Rap legend Tupac Shakur, 80s soft rock band Journey and 90s alternative rock group Pearl Jam are among the eclectic group of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees to be inducted into the prestigious club in 2017.
English rock bands Yes and Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) and folk singer-songwriter Joan Baez will also be inducted in next year’s Rock Hall class, while Chic frontman Nile Rodgers will be given the Award for Musical Excellence.
Recording artists are made eligible for Rock Hall induction 25 years after the release of their first recording.
Shakur, who was fatally shot during a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas in 1996, released his first studio album, 2Pacalypse Now in November 1991.
Journey and Yes have been nominated and snubbed several times through the years.
Journey keyboardist and songwriter Jonathan Cain expressed his frustration with the balloting process. “It’s just been a little bit of a wait. I think it was patience. We just had to be patient. I figured it would come around,” Cain told Billboard.
More than 900 Rock Hall voters cast their votes for this year’s inductees.
The 32nd annual Rock Hall induction ceremony will be held on April 7 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. SiriusXM will broadcast the ceremony live. The event will air on HBO at a later date.
Follow Jerome Hudson on Twitter @jeromeehudson
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.