Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has Revealed the 2019 Inductees

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2019 has been revealed, with seven inductees slated to join the Rock Hall ranks next year: The Cure, Def Leppard, Janet Jackson, Stevie Nicks, Radiohead, Roxy Music and The Zombies.

Of the seven names who will enter the RRHOF at the March 29, 2019, induction ceremony in New York City, three of the artists are first-time nominees: Def Lep, Stevie Nicks and Roxy Music (Nicks is already inducted as a member of Fleetwood Mac, however). As for the fan votes for the Rock Hall, four of the five artists who topped that tally are getting inducted: Def Leppard, Stevie Nicks, The Zombies and the Cure.

The Zombies and Janet Jackson are the bridesmaid nominees who finally get to walk down the induction aisle; the British psych-pop band was previously nominated three times, and the long-running pop icon was up for the honor twice before this. Radiohead’s eventual induction was an all-but-foregone conclusion, and considering how beloved and influential Stevie Nicks remains, her induction doesn’t come as a shock, even if this was her first nomination.

The ratification of The Cure and Def Leppard, however, does seem to signal a bit of a shift in voters’ tastes: Both British bands have been eligible for over a decade, and their induction in 2019 may indicate that the Rock Hall is starting to seriously consider a number of bands whose late ‘70s/‘80s heydays were previously undervalued (the recent induction of Bon Jovi and the Cars seems to trend toward this as well).

The induction of glam-inflected cult faves Roxy Music, however, is certainly the year’s biggest surprise — but undoubtedly a welcome one, considering their first five albums are stone-cold art rock classics and their 1982 swan song, Avalon, was a masterful turn toward sophisticated pop. And yes, this means ambient pioneer Brian Eno, a member of the band on their first two albums, will enter the Rock Hall in 2019.

The 34th Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, presented by Klipsch Audio, will take place on Friday, March 29, 2019 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Tickets will go on sale in January. The ceremony will have its broadcast premiere on HBO, with a radio broadcast on SiriusXM.

(Source: Billboard)