Walk of Fame, Class of 2015

A GLAM HAIR-METAL band. The original "Annie." The guys who lit a disco inferno. A literal giant in the music industry.

These are among the seven new inductees whose names soon will be installed into the sidewalk along the Philadelphia Music Walk of Fame along the Avenue of the Arts on South Broad Street.

You've been waiting with bated breath, and now here they are:

* We got a sneak peek with the announcement of Billie Holiday last month. She would've turned 100 years old April 7.

Holiday is considered one of the best and most influential jazz singers of all time. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by the man who discovered her in 1936, Holiday overcame many obstacles early in her life and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. Without formal training, Holiday's unique voice launched her to stardom.

* Hometown hip-hop band the Roots, made it. Named one of the greatest live bands by Rolling Stone magazine, the legendary crew has won four Grammys and has been nominated for many others. And their popularity eventually landed them a gig as the official house band of "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon."

* Cinderella, a glam hair-metal band from the Philly suburbs, rocked us with heart-melting songs like "Nobody's Fool" and "Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)." Since 1983, they've sold 15 million albums worldwide and made several multi-platinum records with hit singles that played on heavy rotation on MTV.

* They gave us "Disco Inferno," and the Trammps remain one of the biggest and most soulful vocal groups of their era. Formed by Earl Young and brothers, with lead singer Jimmy Ellis, in the early 1970s, the Trammps released a snappy cover of "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart." They earned a Grammy for "Disco Inferno," the infectious smash hit that went gold and climbed to No. 11 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart in 1976.

* Andrea McArdle rocketed to stardom as Broadway's original "Annie" at age 14. She was the youngest performer ever nominated for a Tony Award for best actress in a musical. McArdle is maybe best known for belting out "Tomorrow," and has appeared on many a stage from Carnegie Hall to the MET Opera House as well as the White House.

* Philly-born Ray Benson is considered a giant in the music industry with his world-renowned Western swing band, Asleep at the Wheel. At a towering 6-feet-7, Benson has been a dominant figure in the music scene since the early 1970s.

* He spent more than half a century behind the microphone, and now DJ Harvey Holiday has made it to the Walk of Fame. Holiday kept us entertained on 98.1 WOGL spinning the oldies, broadcasting from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day.

And there you have it.

The seven will be formally inducted on the Walk of Fame during a ceremony in the fall.

The Philadelphia Music Alliance, established in 1986, is dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Philadelphia's rich musical history. It created the Walk of Fame along the Avenue of the Arts, where more than 120 of Philadelphia's greats are immortalized.

Kenny Gamble of Gamble and Huff and Kal Rudman, founder of the radio-and-music-industry publication Friday Morning Quarterback, attended yesterday's news conference at the Stratus Rooftop Lounge in Old City.

"It just shows how great Philadelphia's talent base is," said Gamble. "These people are known all over the world."