Last week, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced the list of nominees who could be inducted into its Lake Erie museum in 2020. Among the names of artists included on the short list of nominees were Pat Benatar, Depeche Mode, The Doobie Brothers, Whitney Houston, Judas Priest, Kraftwerk, MC5, Motörhead, Nine Inch Nails, The Notorious B.I.G., Rufus feat. Chaka Khan, Todd Rundgren, Soundgarden, T. Rex, Thin Lizzy, and Dave Matthews Band.
The latter has stayed as busy as any other name on the list in 2019, as DMB spent much of the summer and ongoing fall months on tour behind their latest studio effort, 2018’s Come Tomorrow.
Matthews has since shared his thoughts on the honor in the days since the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s announcement.
“It’s a real honor,” Matthews told The Associated Press. “Even if they stick us in a holding pen for a few years, that’s OK. Just to get on that list. I can’t believe I’m on a list with Whitney Houston, Motorhead and T. Rex. That’s pretty awesome.”
Notes Rolling Stone, “To be eligible for this year’s ballot, each nominee’s first single or album had to be released in 1994 or earlier. In a break with recent history, a majority of the nominees are appearing on the ballot for the first time, including Dave Matthews Band.”
The current core Dave Matthews Band lineup of Dave Matthews, Stefan Lessard, Carter Beauford, Tim Reynolds, Rashawn Ross, and Jeff Coffin were nominated alongside former fiddler Boyd Tinsley and late founding saxophonist LeRoi Moore. The inductees will be chosen by a voter pool of 1,000+ artists, journalists, and music industry members. The induction process also includes a fan vote, which fans can access here.
[H/T Billboard]