Nominations for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s class of 2012 are in.
Guns N’ Roses, the Cure, Heart, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Eric B. and Rakim, the Spinners, the Small Faces/Faces, Freddy King and Rufus with Chaka Khan are all hitting the ballot for the first time, while previous nominees Beastie Boys, Laura Nyro, War Donovan and Red Hot Chili Peppers also made the cut. The top vote-getters will be inducted on April 14, 2012, in Cleveland, home to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.
Artists that released their their first single or album in 1986 or earlier were eligible for this year's ballot. "The 2012 Nominees embody the broad scope of what ‘rock & roll’ means,” said Joel Peresman, president and CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation. “From vocal groups to hip-hop, from singer-songwriters to hard rocking artists, this group represents the spirit of what we celebrate at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.”
Many bands — including the Talking Heads, Cream, the Police and Led Zeppelin — have put aside longstanding feuds to perform at the Rock and Hall Fall of Fame induction ceremony. If Guns N' Roses are inducted, the group's longtime fans will certainly be hoping for a reunion.
"I have no idea how that's supposed to go," Slash said in a 2010 interview when asked about a Hall of Fame reunion. "If Axl, Duff, Izzy and myself start communicating, it could go one way. It we don't, God knows."