The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced its nominees for the class of 2018 this morning, presenting a group of first-time nominees that might make up the institution's most sonically diverse list in years.
Both Radiohead and Rage Against The Machine are in their first year of eligibility, having released Pablo Honey and Rage Against The Machine, respectively, 25 years ago. As we move away from the monumental rock era, the decidedly not-rock picks for 2018 are telling, like the synth-pop duo Eurythmics, the still vastly underappreciated art-pop genius Kate Bush and the incomparable Nina Simone.
Dire Straits, Judas Priest and Moody Blues are also first-time nominees. But Sister Rosetta Tharpe, one of the most glaring omissions since the Rock Hall's inception, has finally been nominated. The godmother of rock 'n' roll was there before Elvis Presley and Little Richard and, as Jessica Diaz-Hurtado wrote in a recent Turning The Tables essay, Tharpe "turned this burgeoning musical style into an international sensation."
Among the repeat nominees are the J. Geils Band, Bon Jovi, MC5, Depeche Mode, Rufus featuring Chaka Khan, Link Wray, The Cars, The Zombies, The Meters and LL Cool J, who will be Kennedy Center's first hip-hop honoree.
See the full list of nominees below:
*First-time nominees.
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