Whitney Houston, Notorious B.I.G., Judas Priest among 2020 Rock Hall nominees

Whitney Houston, The Notorious B.I.G. and the Dave Matthews Band are among the 16 nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame it was announced Tuesday.

Joining them for 2020 induction consideration are:

• Pat Benatar
• Depeche Mode
• The Doobie Brothers
• Judas Priest
• Kraftwerk
• MC5
• Motörhead
• Nine Inch Nails
• Rufus featuring Chaka Khan
• Todd Rundgren
• Soundgarden
• T.Rex
• Thin Lizzy

Nine out of the 16 nominees ( Dave Matthews Band, The Doobie Brothers, Motörhead, The Notorious B.I.G., Pat Benatar, Soundgarden, T.Rex, Thin Lizzy and Whitney Houston) are first-timers for Rock Hall consideration. An artist or band must have released its first commercial recording at least 25 years prior to nomination year.

Music fans can vote their choice for inductee selections beginning Oct. 15 (through Jan. 10, 2020) at rockhall.com. The top five artists will, according to Tuesday’s announcement, comprise a “fans’ ballot” that will be tallied along with the other ballots to choose the 2020 inductees. Official nominee ballots are sent to an international voting body of more than 1,000 artists, historians and members of the music industry.

The induction ceremony will be held May 2, 2020 at Public Auditorium in Cleveland.

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times