Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 2020 Nominees

Notorious B.I.G., Pat Benatar, Chris Cornell of Soundgarden and Whitney Houston

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced 16 nominees to be considered for induction in 2020 — an eclectic selection of artists ranging from soul singer Whitney Houston to metal band Judas Priest and rap legend Notorious B.I.G.

Artists and bands are eligible for nomination 25 years after the release of their first commercial recordings. First-time nominees for 2020 are Houston, Dave Matthews Band, the Doobie Brothers, Motörhead, Notorious B.I.G., Pat Benatar, Soundgarden, T. Rex, and Thin Lizzy.

Returning nominees are Depeche Mode, Judas Priest, Kraftwerk, MC5, Nine Inch Nails, Rufus featuring Chaka Khan, and Todd Rundgren.

Ballots are sent to an international voting body of more than 1,000 artists, historians and members of the music industry who will consider nominees’ influence on other artists, career and body of work's length and depth, and innovation in style and technique.

Fans can participate in the selection process from Oct. 15 through Jan. 10 by voting for their favorite through Google, RockHall.com, or at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame museum. The top five artists selected by the public will form a “fans’ ballot” that will be tallied with the same weight as the other ballots to select the 2020 inductees. (You can select up to five nominees daily.)

The induction ceremony will take place on May 2, 2020, at the Public Auditorium in Cleveland, Ohio.

More Music for Grownups

• Chaka Khan on her long career and busy year
• The story behind the Beatles 'Abbey Road' cover