Today, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has announced their 2019 induction class. The new class of inductees includes Radiohead, Janet Jackson, Stevie Nicks, Def Leppard, The Cure, Roxy Music, and The Zombies.
The seven acts were selected from a crop of 15 nominees which also included Devo, John Prine, Kraftwerk, LL Cool J, MC5, Rage Against The Machine, Todd Rundgren, and Rufus & Chaka Kahn.
The Zombies earned their Hall of Fame induction this year on their fourth nomination, while Janet Jackson got the nod for 2019 on her third. Radiohead was nominated last year in their first year of eligibility, and will now enter the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on their second ballot. The Cure was nominated one time prior to this year, but not since 2012. Def Leppard, Roxy Music, and Stevie Nicks all earned induction this year off their first nominations.
Of note, Stevie Nicks will now become the first female artist to be inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Her 2019 induction as a solo artist comes more than 20 years after her 1998 induction as a member of Fleeetwood Mac.
As Nicks said in a statement,
I have a lot to say about this. but I will save those words for later. For now I will just say, I have been in a band since 1968. To be recognized for my solo work makes me take a deep breath and smile. It’s a glorious feeling.
In 2018, the Rock Hall inducted Bon Jovi, Dire Straits, The Moody Blues, The Cars, and Nina Simone, and gave a special Early Influence award to Sister Rosetta Tharpe.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2019 Inductees
[Video: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]
Of course, the Rock Hall is simply a ceremonial honor, and one that often doesn’t reflect the sentiments of rock and roll fans. There are plenty of bands that deserve to be recognized for the distinction but have been overlooked entirely by the small, 1,000-person voting collective that makes decisions regarding inductees. If your favorite didn’t get the nod this year, you can still love them anyway. Maybe next year’s their year. Or not. Probably not. But who cares? Music is subjective, and all that really matters on an individual level is who’s in your Hall of Fame. Who really wants to go to Cleveland, anyway?
Congratulations to the new 2019 inductees!