nirvana for what we were: pure rock and roll,” stated Dave Grohl, former drummer for Nirvana and current front-man for the Foo Fighters.

Voting for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is conducted in two stages, with voting from 700 Rock Hall members and also from fans. This year, fans cast nearly 1.4 million votes to determine who would be inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame. The top fan nominees to not be inducted were Yes and Deep Purple, each receiving approximately 150,000 votes and besting all the inductees besides KISS and Nirvana. Fortunately for the other 4 new members, fan results only count for one vote.

The 29th annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place on April 10, 2014 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Tickets will go on sale next month, and the induction will be aired live on HBO.

Image via RockHall.com