The 2023 nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame were announced Wednesday morning (Feb. 1), and Willie Nelson is included on the list.
The country legend is nominated alongside Sheryl Crow, Kate Bush, Missy Elliott, Iron Maiden, Joy Division/New Order, Cyndi Lauper, George Michael, Rage Against the Machine, Soundgarden, The Spinners, A Tribe Called Quest, The White Stripes and Warren Zevon. The singer's inclusion marks the second year in a row a country star has been nominated, as Dolly Parton was nominated and inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2022.
Artists are eligible to be nominated 25 years after releasing their first commercial music. Nelson is on the ballot for the first time, as is Crow, Missy Elliott, Joy Division/New Order, Lauper, Michael, The White Stripes and Zevon.
Nominee ballots will be sent to a group of more than 1,000 artists, historians, and members of the music industry, who will vote on who will be inducted into the Hall. The voters take many facts into consideration when voting, including "musical impact and influence on other artists, length and depth of career and body of work as well as innovation and superiority in style and technique." Through April 28, fans can also vote on who they think should be inducted into the Hall. Votes will be accepted at vote.rockhall.com or in-person at the Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio.
"This remarkable list of Nominees reflects the diverse artists and music that the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame honors and celebrates," says Chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation John Sykes. "These artists have created their own sounds that have impacted generations and influenced countless others that have followed in their footsteps."
After voting, the official inductees for the 2023 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class will be announced in May. The induction ceremony will then take place in the fall, with details to be announced at a later date.
