bacigalup

From nypost.com:

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has announced its 2020 finalists.

The latest batch of influential recording artists is an especially eclectic bunch, ranging from jam bands to glam rockers to hip-hop royalty.

This year, nine out of 16 nominees are on the ballot for the first time: Dave Matthews Band, The Doobie Brothers, Motörhead, The Notorious B.I.G., Pat Benatar, Soundgarden, T.Rex, Thin Lizzy, and Whitney Houston.

Inductees — typically around a half-dozen acts make the final cut — will be announced in January, with the big induction ceremony/rock show following May 2 at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s Public Auditorium in Cleveland, Ohio. Ticket info will be announced at a later date.
To be eligible for a nod, an artist or band must have released its first commercial recording at least 25 years ago.

The 2020 nominees are:
Pat Benatar
Dave Matthews Band
Depeche Mode
The Doobie Brothers
Whitney Houston
Judas Priest
Kraftwerk
MC5
Motörhead
Nine Inch Nails
The Notorious B.I.G.
Rufus featuring Chaka Khan
Todd Rundgren
Soundgarden
T.Rex
Thin Lizzy

How the inductees are picked:
Nominee ballots are sent to an “international voting body of more than 1,000 artists, historians and members of the music industry” — but the general public can also participate in the selection process.
From Oct. 15 through 11:59 p.m. EST Jan. 10, fans can search “Rock Hall Fan Vote” or any nominee name plus “vote” to cast a ballot vote via Google. Votes can also be logged on RockHall.com or in person 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 choose the 2020 inductees.

https://nypost.com/2019/10/15/rock-r...ees-announced/

B5Erik

I was shocked to see Motorhead and Thin Lizzy nominated, but they are both very deserving of induction, so it's nice to see.

Depeche Mode needs to get in. Soundgarden is probably a lock.

I suspect that Priest, Motorhead, and Thin Lizzy will split the legitimate Rock vote and none of them will get in.

Of course, it's yet another year that Jethro Tull won't get in (do the people on the nominating committee even know how big they were in the 70's?), and another year that Ronnie James Dio isn't even nominated.

Deadman31

I loved Soundgarden back in the day but are they really worthy of HOF?

Paff

I'm assuming they mean Todd Rundgren as a musical act, because if he's not already in for his producing work there shouldn't be a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame period.

atrium

Still don't understand why guys like The Notorious B.I.G. are put in the rock n roll hall of fame. Is he a rap legend? Absolutely. But he's nowhere close to rock, and didn't influence rock in any way that I can think of.

The country music hall of fame doesn't induct rock legends like The Rolling Stones or Eagles who dabbled in country.

Just call it the pop music hall of fame

Decker

While I can roll with Pop acts who have little to do with R&R getting in like Donna Summer, Madonna and Janet Jackson, I have to draw the line at Whitney Houston. She was an undeniable talent. But she was the antithesis of Rock and Roll. She had what, two uptempo hits in her career (three if you count I'm Every Woman, but that's a remake of another 2020 Nominee's hit). You can make a case that Madonna and Donna Summer were influential on Rock (I guess), but certainly not Whitney Houston. That is the type of music people who hate rock listen to. If you induct her, you should have already inducted Barbra Streisand who was the original pop ballad diva -- and of course she's never been considered. If this was the Grammy Hall of Fame, she would absolutely be worthy, but in Cleveland she really shouldn't be on the short list.

Paff

And I don't understand why people think that "Rock and Roll" ONLY means guitar-driven hard rock. Genres like rap and hip-hop (and believe me, I'm NOT a fan of that style of music) is just as rock-and-roll as Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith.

The honky-tonk inspired piano of Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard are just as rock and roll as the screaming guitars of Jimmy Page and Eddie Van Halen, and yes, the beats of Run-DMC and NWA. "Rock and Roll" encompasses MANY styles.

B5Erik

Then why aren't Rock bands included in those other genres' awards shows and Halls of Fame?

Paff

Because "Rock and Roll" ENCOMPASSES many styles. It's pretty much accepted that the birth of rock and roll was the marriage of country with rhythm and blues.

It's sort of like how the Espy for "athlete of the year" can be from any sport, but Wayne Gretzky doesn't need to be in Canton.

B5Erik

Well, we agree to disagree.

Simply because I don't consider Rap or Pop to be Rock.

Rap/Hip-Hop acts and their fans don't identify themselves as being Rock and Roll. A few in the media do, but very few acts or fans consider it to be Rock and Roll.

stvn1974

Bob Dylan created rap music with "Subterranean Homesick Blues" so he should be in the rap/hip hop hall of fame. He also created country rock with his John Wesley Harding album so he should be in the country music hall of fame too.

Honestly, 90% of all musician in the HOF used performance enhancing drugs and should be disqualified.

Laertes

Well, presumably, there's a distinction between the terms "Rock and Roll" and "Rock." Rock can be groups like Van Halen, and Judas Priest, and GnR, etc, but "Rock and Roll" is a broad enough term to include Elvis, and Chuck Berry, and Madonna, etc.

Plus, in answer to an earlier comment, Whitney Houston died in a bath tub with many drugs in her system, while relatively young, unlike Barbara Streisand. What's more rock and roll than that? (I think I'm just joking about that....)

Paff

Precisely. So many people take "Hard Rock" to equal "Rock and Roll" (or a chain of mediocre dining establishments).

cultshock

Drugs, yes. "Performance enhancing"? Depends on the artist and the drug.


Cool to see Motorhead finally nominated.

B5Erik

How about The Eagles? Fleetwood Mac? Grateful Dead? The Cure? The Smiths?

It doesn't have to be Hard Rock to be Rock. No one said it did.

rw2516

Rock and Roll is more about a culture than a style of music. It's a culture of youth and the music that is directed at and consumed by youth.

B5Erik

That's a radical redefinition of the term. A redefinition that only came up in the last few years.

Josh-da-man

I think we're at a weird point in pop culture where traditional rock and roll is dead.

It now only exists as either indie-style music or heavy metal.

Country music (Country Pop, specifically? -- I am unfamiliar with the nuances involved here) is essentially the new mainstream rock for middle class, middle-aged white America. And Hip-Hop is the new mainstream rock and roll for teenagers.

It will be interesting to see how the Rock HOF goes forward.

All of a sudden bands like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Motorhead, Dio, Anthrax, and Slayer are the biggest influences on the current "hard" end of the rock spectrum, while bands like The Cure, Joy Division, Depeche Mode, and Kraftwerk are influences on the "indie" side of the spectrum.

And there's even a fair amount of crossover between the two as groups like The Cure and Joy Division are also big influences on the current generation of heavy metal music. Slipknot and Korn will be the fist to acknowledge this. And, hell, when Robert Smith was putting together a festival, her included The Deftones. And Simon Gallup is frequently spotted wearing Iron Maiden shirts.

Josh-da-man

If the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame wants to induct musicians from other genres (Pop, Rap, Country, etc.) they need to reserves a special nomination seat so the other genres don't start sucking up nominations from actual ROCK AND ROLL acts.

If they're going to play that game, then give actual ROCK acts five places in the Hall per year, then have a sixth place for another genre like Pop, Rap, or Country. Let one of these acts in per year, but don't let them siphon away votes and seats from actual rock acts. And one of the five Rock positions should be reserved for Hard Rock/Heavy Metal acts, who are woefully underrepresented in the Hall.

Josh-da-man

Ironic, considering that almost everything that has been coming out of Nashville for the past ten-to-twenty years has been more influenced by acts like Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Eagles, and the Black Crows than actual country music.

Daytripper

If Depeche Mode do get in, they better include Alan Wilder for their live performance. And not that awful touring keyboard player and equally awful touring drummer.

JeffTheAlpaca

Has Notorious BIG done anything memorable except getting murdered?

JeffTheAlpaca

That would be awesome

Decker

Faith Evans and Lil Kim.

Josh-da-man

Dealing drugs and beating women?

But they let John Lennon in, so beating women isn't a deal-breaker.