ROCK THE VOTE
Bon Jovi, LL Cool J lead list of 19 up for Hall honors
BON JOVI is among the 19 music acts livin’ on a prayer of making it into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The New Jersey-based rockers are among a diverse class of nominees spanning genres that include rock, rap, R&B, jazz, funk and punk.
Ten of the acts have appeared on the ballot before, including Bon Jovi, which was first nominated in 2011. LL Cool J, the rapper out of Hollis, Queens, and New Orleans funk band the Meters were each nominated four times before, while the J. Geils Band has five previous nominations.
Nine are first-time nominees: Nina Simone, Eurythmics, Dire Straits, Judas Priest, Kate Bush, the Moody Blues, Radiohead, Rage Against the Machine and Sister Rosetta Tharpe.
The other nominees on this year’s slate are Depeche Mode, the Cars, MC5, Rufus featuring Chaka Khan, Link Wray and the Zombies.
Individual artists or bands are eligible for induction 25 years after releasing their first commercial recording. The 2018 nominees must have released their first official recording no later than 1992.
Fans can vote for their favorite musicians on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction website and select as many as five artists at a time up until Dec. 5.
The winners, which will be announced later that month, are chosen by 900 international voters made up of past inductees, historians and music industry members, along with the results of the online fan vote.
The 33rd annual ceremony will take place in Cleveland on April 14 and be broadcast on HBO.
Last year, six artists were inducted into the Hall: Electric Light Orchestra, INVISION/AP Joan Baez, Journey, Pearl Jam, Tupac Shakur and Yes.