JUDAS PRIEST, THIN LIZZY, MOTÖRHEAD, AMONG OTHERS, NOMINATED FOR THE 2020 CLASS OF THE ROCK N’ ROLL HALL OF FAME
Judas Priest MC5, Motörhead, Nine Inch Nails, Soundgarden, T.Rex and Thin Lizzy are among the nominees for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame’s class of 2020. Also nominated are Notorious B.I.G., Whitney Houston, Pat Benatar, Dave Matthews Band, Depeche Mode, The Dobbie Brothers, Kraftwerk, Rufus Featuring Chaka Khan and Todd Rundgren. The top vote-getters will be announced in January and inducted May 2, 2020 at a ceremony at Cleveland’s Public Hall.
A voter pool of more than 1,000 artists, historians, journalists and members of the music industry will select the new class. Fans will also have a chance to take part in the process by voting at RockHall.com or an interactive kiosk at the museum in Cleveland.
According to Rolling Stone (via blabbermouth.net) the Hall Of Fame has also announced the individual members of each band that will be inducted. Les Binks, K.K. Downing, Rob Halford, Ian Hill, Dave Holland, Glenn Tipton and Scott Travis are on the ballot for Judas Priest. Trent Reznor will accept the honor alone should Nine Inch Nails get in. Motörhead are represented by Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister, “Fast” Eddie Clarke and Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor, while T.Rex members Marc Bolan, Mickey Finn, Steve Currie, Bill Legend were selected and Thin Lizzy will be represented by Phil Lynott, Brian Downey, Eric Bell, Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson.
Judas Priest frontman, Rob Halford, tells Billboard, “It’s just another thrill, again, to be nominated and so quickly because I know sometimes the nominations can get stretched out for quite a long period of time. So to get another one so quickly is wonderful and another great moment for the Priest and for our fans.”
“There’s always a tinge of controversy about the Hall,” Halford adds, “but the fact that Priest is here again speaks volumes about the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame respecting heavy metal music, especially British heavy metal music.”
Judas Priest is LONG overdue to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I certainly have no problem with Black Sabbath and Metallica being in already but Priest should have been in there long before Guns N Roses. No offense to them but Priest created and crafted much of what metal and hard rock has become. Get out there and Rock the vote! And yes, I have no problem with KK rejoining them for their 50th Anniversary. Cheers to you Dana, your old Priest co-pilot here!
Louis,
So happy to hear from you, YAY. 🙂 Also, I couldn’t agree more with everything that your wrote, great post.
D 🙂
Louis: I echo Dana’s comments. Priest are well overdue and more than deserving for induction. IMO, they were the first metal band, not Sabbath, and were very influential in both sound and image. IMO, Priest are way more deserving of induction than Guns N Roses, who I think are a highly overrated rock band based on their music output alone.
Rattle,
Great post, too.
D 🙂
The shoo-ins, in my opinion, because of popularity, and the need to sell tickets for the induction ceremony, are:
Dave Matthews Band
Whitney Houston
Soundgarden
That leaves only two spots left among the remainder of the nominees.
My five picks, in no particular order:
Pat Benatar
Dave Matthews Band
Whitney Houston (not my genre, but you can’t deny she had a helluva voice)
Judas Priest
Soundgarden
Honorable mentions:
Depeche Mode
The Doobie Brothers
Motorhead (longshot, but they deserve to be inducted)
Thin Lizzy (sadly I think they have zero chance of ever being inducted)
I have no problem with the members of Priest the Hall have chosen to induct should they be selected (including Holland). But in addition to the original Motorhead three, how could you not include Phil Campbell and Mikkey Dee? That’s unbelievable!
Sorry, I don’t mean to sound insolent, but I think the only reason Soundgarden is in consideration, is because Cornell passed, so this seems like a posthumous induction, which means they will most likely be a shoo in.
If they get in before Priest, it is simply because of that fact. Without bands like Priest, and Sabbath, there would be no Soundgarden, AIC or many others.
Life is too short, so why waste Precious Time? Put Pat Benatar in the HOF already!
I also think Judas Priest should have already been in it is really a joke there not in yet – I think Motörhead and thin Lizzy should also get in – but I think priest will be the only metal/ hard rock band that gets in this year ( and I hope KK hits the stage with them ! ) I hope I’m wrong , but I think Rundgren. And Benatar will be voted in instead of the others –
Benatar should be (and deservedly so) voted in ahead of the others! She not only broke the glass ceiling in 1979, she shattered it!
The RRHOF is still trying to shove Kraftwork and Rufus down our throats. They don’t meet the criteria. I would rather have Iron Maiden in before Priest, but if Priest gets in them maybe Maiden gets nominated next year. Don’t be surprised if Whitney gets in. I’m probably the only one on this site that believes she is deserving. Pat Benatar is a slam dunk. Who gets in first: Biggie or Motörhead?
Sorry, I don’t agree that Maiden should go in before Priest, but to each their own. IMHO, there would be no Maiden without Priest. Also, Priest is far more musically diversified band, than Maiden.