zeitgeist Blog and Journals

Smashing Pumpkins will be inducted into Hollywood's RockWalk at noon on April 23, it was announced today. Singer-songwriter-guitarist Billy Corgan and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin will be on hand to take part in the induction ceremony.

The induction ceremony is open to the public at no cost and will take place at Guitar Center. With 20 years of music under their belts, the Pumpkins' induction will undoubtedly attract a wide gamut of fans.

The band is being honored for their impact on music history beginning with their debut album Gish — their 1991 platinum debut. The Pumpkins received more and more acclaim as the band’s career advanced. Their second release, Siamese Dream, went four-times platinum, with mega-singles "Cherub Rock," “Today” and “Disarm” earning the Pumpkins a very zealous fanbase and acclaim.

In 1995, The Pumpkins released a double album, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, which debuted on the Billboard albums chart at #1 and scored record sales up to nine-times platinum, as well as   seven Grammy nominations. Prior to the band’s breakup in 2000, it released a few more albums: Adore, Machina/The Machines of God, and Machina II/The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music.

Many musicians have been inducted into Hollywood’s RockWalk — the only sidewalk gallery dedicated to artists which have made an influential impact on rock 'n' roll, blues and R&B. The Pumpkins will be featured alongside arguably some of the most influential musicians ever, including B. B. King, Eric Clapton, Frank Zappa, John Lennon and Steve Miller.

The reunited Pumpkins will finish a jaunt through Central America just in time for their induction. There are no current tour dates planned beyond April 19. The group released its newest album, Zeitgeist, in 2007.

- Jason Hobbs