Soundgarden, Judas Priest, Motorhead + Nine Inch Nails Among 2020 Rock Hall Nominees

2019-10-15

Chris Cornell performing at his final show in May 2017 in Detroit – Story by Anne Erickson, photo by Ken Settle

The tally of nominees for the 2020 Rock Hall includes Soundgarden, Judas Priest, Motorhead, Nine Inch Nails and more

The nominations for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s class of 2020 have officially been announced, and the list features some familiar names, as well as a few surprises.

The 2020 list of nominees include Soundgarden with late frontman Chris Cornell, Judas Priest, Nine Inch Nails, Motorhead with late frontman Lemmy Kilmister, the Notorious B.I.G., Whitney Houston, Pat Benatar, Dave Matthews Band, Depeche Mode, the Doobie Brothers, Kraftwerk, MC5, Rufus featuring Chaka Khan, Todd Rundgren, T. Rex and Thin Lizzy.

The official Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class of 2020 will be announced in January, and winners will be inducted May 2, 2020, during an event at Cleveland’s Public Hall.

As for the rules, to be eligible for this year’s ballot, each act’s first single or album had to be released in 1994 or earlier. Many of the 2020 nominees are in the running for the first time, including Soundgarden, Motorhead, Dave Matthews Band, the Doobie Brothers, The Notorious B.I.G., Pat Benatar, T. Rex, Thin Lizzy and Whitney Houston. Nominees to have been up for the honor in previous years include Kraftwerk, the MC5, Rufus featuring Chaka Khan, Nine Inch Nails, Judas Priest, Depeche Mode and Todd Rundgren.

The final decision will be made up of votes from more than 1,000 artists, historians, journalists and members of the music industry. As always, fans will also have the opportunity to be a part of the process by voting at RockHall.com or a special kiosk at the museum in Cleveland.

For more information on the 2020 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame selection process and to get ready to vote in the fan vote, visit RockHall.com.