The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation has announced its nominees for induction this year and they are, in alphabetical order:
- Mary J. Blige
- Kate Bush
- Devo
- Foo Fighters
- The Go-Go’s
- Iron Maiden
- JAY-Z
- Chaka Khan
- Carole King
- Fela Kuti
- LL Cool J
- New York Dolls
- Rage Against the Machine
- Todd Rundgren
- Tina Turner
- Dionne Warwick
To be eligible for nomination, an individual artist or band must have released its first commercial recording at least 25 years prior to the year of nomination.
Seven out of this year's 16 nominees are on the ballot for the first time:
- Foo Fighters (Dave Grohl is in as a member ofNirvana)
- Fela Kuti
- The Go-Go’s
- Iron Maiden
- JAY-Z
- Dionne Warwick
- Mary J. Blige
The previous nominees on this list are:
- Carole King (She was inducted in 1990 along with her ex-husband Gerry Goffin in the non-performer category for her songwriting -- this is her second nomination as a performer)
- Tina Turner (inducted in '91 as a member of Ike & Tina Turner-- this is her second nomination as a solo artist)
- Chaka Khan (third nomination)
- Todd Rundgren (third nomination, and, he still wants nothing to do with the Hall of Fame)
- Rage Against the Machine (third nomination)
- LL Cool J (sixth nomination)
- Devo (second nomination)
- Kate Bush (second nomination)
- New York Dolls (second nomination)
If elected, Carole King and Tina Turner will become the second and third female artists inducted twice, following Stevie Nicks in 2019.
Commenting on the nomination, Go-Go's drummer Gina Schock tells us, "Quite a bit overdue, but nevertheless happy to hear."
And Dionne Warwick's spokesperson tells us, "Ms. Warwick is pleasantly pleased and shares in the excitement of this announcement.
Ballots will now be sent to an international voting body of more than 1,000 artists, historians and members of the music industry. Factors such as an artist’s musical influence on other artists, length and depth of career and the body of work, innovation and superiority in style and technique are taken into consideration.
Voting is also open to the public from today (Wednesday) through April 30 at RockHall.com, or at the Museum in Cleveland. The top five artists, as selected by the public, will comprise a “fans’ ballot” that will be tallied along with the other ballots to select the 2021 Inductees.
Inductees will be announced in May and the induction ceremony will take place in Cleveland in the fall.