Why Stevie Nicks' Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nomination is historic
By Troy L. Smith, Cleveland.com
CLEVELAND, Ohio -
Stevie Nicks could become the first woman to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice - once with her band and now, potentially, as a solo artist.
Nicks joins 14 other artists on this year's ballot. Her induction would be a huge step forward for an institution that has received (and certainly earned) criticism for its lack of female inductees.
Twenty-two men have been inducted into the Rock Hall twice. That list includes all four members of the Beatles, Neil Young, Eric Clapton (He's in their three times), Lou Reed and Rod Stewart.
Nicks is the first woman to even get the chance, having been inducted already with Fleetwood Mac in 1998. Cases have been made over the years for artists like Tina Turner, Diana Ross and Janis Joplin (with Big Brother and the Holding Company). But nothing has come of it.
Nicks' nomination shouldn't come as a surprise to fans. She has been in the lead of the museum's new "Voice Your Choice" in-person fan vote since it launched in April.
The Rock Hall induction process has been full of such "coincidences" for years now. Consider that every winner of the annual Fan Vote (which only gets you on a fan ballot that's added to the voting pool) has wound up earning induction that same year.
However, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation president Joel Peresman insists the fan votes and the nomination process aren't directly related.
"The new in-museum voting system does not factor into the nomination process as the members of the nominating committee aren't made aware of that," says Peresman. "And we rely on their independent thinking, which in this case happened to match up."
Whether you believe Peresman or not, Nicks' nomination remains historic. And fans can still have their say with the annual Fan Vote online. The museum will also use its "Voice Your Choice" system, which Nicks already dominated, to add to the Fan Vote.
The Rock Hall's Class of 2019 is expected to be announced in December. The honorees will be inducted next April during a ceremony held in New York City.
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