Jay-Z, Foo Fighters and The Go-Go’s nominated for Rock Hall




In this Sept. 29, 2019, file photo, Dave Grohl of the band Foo Fighters performs at the Rock in Rio music festival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The band made this year’s list of nominees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The class of 2021 will be announced in May. (AP Photo/Leo Correa, File)
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NEW YORK (AP) — Jay-Z, Foo Fighters, Tina Turner and Iron Maiden lead this year’s nominees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a female-heavy list of 16 acts that includes for the first time The Go-Go’s, Mary J. Blige and Dionne Warwick.

Artists are eligible for a nomination 25 years after the release of their first official recording. There are two newly eligible acts in Jay-Z and Foo Fighters while artists nominated for the first time include Blige, The Go-Go’s, Iron Maiden, Warwick and Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti.

Kathy Valentine, an original member of The Go-Go’s, thanked fans on Twitter: “The Go-Go’s are the real thing straight from the clubs of LA all the way to the top, self taught and propelled. Rock on, sisters.” Warwick was also grateful: “When God winks he does it with flair and a surprise. I’m thrilled!”

In this Nov. 26, 2017 file photo, Jay-Z performs on the 4:44 Tour at Barclays Center in New York. Jay-Z made this year’s list of nominees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The class of 2021 will be announced in May. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)

Several candidates are looking for a second spot in the hall. Turner would be inducted for a second time, having gone to the hall as part of Ike & Tina Turner in 1991. Nominee Carole King is already in the hall as a songwriter and she would go in again this time as a performer. Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl is already in the hall as a member of Nirvana.

If elected, King and Turner would become the second and third female artists inducted twice, following Stevie Nicks’ 2019 election; she was also in as a member of Fleetwood Mac.

“This remarkable ballot reflects the diversity and depth of the artists and music the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame celebrates,” said John Sykes, Chairman of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, in a statement Wednesday. “These nominees have left an indelible impact on the sonic landscape of the world and influenced countless artists that have followed them.”

Other nominees this year include: Kate Bush, Devo, Chaka Khan, LL Cool J, New York Dolls, Rage Against the Machine and Todd Rundgren. LL Cool J is on his sixth nomination and Chaka Khan is on her third solo nomination.

The class of 2021 will be announced in May.