Because I know you were waiting with breathless anticipation, here's your 2017 nominees for the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame:
The nominations for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's Class of 2017 are in, and the list includes Pearl Jam, Tupac Shakur, Depeche Mode, Electric Light Orchestra, Jane's Addiction, Janet Jackson, Journey, the Cars, the Zombies and Yes. The rest of this year's hopefuls are Bad Brains, Chaka Khan, Chic, J. Geils Band, Joan Baez, Joe Tex, Kraftwerk, MC5 and Steppenwolf. The top vote-getters will be announced in December and inducted next April at a ceremony at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. HBO will broadcast the ceremony later in the year.
For the fifth consecutive year, the public will have the opportunity to vote alongside the more than 800 artists, historians and music industry insiders of the Rock Hall voting body. From now until December 6th, 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 ballots that determine the class of 2016. Voting is available below.
To be eligible for this year's ballot, each nominee's first single or album had to be released in 1991 or earlier. Some of the nominees have appeared on previous ballots, but this is the first appearance for Bad Brains, Depeche Mode, Electric Light Orchestra, Jane’s Addiction, Joan Baez, Journey, Pearl Jam, Steppenwolf, and Tupac Shakur. It's Pearl Jam and Shakur's first year of eligibility, while Chic earned a Hall of Fame record with 11 ballot appearances. It's the fifth for Joe Tex, the fourth for the J. Geils Bands and Kraftwerk and the third for Yes.