On Wednesday, February 10th, the long list of nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2021 were announced. 16 total nominees were announced, with seven of them being first-timers. The inductees will be announced sometime in May.
This will be the 36th annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, which is set to take place this fall in Cleveland, Ohio. Fans are also able to vote for their favorites through April 30th on the Rock Hall website found here.
The nine nominees that have been on this list before are Kate Bush, Devo, Chaka Khan, Carole King, LL Cool J, New York Dolls, Rage Against the Machine, Todd Rundgren and Tina Turner. While Foo Fighters, The Go-Go’s, Iron Maiden, JAY-Z, Mary J. Blige, Fela Kuti, and Dionne Warwick make the nominee list for the first time.
John Sykes, the Chairman of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation talked about the nominee list in a statement, saying, “This remarkable ballot reflects the diversity and depth of the artists and music the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame celebrates. These nominees have left an indelible impact on the sonic landscape of the world and influenced countless artists that have followed them.”
If Foo Fighters are inducted, it will be the second time Dave Grohl has been inducted, the first being with Nirvana in 2014. Carole King and Tina Turner, if inducted, would be the second and third women to be inducted at more than once, behind Stevie Nicks.
Some are surprised to not see previously nominated artists but who were not inducted, on this year’s list, including Bad Brains, Pat Benatar, Dave Matthews Band, Eurythmics, Jane’s Addiction, Judas Priest, Kraftwerk, MC5, Motörhead, Gram Parsons, John Prine, Eric B. & Rakim, the Replacements, the Smiths, Soundgarden, and Thin Lizzy. Additionally, a handful of other artists were up for nomination for the first time this year but did not make the list, including Backstreet Boys, D’Angelo, Deftones, Garbage, and Robyn.
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