PEARL JAM, JOURNEY, JANE’S ADDICTION, YES, TUPAC, STEPPENWOLF, J. Geils Band Among Nominees For ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME Induction

The nominations for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s Class of 2017 are in, and the list includes Pearl Jam, Tupac Shakur, Depeche Mode, Electric Light Orchestra, Jane’s Addiction, Janet Jackson, Journey, the Cars, the Zombies andYes. The rest of this year’s hopefuls are Bad Brains, Chaka Khan, Chic, J. Geils Band, Joan Baez, Joe Tex, Kraftwerk, MC5 and Steppenwolf. The top vote-getters will be announced in December and inducted next April at a ceremony at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. HBO will broadcast the ceremony later in the year.

The induction ceremony again will be held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Out of PEARL JAM‘s five drummers, only current drummer Matt Cameron and founding member Dave Krusen will be inducted should they make it in. In addition, only classic Steve Perry lineup of JOURNEY is listed, along with founding keyboardist/singer Gregg Rolie. As for YES, original singer Jon Anderson is on the ballot along with drummers Bill Bruford and Alan White, keyboardists Tony Kaye and Rick Wakeman, guitarists Steve Howe and Trevor Rabin and bassist Chris Squire.

PEARL JAM guitarist Mike McCready was asked at the 2013 ceremony about his band’s chances. “You know, you never want to place any bets on anything,” he said. “I’m not a gambler, so I’m not going to try to put any odds on that. But I don’t know. I hope so. But you never know. You never know what happens. It could take a while.”

If inducted, PEARL JAM would be the second of the seminal Seattle “grunge” acts — after NIRVANA — to enter the Hall. Two others, SOUNDGARDEN and ALICE IN CHAINS, are also both eligible for induction.

For the fifth consecutive year, the public will have the opportunity to vote alongside the more than 800 artists, historians and music industry insiders of the Rock Hall voting body. From now until December 6th, fans can vote on RollingStone.com for the nominees they’d like to see inducted. The top five acts will comprise a “fan’s ballot” that will count as one of the ballots that determine the class of 2016. Voting is available below.
To be eligible for this year’s ballot, each nominee’s first single or album had to be released in 1991 or earlier. Some of the nominees have appeared on previous ballots, but this is the first appearance for Bad Brains, Depeche Mode, Electric Light Orchestra, Jane’s Addiction, Joan Baez, Journey, Pearl Jam, Steppenwolf, and Tupac Shakur. It’s Pearl Jam and Shakur’s first year of eligibility, while Chic earned a Hall of Fame record with 11 ballot appearances. It’s the fifth for Joe Tex, the fourth for the J. Geils Bands and Kraftwerk and the third for Yes.
In a change of tradition, the Hall of Fame has announced the individual members of each band that will be honored. Pearl Jam have had five drummers, but only current drummer Matt Cameron and founding member Dave Krusen will be inducted should they make it in. Electric Light Orchestra has had many musicians come and go over the years, but just Jeff Lynne, Roy Wood, Bev Bevan and Richard Tandy made the cut. The classic Steve Perry lineup of Journey is listed along with founding keyboardist/singer Gregg Rolie. As far as Yes, original singer Jon Anderson is on the ballot along with drummers Bill Bruford and Alan White, keyboardists Tony Kaye and Rick Wakeman, guitarists Steve Howe and Trevor Rabin and bassist Chris Squire. Keyboardist Vince Clarke left Depeche Mode after their first album Speak & Spell, but he is listed along with the rest of the band.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is often the one place where estranged bands reunite for a single evening. The most notable potential reunions possible from this class include Journey with Steve Perry, Yes with Anderson, Bruford, Rabin, Kaye and Wakeman, ELO with Bevan and Wood, the 1970s lineup of Kraftwerk, Jane’s Addiction with original bassist Eric Avery, J. Geils Band with guitarist John Geils and drummer Stephen Jo Bladd and Depeche Mode with Clarke and keyboardist Alan Wilder.
Last year’s Hall of Fame class included N.W.A, Steve Miller, Cheap Trick, Chicago and Deep Purple.