The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced Tuesday the 16 nominees eligible for induction in 2020.
The ballot features diverse artists from several countries across different genres of music. One even has a connection to Northeast Ohio.
This year’s ballot features:
- Pat Benatar
- Dave Matthews Band
- Depeche Mode
- The Doobie Brothers
- Whitney Houston
- Judas Priest
- Kraftwerk
- MC5
- Motorhead
- Nine Inch Nails
- The Notorious B.I.G.
- Rufus featuring Chaka Khan
- Todd Rundgren
- T.Rex
- Thin Lizzy
Rock Hall CEO Greg Harris says it’s not unusual for them to include more than just traditional hard rock groups.
“There’s a quote from Ice Cube where he talks about rock n roll is not just a style of music it’s a spirit, it’s an attitude and it’s exemplified by these types of music as well.”
Harris also speaks about Pat Benatar, who has made the ballot for the first time but has been eligible since 2004 and even has some Cleveland connections
“Her collaborator, her arranger, her guitar player, Neil Geraldo grew up in Cleveland, and if elected they’ll both go in together.”
It’s Cleveland’s turn to host the induction ceremony which comes here every other year.
“We’ll have visitors come from all over the world, the economic impact of the inductions alone will be over $30 million, and we’re just thrilled that it’s back in Cleveland next year.”
Fans can vote on Google until January then their votes will be mixed with votes from hall of famers to select the five who will be inducted during the ceremony May 2nd, 2020.
