After decades of too-often-scorned female artists, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is looking to make up for lost time for the second year in a row.
The list of 2022 nominees, announced on Wednesday, includes Dolly Parton and Carly Simon, both on the ballot for the first time, as well as repeat nominees Dionne Warwick, Kate Bush, Pat Benatar and the Eurythmics, the late British duo long led by the powerful voice Annie Lennox.
Parton is in a rare class. Fewer than a dozen other country music artists have been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Only one of them, Brenda Lee, was also a woman.
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The nominations for Parton and Simon aren’t nearly as surprising as the contenders in last year’s ballot, which featured a record seven women nominees and saw three – Tina Turner, Carole King and The Go-Go’s – win enough of votes to be inducted.
But the presence on the 2022 ballot of country music queen Parton (who appears to be a shoe) and 70s pop favorite Simon (likely longer) suggests that last year’s ballot was not no coincidence. That’s true even though Mary J. Blige and Chaka Khan — who were each nominated for the first time last year — are conspicuously absent from the ballot this year.
The other first-time nominees this time around represent a wide range of styles. They include Lionel Richie, Beck, innovative hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest and rapper Eminem, who will be one of the performers in the halftime show at this year’s Super Bowl in Los Angeles on February 13.
In addition to Warwick, Bush, Benatar and Eurythmics, this year’s repeat nominees highlight the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s efforts to represent an increasingly eclectic array of music creators. Or, at least, to include them on the ballot. (Pioneering disco band Chic were nominated 11 times between 2003 and 2017, the last year their name appeared on the ballot, but failed to garner enough votes to be inducted.)
Other repeat nominees this year include Rage Against The Machine, Devo, late Afro-Beat pioneer Fela Kuti, MC5 (nominated this year for the sixth time), the New York Dolls and English heavy metal favorites Judas Priest.
“This year’s ballot recognizes a diverse group of incredible artists, each of whom has had a profound impact on the sound of youth culture,” John Sykes, chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, said in a statement. released Wednesday morning.
“Their music has not only moved generations, but also influenced the sound of countless artists who have followed.”
At 76, Parton and Simon are the oldest solo artists nominated this year. Eminem, at 49, is the youngest.
Artists become eligible for induction into the hall 25 years after the release of their first recording under their own name. This makes Eminem the only candidate to vote this time around in his first year of eligibility.
Factors considered by the nominating committee include an artist’s musical influence on other artists, the longevity of their career and the depth of their work, as well as their level of innovation and “superiority in the style and technique.
But enduring stardom doesn’t guarantee an artist’s name will appear on the ballot or be inducted. Neither impacted subsequent generations of artists, as fans of many of this year’s repeat nominees – bow down, Fela Kuti, MC5 and New York Dolls – can attest.
The fact that 10 of this year’s 17 nominees released their first albums after 1978 is an indication that many classic rock artists have already been inducted – or are unlikely to stand in the ballot if they don’t. haven’t already done so.
The 10 video nominees up for grabs this year include former MTV favorites like Beck, Eminem, Duran Duran, Lionel Richie, Devo, Pat Benatar, Eurythmics and A Tribe Called Quest. (In 1981, the video for Benatar’s song “You Better Run” became the second ever to air on MTV, following the prophetically titled “Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles.)
The inductees will be announced in May, after voting by an international voting body made up of more than 1,000 artists, historians, members of the music industry and critics, including this writer.
Fans can participate in the induction selection process with the fan vote, which runs until April 29. Fans can vote daily at vote.rockhall.com, or in person at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland.
The top five artists selected by the public will include a “fan vote”. These votes will be counted, along with the other ballots, to select the 2022 inductees.
It remains to announce the winners in two categories who are selected by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, not by its voters.
These two categories are: the Ahmet Ertegun Award, which honors non-performers and was awarded last year to record company executive Clarence Avant; and the “early influence” award, given last year to blues pioneer Charley Patton, proto-rapper Gil Scott-Heron and visionary German electronic music group Kraftwerk.
The 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place this fall. Date, location and ticket on-sale information have yet to be announced. However, 26 of the previous induction ceremonies have been in New York and six in Cleveland, including last year.
The ceremony has only been held twice in Los Angeles, most notably in 1993, when Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder memorably sang with the surviving members of the Doors.
