Fifteen diverse nominees are up for induction in 2013.
1:53PM EST October 4. 2012 – Randy Newman, Public Enemy, Rush, Chic, Heart, Donna Summer and Kraftwerk are among 15 diverse nominees up for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Also on the 2013 preliminary ballot are Deep Purple, the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Albert King, The Marvelettes, The Meters, N.W.A. and Procol Harum.
Inductees will be determined by the hall’s voting body of roughly 600 artists, historians and music industry professionals. An artist or band becomes eligible for a nomination 25 years after releasing a debut single or album. This year’s nominees released their first recordings no later than 1987.
The Rock Hall’s annual nominees list stirs enthusiasm, ire and debate, lighting up websites and social media. That’s likely to be the case again with a ballot accommodating hip-hop, disco and electronica.
“Nobody’s wrong,” says Joel Peresman, president and CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation. “Whether it’s Madonna getting in or Run-DMC, people say, ‘Wait a second, that’s not rock ‘n’ roll.’ Obviously, a lot of people think it is. Rock ‘n’ roll means so many things to so many people.
“And fans are really passionate about their music. If someone wants Rush to get in, they just don’t give up. They get more rabid about it.”
The 28th annual ceremony takes place April 18 in Los Angeles for the first time since Cream was inducted in 1993. The event at the Nokia Theatre will be broadcast at a later date on HBO.
This year’s hopefuls:
The Paul Butterfield Blues Band. The Chicago band, powered by Butterfield on harmonica and Mike Bloomfield on guitar, led ’60s rock lovers to the wellspring of Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf.
Chic. With dance floor classics like Le Freak and Good Times, Nile Rodgers and company gave disco a brilliant, soulful upgrade and influenced generations of pop and rap artists.
Deep Purple. The British quintet, which helped define the heavy metal genre with its organ-driven thick sound and early covers of Hush and Kentucky Woman, hijacked the charts with Smoke on the Water and Woman From Tokyo.
Heart. The Seattle band led by sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson crafted a savvy blend of rock crunch and creamy balladry, generating a steady stream of hits that included Magic Man, Heartless, Barracuda and Crazy on You.
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. The founding member of the all-girl Runaways forged a gritty mix of rock, punk and metal with the Blackhearts, serving up the timeless chart-topper, I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll.
Albert King. Disciples of Cream and Jimi Hendrix soon discovered the source of their mournful blues licks in the trove of King’s Stax recordings, which imprinted Eric Clapton, Joe Walsh, Stevie Ray Vaughn and Johnny Winter.
Kraftwerk. The hugely influential synth-rock outfit, founded in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hutter and Florian Schneider, has shaped every electronica-shaded act of the past 40 years.
The Marvelettes. Gladys Horton, Katherine Anderson, Georgeanna Tillman and Wanda Young never reached the heights of The Supremes, but they enjoyed a supreme moment in Motown history with No. 1 hit Please Mr. Postman in 1961.
The Meters. The iconic New Orleans funk ensemble and house band for Allen Toussaint’s Sansu label recorded Cissy Strut, Look-Ka Py Py and many tunes with Dr. John.
Randy Newman. The pop satirist, best known for Short People and I Love L.A., has been writing and singing witty, sentimental and politically pointed tunes for four decades.
N.W.A. Dr. Dre’s ambitious, angry rap group, dubbed The Beatles of hip-hop, electrified fans, stunned city fathers and attracted the FBI’s attention with gangsta rap classic F— Tha Police and aggressive albums Straight Outta Compton and N—–4Life.
Procol Harum. The quintet’s soaring A Whiter Shade of Pale remains a staple on classic rock radio 45 years after its release. In 1972, the band again made a mark with the orchestral Conquistador.
Public Enemy. Led by Chuck D, the politically charged rap group mixed stinging commentary with sonic brilliance on such milestones as 1990’s Fear of a Black Planet.
Rush. The Canadian progressive rockers never shied from bombast or grand ideas in executing ambitious concept albums, epic tunes and such radio-friendly hits as Tom Sawyer and New World Man.
Donna Summer. Bringing equal measures of church and sex to the dance floor, the Queen of Disco racked up hits Hot Stuff, Bad Girls, MacArthur Park and She Works Hard for the Money.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2012/10/04/2013-rock-hall-of-fame-nominees/1610957/