Taylor Hawkins Said These Artists Should Be in the Rock Hall
When Taylor Hawkins was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2021 with the Foo Fighters, he used part of his acceptance speech to shout out some artists he thought should be inducted, too.
The late drummer named three artists: George Michael, Jane’s Addiction and Soundgarden. The latter of those artists received a massive cheer from the crowd inside Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland.
Perhaps, the nominating committee and the Rock Hall voters took note of his remarks. Michael was part of the 2023 induction class. Doing the honors of inducting him was his childhood best friend and Wham! partner Andrew Ridgeley.
In his speech, Ridgeley praised Michael’s “sublime” voice. He said it ” … expressed both strength and vulnerability, qualities that resonate throughout his outstanding songwriting.” He added, “It was the expression of his soul that made harmony with raw, unfettered emotion. It had the power to send one soaring with its joy and to make one weak with its pain.”
Ridgeley noted, “George considered his talents in descending order as those of songwriter, producer and singer. However, whilst his songs and recordings brilliantly convey his visceral sense of the ecstasy and pain that life occasions, it was the breathtaking beauty in the way he delivered that sense that, in my opinion, was his greatest gift: His voice.”
Taylor Hawkins and His Other Rock Hall Choices
As for the two other artists Hawkins believed should be in the Rock Hall, Soundgarden has been nominated in 2020 and 2023. Despite being eligible since 2012, the Seattle band have yet to be inducted into the Rock Hall.
As for Jane’s Addiction, they’re nominated for the 2024 induction class. The band has been eligible for induction since 2013 and was previously nominated in 2017.
Currently, Jane’s is out of the top seven of the 2024 Rock Hall Fan Vote.
Fans can cast their vote once a day at Vote.RockHall.com for who they think should be part of the 2024 Rock Hall induction class. This year, voting will last through April 26.
Unlike previous years, fans will get to vote for up to seven nominees every day. Previously, the choices were capped at five nominees.
The Fan Vote was first launched in 2013. Per the Rock Hall, “There have been over four million fan votes cast over the past 10 years, with 64% of the Fan Vote ballot (35 of 55) earning induction in the same year; and 86% (38 of 44 unique nominations) eventually earning induction.”
Once voting closes, the top five vote artists in the Fan Vote will create what is called a “Fans’ Ballot.” It will be counted among the other ballots that various artists, historians, and music industry professionals fill out and submit.
To see the current top seven artists in the Rock Hall fan vote, keep scrolling. (NOTE: Vote tallies are as of March 25, 2024 at 10:35 AM ET.)
Rock Hall Fan Vote 2024: Voting Ends Early, Final Standings
