Vicky Cornell is celebrating Soundgarden‘s first nomination for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
“Congratulations Soundgarden!” she tweeted after the nominations list was released on October 15. “I’m so proud! I know @chriscornell would be so honored! Thank you @rockhall this means so much & thank you to all the fans who’s love & support continues to cement Chris’s life and legacy.”
Chris Cornell, the late frontman for the Seattle grunge band, died by suicide in May 2017. He is survived by wife Vicky, their children Toni and Christopher, and daughter Lillian with ex-wife Susan Silver.
The full list of nominees includes veterans such as Kraftwerk and MC5 (with five and four previous nominations, respectively), as well as a total of nine first-timers. In addition to Soundgarden, Whitney Houston, Motörhead, Dave Matthews Band, the Doobie Brothers, The Notorious B.I.G., Pat Benatar, T. Rex, and Thin Lizzy all received their first nods.
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For Biggie, the posthumous nomination coincides with his first year of eligibility. On the other end of the spectrum, Thin Lizzy and the Doobie Brothers’ first nominations come a full 23 years after their shared eligible year.
Speaking with Billboard, Tom Johnston of the Doobie Brothers expressed his gratitude: “I’m sure we’ve all paused to reflect, and I think I speak for all the other guys when I say that it seems rather odd we haven’t been selected before. But at the same time we don’t take it for granted and we are honored to be nominated, and if we can just carry it all the way to getting in it would be awesome.”
Of the artists featured on SPIN’s recent list of 10 Women the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Should Nominate This Year, just two received nods: Whitney Houston and Chaka Khan, the latter of whom was nominated along with her band Rufus. It’s the sixth total nomination for Khan, who’s been recognized four times with Rufus and twice as a solo artist.
The 2020 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominees are:
- Pat Benatar
- Dave Matthews Band
- Depeche Mode
- The Doobie Brothers
- Whitney Houston
- Judas Priest
- Kraftwerk
- MC5
- Motörhead
- Nine Inch Nails
- The Notorious B.I.G.
- Rufus featuring Chaka Khan
- Todd Rundgren
- Soundgarden
- T. Rex
- Thin Lizzy
The Hall of Fame 2020 Induction Ceremony will be held May 20 in Cleveland.
