First-Timers on Rock Hall of Fame Ballot: Pearl Jam, Tupac

Journey, Joan Baez, Depeche Mode also get the nod
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Oct 18, 2016 8:58 AM CDT
Pearl Jam Could Follow Nirvana to Rock Hall
Pearl Jam (frontman Eddie Vedder shown here) is up for induction for the first time.   (Photo by Greg Allen/Invision/AP, File)

The late rapper Tupac Shakur and Seattle-based rockers Pearl Jam are among the first-time nominees on the ballot for induction next year into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Nine of the 19 acts that were nominated Tuesday are on the ballot for the first time, with Shakur and Pearl Jam in their first year of eligibility, the AP reports. More than 800 artists, historians, and music-industry officials vote, with results announced in December and induction next April. Other first-time nominees include Journey; hardcore punk pioneers Bad Brains; 1980s synth-poppers Depeche Mode; Jeff Lynne's 1970s hit machine Electric Light Orchestra; Lollapalooza instigators Jane's Addiction; 1960s folkie Joan Baez; and Steppenwolf, Canadian rockers of "Born to Be Wild" fame. The disco-era band Chic is on the ballot for the 11th time.

Others back as nominees include soul singer and former Rufus frontwoman Chaka Khan; the Peter Wolf-led rockers J. Geils Band; soul superstar Janet Jackson; the late "I Gotcha" singer Joe Tex; the German electronic music band Kraftwerk; the Detroit-area punk forerunners MC5; Ric Ocasek's new wavers The Cars; the Zombies, British makers of "Time of the Season" and "She's Not There"; and the 1970s-era progressive rockers Yes. There's no set number of inductees; this year's class had five members. To be eligible, all of the nominees had to have released their first recording no later than 1991. The induction ceremony, open to the ticket-buying public and televised later on HBO, will take place in Brooklyn's Barclays Center. The public will also be invited to vote online, with their top five selections among the nominees cast as a "fan's ballot." (Still no love for Harry Nilsson.)

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