The ballot for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s Class of 2018 is out, and almost half of the artists up for induction have never been nominated before.
Bon Jovi makes it first appearance on the Rock Hall ballot. The band has been eligible for almost a decade. It's joined by well-established acts as varied as The Zombies, Kate Bush and Sister Rosetta Tharpe.
Todd Mesek, the Rock Hall’s VP of Marketing, says their mission has always been to showcase the evolution of rock music.
“What you call it and how you classify it is a business decision. I don’t think people listen to music and say, ‘Oh, that goes out of bounds for me, I don’t listen to that genre.’ People just like what they like. So we’re defining it very broadly.
“You have different sounds, different eras, a good diversity of sound, really unique sounds with artists like Radiohead, Dire Straits, Eurythmics, Depeche Mode; all these artists on the ballot this year really have kind of their own, unique sound.”
The Rock Hall inductions will be held back in Cleveland this spring. Rounding out this year's ballot are The Cars, J. Geils Band, Judas Priest, LL Cool J, MC5, The Meters, Moody Blues, Rage Against the Machine, Rufus featuring Chaka Khan, Nina Simone and Link Wray.
The final list of inductees will be revealed in December. Fans have until then to vote online for their favorites. Inductees in categories recognizing early influences as well as people behind-the-scenes will be announced later.
Correction: Bon Jovi refers to the band, not the singer. Pronouns referring to the band have been corrected to it, instead of he or they.
