The heavy-metal group Guns N' Roses was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame beside the Beatles and Elvis at Saturday's 27th annual ceremony in Cleveland.

Four thousand miles away, in Turku, Finland, Matti Fagerholm, the rock singer whom Guns N' Roses acknowledges as an inspiration, has just received a more modest accolade: "Vuoden Turkulainen," or Turku's Person of the Year award.

Mr. Fagerholm, who goes by the name "Michael Monroe," is perhaps the world's most respected, yet least famous, rock star. Considered by some the godfather of "hair" metal, a much-maligned genre popular in the 1980s that showcased teased coiffures, suggestive lyrics and bombastic guitar solos, he remains a mystery to all but the most hard-core listeners.

"He's a 50-year-old who's doing splits on stage," says Alexander Stubb, Finland's minister of foreign trade, who listens to Mr. Monroe's music on the treadmill. "Michael's always been different. He loves the success of others and doesn't see someone else's gain as his loss."

While Guns N' Roses singer Axl Rose and former guitarist Slash haven't spoken since the band's acrimonious breakup in the mid-1990s—and didn't speak Saturday, since Mr. Rose declined to attend the ceremony—one thing they agree on is Mr. Monroe. "Michael Monroe is one of THE great rock and roll front-men," Slash said by email. "He's also a good man and a good friend."