Last week, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced their 2016 class of inductees. The inducted artists were Cheap Trick, Chicago, Deep Purple, NWA and Steve Miller. The inductees will be enshrined at a ceremony on April 8 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Despite strong interest in acts such as Janet Jackson and the 10-time nominated Chic, the inducted artists are largely rock acts from the 1970s, with the exception of rap icons NWA. Three of this year’s inductees – Cheap Trick, Chicago and Steve Miller – showed on the ballot for the first time. Notably, Miller is being inducted as a solo act and and not as part of The Steve Miller Band. The reasoning for why is unclear, although it may have something to do with the band’s rotating and unstable lineup that often changed from album to album.
The nominated acts who were not inducted were The Cars, Chaka Khan, Chic, Janet Jackson, The J.B’s, Los Lobos, Nine Inch Nails, The Smiths, The Spinners, and Yes. As of this writing, the Hall has not announced any inductees in the non-performer (dubbed the Ahmet Ertegun Award) or early influences category, nor the Award for Musical Excellence that was created out of the sidemen category in 2011.
Through a press release, the Hall has also announced the individual members of Cheap Trick, Chicago, Deep Purple and NWA that will be inducted. Cheap Trick and NWA will be recognized in their classic or original lineups. Deep Purple – whose membership was often so fluid that fans have titled various lineups with “Mark” designations – will be represented by a mix of their best known members. Likewise, only the seven original members of Chicago will be enshrined.
An artist can be nominated for induction in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25 years after the release of their first recording. This year, no artist was nominated from 1990, although such acts as Smashing Pumpkins, Mariah Carey, Blur and A Tribe Called Quest are now eligible for induction in the future. Next year’s nominees will likely include Pearl Jam, who will be in their first year of eligibility.
The inductees were determined through a voting process that included critics, music historians and previous inductees. A single ballot was determined through a fan voting, although some have noted some unusual activity with the fan vote.
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