Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2020 nominees announced: Soundgarden, Motörhead, T. Rex, Thin Lizzy and more
See the full list of artists up for voting here.
Soundgarden, seen here in 2015. Image: Martin Philbey/Redferns via Getty Images
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominees for 2020 were announced yesterday, and they include the likes of Soundgarden, Motörhead, T. Rex and Thin Lizzy.
Those four acts have been nominated for the first time, as have Pat Benatar, Dave Matthews Band, The Doobie Brothers, The Notorious B.I.G., and Whitney Houston.
Rounding out the 2020 list are returning nominees Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode, Kraftwerk, Judas Priest, MC5, Rufus featuring Chaka Khan and Todd Rundgren.
Kim Thayil of Soundgarden and Chris Cornell’s widow Vicky Cornell have voiced their joy over the nomination. “I’m so proud! I know Chris Cornell would be so honoured,” Vicky Cornell wrote on Twitter. Thayil concurred, telling Billboard, “He would be pleased with it.” The guitarist also said, “I thought this is important, especially for the legacy of Soundgarden, and for Chris’ legacy.”
Motörhead’s inclusion, on the other hand, comes with some controversy: The line-up named in the nomination leaves out longtime members Mikkey Dee, the band’s drummer from 1992 ’til 2015, when frontman Lemmy Kilmister died, and guitarist Phil Campbell, who has logged 21 years with the heavy metal band. In an interview with Billboard, Dee called the snub “pure wrong”.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony will take place May 2, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. Notably, the Rock Hall have introduced a fan’s ballot that will be tallied along with other ballots to select the inductees, who will be named in January. You can search “Rock Hall Fan Vote” or the word “Vote” along with any nominee’s name on Google to cast your vote.
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