Green Day, Nine Inch Nails, The Smiths, Sting (solo) and others are among the first-time nominees to this year's class of nominees to the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame.
Stevie Ray Vaughn and Bill Withers are also among the first-timers; N.W.A., Lou Reed (solo), Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Kraftwerk, the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Chic, the Marvelettes, the Spinners and War are all repeat nominations.
Sting and Lou Reed have previously been inducted with their bands The Police and the Velvet Underground, respectively.
Green Day and Nine Inch Nails earned their first nods for this, their very first year they're eligible; a rule from the Rock Hall constitutes that a 25-year period needs to have passed since the first single or album was released in order for an artist to be eligible. Trent Reznor and Co.'s debut album “Pretty Hate Machine” and Green Day's first EP “1,000 Hours” were released in 1989.
Fans are allowed to vote for this class, via Rolling Stone's website (Rolling Stone publisher Jann Wenner is a Rock Hall co-founder) through Dec. 9. “The top five acts will comprise a 'fan's ballot' that will count as one of the more than 700 ballots that determine the Class of 2015.” So, your voice: kinda heard.
After ballots are turned in, the new class will be inducted on April 18, 2015 in Cleveland, Ohio.
Nirvana, Kiss, Peter Gabriel, Hall and Oates, Cat Stevens and Linda Ronstadt were in 2014's Rock Hall class, the ceremony to which took place earlier this year.