*By Christian Smith* For nearly four decades, Bon Jovi has been filling arenas, recording albums and contributing to the soundtrack of a few generations. Their commitment to a lifetime of Rock & Roll was honored last month with induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, along with The Cars, The Moody Blues, Dire Straits, Nina Simone and Sister Rosetta Tharpe. But the honor is no valedictory for those artists still rocking. (Tharpe died in 1973, Simone in 2003.) "I don't think it caps one's career," said Joel Peresman, president and CEO of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation. "The acts these days keep on working, and working, and working until very late in life." Bon Jovi continues to tour, although two of the band's original members, Alec John Such and Richie Sambora, are no longer with the group. The Moody Blues also have a number of performances scheduled this year. The Cars and Dire Straits, however, no longer tour as groups. Tension seems to still exist between the former members of Dire Straits, which broke up after front man Mark Knopfler went solo. He skipped the induction ceremony, which actually took place on April 14. Former bandmate John Illsley said on stage that it "was a personal thing." You can watch a number of the inductees perform at the 33rd annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony to be broadcast on HBO on Saturday night at 8 p.m. ET. Every September, the Hall of Fame's nominating committee meets to put together a list of 15 to 19 possible nominees. Then the organization polls more than 1,000 artists, historians and members of the music industry to come up with about half dozen inductees. They consider factors such as the artists' or bands' musical influence on other artists, the length and scope of their career, innovation and mastery of style and technique. The concert special on HBO will also feature performances and appearances by Mary J. Blige, Andra Day, Lauryn Hill, Howard Stern, Brittany Howard, Brandon Flowers and more. For full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-induction-ceremony-goes-live-on-hbo-saturday).
