With its latest list of nominees, The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is proving once again that it’s ready to embrace a new generation of inductees.
The list of 14 performers, which was announced today, spans generations, with Chubby Checkers of the ‘60s, Bad Company and Joe Cocker of the ‘70s, and Cindi Lauper and Joy Division/New Order of the ‘80s. Still, ‘90s and 2000s acts seem to dominate the list more and more each year.
This is Soundgarden’s third nomination, while Mariah Carey, Joy Division/New Order, Cyndi Lauper, Oasis and the White Stripes have all been nominated once before.
Around the office, we were speculating that DEVO might be nominated again (longtime readers know where we stand). The band of Akron natives recently announced its first Cleveland concert in years and has been included in Saturday Night Live’s anniversary show. But no luck.
Suggested: Relive These Iconic Cleveland Concerts That Are Available to Stream Online
Fans of Bad Company have long bemoaned the band’s lack of recognition from the Hall. Now, the group behind hits like “All Right Now,” “Feel Like Making Love,” and “Shooting Star” gets to make its run at rock ‘n’ roll immortality. Until now, singer Paul Rodgers has taken a little bit of blame for its exclusion. In 2023, he told Cleveland Magazine about a conversation he’d had in the 1980s with Rock Hall co-founder Ahmet Ertegun, co-founder and president of Atlantic Records.
“I said, ‘Well, you know, I don’t think rock ’n’ roll belongs in a museum, Ahmet. So no,’” Rodgers said. “He asked me a couple of times, and I sort of turned him down. My bad, I suppose, because it turned out to be quite a very important thing. But there we are.”
When the finalists are announced in April, Rodgers will be hoping that’s exactly where he ends up. The awards ceremony will be held in Los Angeles in the fall, typically in October.
Here are the other bands vying for a spot in Cleveland’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
- Bad Company
- The Black Crowes
- Mariah Carey
- Chubby Checker
- Joe Cocker
- Billy Idol
- Joy Division/New Order
- Cyndi Lauper
- Maná
- Oasis
- Outkast
- Phish
- Soundgarden
- The White Stripes
For more updates about Cleveland, sign up for our Cleveland Magazine Daily newsletter, delivered to your inbox six times a week.
Cleveland Magazine is also available in print, publishing 12 times a year with immersive features, helpful guides and beautiful photography and design.
