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Have Joan Jett news to report? Email us at jettfc@aol.com, and please include the source of the information so it can be validated. Nine Inch Nails, Green Day, JOAN JETT, Stevie Ray Vaughan, N.W.A. top nominees for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2015 from: cleveland.com By Chuck Yarborough, The Plain Dealer | Photo by Chris Pizzello, Associated Press)
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland-born Nine Inch Nails tops a list of 15 nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2015 that also features first-time-eligible Green Day and much-loved JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS.
Also on the ballot announced by the Rock Hall Thursday morning are the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Chic, Kraftwerk, the Marvelettes, N.W.A., Lou Reed, the Smiths, the Spinners, Sting, Stevie Ray Vaughan, War and Bill Withers.
It's fitting that Trent Reznor's futuristic industrial rock band made the ballot in its first year of eligibility, in a year when the ceremonies will be held in Public Hall in the city that gave rise to the band.
In years past, there were some bands and artists among the nominees who were considered "no-brainers.'' Nirvana and KISS in the Class of 2014 are examples. NIN, Green Day and JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS fill that role in the Class of 2015.
To be eligible for the Rock Hall, artists or bands must have released their first single or album 25 years ago, meaning that potential members of the Class of 2015 had to have released a recording of some sort in 1989 or earlier.
"We are pleased to present this group of nominees, as they represent the myriad places where rock and roll converges with blues, electronic, dance, Motown, R&B, funk and other genres,'' said Joel Peresman, president and chief executive officer of the New York-based Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation in a release from the Rock Hall.
"Rock and roll incorporates the styles of so many different kinds of music, and that's what makes this group of nominees -- and this art form -- so powerful and unique,'' Peresman said in the release.
The Rock Hall made the nominees available to media outlets as of 6 a.m. today -- but for online use only. USA Today, the Rock Hall's national partner, is the only outlet permitted to publish the nominations in Thursday's print editions. The Plain Dealer will have stories about the nominations in Friday's print edition.
More than 700 voters -- current Hall of Famers, music industry insiders, historians and writers -- will select the actual inductees. Most likely, it will be nine or 10 of the nominees. Additionally, the Rock Hall will induct one or two nonperformers -- usually producers or managers -- as Ahmet Ertegun Award winners.
Once again, fans will have a say -- a very LIMITED say -- in the balloting. Music lovers can vote online for their favorites at rockhall.com, rollingstone.com and usatoday.com. The top five vote-getters in that public poll will count as a single ballot -- alongside the other 700-plus ballots.
The actual Class of 2015 will be announced in December, and ceremonies will be in Cleveland's Public Hall on Saturday, April 18, 2015. Details on public ticket sales will be announced at a later date, according to the Rock Hall.
JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS (prior nominations: 2012, 2013): JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS created a potent mix of hard rock, glam, punk, metal and garage rock that sounds fresh and relevant in any era. Their biggest hit, "I Love Rock 'N' Roll" (No. 1 in 1982), is a rock classic -- as pure and simple a statement about the music's power as Chuck Berry's "Roll Over Beethoven." ... From her days as a founding member of the all-female RUNAWAYS, Jett has made loud, hook-laden records that convey toughness and joy.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland-born Nine Inch Nails tops a list of 15 nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2015 that also features first-time-eligible Green Day and much-loved JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS.