DEF LEPPARD, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, MC5 Among Nominees For ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME Induction

DEF LEPPARD, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE and the MC5 are among the nominees for induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame next year. Also nominated are RADIOHEAD, Stevie Nicks, THE CURE, DEVO, Janet Jackson, KRAFTWERK, LL COOL J, ROXY MUSIC, Todd Rundgren, John Prine, Rufus featuring Chaka Khan and THE ZOMBIES. The top vote-getters will be announced in December and inducted March 29, 2019 at a ceremony at Brooklyn, New York's Barclays Center. HBO will broadcast the event later next year.

To be eligible for this year's ballot, each nominee's first single or album had to released in 1993 or earlier.

A voting pool of more than 1,000 artists, historians, journalists and members of the music industry will select the new class, and once again fans will have a chance to be a part of the process. They can vote on the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame's web site or visit the museum in Cleveland and make a selection at an interactive kiosk.

DEF LEPPARD singer Joe Elliott stated about the nomination: "We're honored and humbled to be nominated for induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. This is the highest peak a rock band can summit. For us to recognized by the prestigious panel and rock fans, who also have a vote, is sensational. DEF LEPPARD being considered amongst such a worthy class of 2019 nominees gives us an indescribable feeling of pride… mutually shared between myself and my bandmates. We hope to see everyone at the ceremony!"

The current lineup of DEF LEPPARD is listed along with the late Steve Clark original guitarist Pete Willis.

One of the top-selling rock acts of of all time, DEF LEPPARD has been eligible for the Rock Hall since 2004.

Earlier this year, DEF LEPPARD guitarist Vivian Campbell said that he and his bandmates werent bothered by the fact that they have not been inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Asked why he thinks the British rock icons — as well as some of their key influences, including bands like JUDAS PRIEST, MOTÖRHEAD and IRON MAIDEN — have yet to get the nod, the guitarist told the Cleveland Scene: "I don't keep track of that and have a strong opinion about other bands. I was a DEF LEPPARD fan before I was in the band. I bought the 'Hysteria' album twice. I had a cassette of it, and I wore it. It was one of the very first CDs I ever had. I was a fan for many years. 'Pyromania' was a great groundbreaking album, and then when 'Hysteria' came along, there were seven or eight hit songs on that album. It didn't win a Grammy or even get nominated. The awards are wonderful, but at the end of the day, what matters to us is seeing people come to the shows."

Campbell's comments echoed those made by fellow DEF LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen, who told the Albany, New York radio station Q103 that he wasn't concerned about being included in the Rock Hall. "Honestly, it doesn't bother us at all," he said. "We hope our fans just like the music, they come to the tours, buy the records, and the music means something special to 'em. All of that stuff really means nothing. If it ever happens, great; if not, great."

Collen went on to reiterate that he is "not even slightly" upset by the fact that DEF LEPPARD has been excluded from the Rock Hall. "It doesn't even come into our radar," he said. "Other people get really upset about it, and me and Joe Elliott, we laugh at it. It's got nothing to do with what we do; it really doesn't. What's special is playing the Royal Albert Hall for a bunch of cancer victims who happen to be teenagers, and everyone having an amazing night. That's way more special than [being inducted into] the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame."

Rock Hall rules state that artists become eligible a quarter century after their first records were released, but the Hall also claims that other "criteria include the influence and significance of the artists' contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock 'n' roll," which is, of course, open to interpretation.

Eligible for induction since 1999, KISS didn't get its first nomination until 2009, and was finally inducted in 2014.

DEEP PURPLE was eligible for the Rock Hall since 1993 but didn't get inducted until 2016.