The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has released its long-list for possible 2017 inductees, and it features one of the most star-studded ballots in recent memory.
Rock-and-roll luminaries make up the bulk of the bill, as is customary, along with some outlying pop, R&B and hip-hop artists.
Pearl Jam, Journey, Electric Light Orchestra, Jane’s Addiction and Steppenwolf are all on the ballot for the first time, alongside fellow newcomers Joan Baez, Depeche Mode, hip-hop icon Tupac Shakur and D.C. punk legends Bad Brains.
Rounding out the list are returning nominees including Yes, The Cars, The Zombies, Janet Jackson, Chic, Kraftwerk and MC5, among others.
To be eligible, an artist must have released their first recordings at least 25 years ago. Pearl Jam and Tupac both released their debuts in 1991, thus becoming nominees on their first years of eligibility.
Fans will have a chance to show their support for the nominated artists with a fan ballot. The top five artists from this vote will be put on a fans’ ballot and tallied along with the votes from more than 800 international artists, historians and music industry members. The final list of inductees will be announced in December.
The 2016 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees included Deep Purple, Cheap Trick, Chicago and N.W.A.
See the full list of nominees below:
Nominees for Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class of 2017:
- Bad Brains
- Chaka Khan
- Chic
- Depeche Mode
- Electric Light Orchestra
- J. Geils Band
- Jane’s Addiction
- Janet Jackson
- Joan Baez
- Joe Tex
- Journey
- Kraftwerk
- MC5
- Pearl Jam
- Steppenwolf
- The Cars
- The Zombies
- Tupac Shakur
- Yes