DEEP PURPLE, NINE INCH NAILS, CHEAP TRICK, YES Among Nominees For ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME Induction

DEEP PURPLE, NINE INCH NAILS, CHEAP TRICK and YES are among the 15 artists newly nominated for possible induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. The top vote-getters will will be announced in December and inducted next April at a ceremony in New York.

To be eligible for nomination, an individual artist or band must have released its first single or album at least 25 years prior to the year of nomination. The 2016 nominees had to release their first recording no later than 1990.

The other nominees are THE CARS, Steve Miller, CHICAGO, LOS LOBOS, Janet Jackson, N.W.A., THE SMITHS, Chaka Khan, CHIC, THE J.B.'S and THE SPINNERS.

For the fourth consecutive year, the public will have the opportunity to vote alongside the more than 800 artists, historians and music industry insiders of the Rock Hall voting body. From now until December 9, fans can vote on RollingStone.com for the nominees they'd like to see inducted. The top five acts will comprise a "fan's ballot" that will count as one of the ballots that determine the class of 2016.

Last year's Hall Of Fame class included GREEN DAY, Lou Reed, PAUL BUTTERFIELD BLUES BAND, JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS, Stevie Ray Vaughan and DOUBLE TROUBLE and Ringo Starr.

Singer Ian Gillan of legendary British hard rockers DEEP PURPLE — who have been eligible for induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame for two decades now — said last year that he didn't care if his band ever got the nod, explaining that the people who run the Hall Of Fame organization don't "quite understand what we are."

Speaking to Chile's Radio Futuro, Gillan said: "Whatever I say about that is gonna sound wrong. But who the hell wants to be in an institution? The Hall Of Fame thing, it's an American thing. We don't have that in England or Germany or Australia or Russia or anywhere in the world apart from America. And it's an institution. What's that got to do with rock and roll? Also, it's run by these old guys who thought that THE MONKEES were America's answer to THE BEATLES. And they called DEEP PURPLE [Laughs]… I don't think they quite understand what we are… They called us one-hit wonders. So I don't know what they were talking about… whether it was 'Hush' or 'Black Night' or 'Strange Kind Of Woman', 'Smoke On The Water', 'Child In Time', 'Knocking At Your Back Door' or one of those one-hit wonders that we were… 'Highway Star'… I just don't know. And I guess the fans don't really understand it except in America. It's no big deal."

DEEP PURPLE was denied entry to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2013 — losing out to such artists as American pop singer-songwriter Randy Newman and R&B singer Donna Summer.

METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich told RollingStone.com that he hoped DEEP PURPLE will eventually get recognized by the Hall. "I'm not gonna get into the politics or all that stuff, but I got two words to say: 'DEEP PURPLE,'" he said. "That's all I have to say: DEEP PURPLE. Seriously, people, 'DEEP PURPLE,' two simple words in the English language. But definitely, NIRVANA is a no-brainer for the first year and I'm glad that KISS is getting the long-overdue recognition that they deserved for everything that they pioneered, and then I got two words, 'DEEP PURPLE!' Did I say that already?"

At their own induction in 2009, METALLICA's James Hetfield included PURPLE on a list of acts they wanted to see in the Hall. "We're somewhat of a heavy band and we have a small list that we'd like to also put some nods out and maybe plant a little seed, it's a band called DEEP PURPLE, THIN LIZZY, TED NUGENT, IRON MAIDEN, JUDAS PRIEST, MOTÖRHEAD... who we would love to invite through the door now."