About time.

Look, prog-rock in general and Rush in particular isn't everyone's cup of Psilocybin tea, although it worked for me. Regardless, that doesn't mean that Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart should've been ignored – and gored – by Rock Hall voters this long. The band has been eligible for Rock Hall induction in 1999. Since then, ABBA, Madonna and even Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys have been inducted. Rush didn't even make the ballot until this year.

Like, really? ABBA?!?!

Lee's warble can sound like a mewling cat with its tail caught in one of those Dust Bowl-era washing machine wringers. But it's a perfect meld for this genre of music, adding an almost ethereal layer. Lifeson's guitar is intricate in its simplicity. And Peart? Well, even nondrummers have to be in awe of his ability to turn percussion into a new dimension, with varied time signatures and tempos. And on top of that, Peart is the band's primary lyricist.

So much for dumb drummer jokes.

It may be prog rock's reputation that kept the band out of the Rock Hall this long. Aloof. Geeky. Whatever. It's hard to deny the evidence of a bias against prog-rock. Emerson, Lake and Palmer are not in the Hall. Nor are Yes or Jethro Tull or the Moody Blues.

Again, it's not everyone's favorite style of rock. But if the Rock Hall can open its arms to rockabilly, to rap, to stone country to Texas swing, to DISCO f'r cryin' out loud, there should be a big ol' hug awaiting prog-rock.

All that being said, Rock Hall voters DO deserve accolades for this year's class. Its diversity shows that maybe, just maybe, those biases are changing. A roll call that includes Rush, Heart, Public Enemy, Donna Summer, Randy Newman and King isn't a flea market of music; it's a cornucopia.

I have to confess that I spent a lot of time on the lighted dance floor of two clubs in Pasadena, Texas – a disco called Uncle Sam's and the Nesadel (we called it the Nasty-del, and it was; remind me to tell you some day about an obscene birthday cake Dr. Hook brought to surprise a favorite waitress). I'm not proud that I know "The Hustle," but I can admit it is part of my musical DNA.

It's a little like what Ann Wilson told me when I talked to her about Heart's induction (which, by the way, also was long overdue).

"I was in a therapy session one time, trying to work stuff out," Wilson said. "God bless her, my therapist said, 'Can't you just sing in the shower? Do you have to go out and go on tour? Just sing to yourself while jogging.' "

That's not going to work, Wilson said.

"I can't do that," she said. "I need to make a connection with the crowd. I'm called to let my soul sing."

And we, the fortunate, are called to listen. Man, what a Rush.