Rush, Public Enemy, Deep Purple Nominated for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Rush

The nominations for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s Class of 2013 are in. This year’s hopefuls are Albert King, Chic, Deep Purple, Donna Summer, Heart, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Kraftwerk, the Marvelettes, the Meters, N.W.A., Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Procul Harum, Public Enemy, Randy Newman and Rush. The top vote-getters will be inducted on April 18th, 2013 at the Nokia Theater L.A. live in Los Angeles.

 For the first time, the public gets to vote alongside the artists, historians and music industry insiders of the Rock Hall voting body. From now until December 5th, fans can vote on RollingStone.com for the nominees they’d like to see inducted. The top five acts will comprise a “fan’s ballot” that will count as one of the more than 600 ballots that determine the Class of 2013. The results will be announced in mid-December.

“The definition of ‘rock & roll’ means different things to different people, but as broad as the classifications may be, they all share a common love of the music,” commented Joel Peresman, President and CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation. “This year we again proudly put forth a fantastic array of groups and artists that span the entire genre that is ‘rock & roll.'”

Rush have been eligible for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 1998, but this is their first time appearing on the ballot. Pioneering rap groups N.W.A and Public Enemy also both made the ballot in their first year of eligibility. If they are inducted, they will join fellow hip-hop acts Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Run-D.M.C. and the Beastie Boys in the Hall of Fame.

The ceremony will be held in Los Angeles for the first time since 1993. It’s usually held in New York at the Waldforf Astoria, but it was held in Cleveland in 1997, 2009 and 2012.