Bon Jovi has won the fan vote for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. But this does not guarantee induction.
Bon Jovi has won the fan vote for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s class of 2018, which ended at midnight Dec. 5. At 11:59 p.m., the band had 1,162,098 votes, followed by The Moody Blues (947,726), Dire Straits (613,726), The Cars (552,707) and Judas Priest (538,467).
But this does not guarantee that the band will be among the list of inductees, when it is announced on Dec. 13.
According to the hall’s rules, the five top vote-getters in the fan vote are put on a single ballot, which counts no more than a ballot submitted by one of the hall’s 900 or so regular voters. It’s unlikely, of course, that a single vote will put a candidate over the top. And Bon Jovi receives no more help than Judas Priest, which got 623,631 fewer votes.
The fan vote was instituted six years ago, and the first five winners — Rush, KISS, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Chicago and Journey — did in fact win induction in the general vote. But that doesn’t mean this will happen every year. In fact, there are many people who believe Bon Jovi will never be inducted, including, possibly, Jon Bon Jovi himself, who has claimed that there are people at the hall who have made it a “personal mission” to keep him out.
By the way, the hall has announced that if Bon Jovi gets in, only Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, David Bryan, Tico Torres and Alec John Such will be inducted. Bassist Hugh McDonald will not be honored, even though he has been in the band longer than Alec John Such.
The induction ceremony will take place April 14 at the Public Auditorium in Cleveland, with highlights to be broadcast later on HBO. Other nominees include Eurythmics, The Meters, The MC5, Radiohead, Rage Against the Machine, The J. Geils Band, Rufus featuring Chaka Khan, Nina Simone, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Link Wray, The Zombies, Kate Bush, Depeche Mode and L.L. Cool J.
(Dec. 6 Update: Bon Jovi has posted a message on its Facebook page, saying: “Thank you to all of our fans who supported our nomination for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Your daily votes, posts, and videos went such a long way and we appreciate them all!”)
CONTRIBUTE TO NJARTS.NET
Since launching in September 2014, NJArts.net, a 501(c)(3) organization, has become one of the most important media outlets for the Garden State arts scene. And it has always offered its content without a subscription fee, or a paywall. Its continued existence depends on support from members of that scene, and the state’s arts lovers. Please consider making a contribution of any amount to NJArts.net via PayPal, or by sending a check made out to NJArts.net to 11 Skytop Terrace, Montclair, NJ 07043.
