BON JOVI: Still leading fan votes for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees
Bon Jovi and The Moody Blues are still one and two in fan voting among the 19 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees, with The Zombies moving up two slots this week, going from number-nine to seven, passing up the J. Geils Band and Depeche Mode.
Bon Jovi has cracked the 300,000 mark as they close in on 350,000 votes, while the Moodies are in the 275,000 range and Dire Straits is third as they near 210,000.
The full list, with numbers one through nine now with more than 100,000 votes each, is:
- Bon Jovi - 343,055
- Moody Blues - 271,211
- Dire Straits - 207,031
- The Cars - 180,748
- Eurythmics - 142,135
- Judas Priest - 138,453
- Zombies - 117,642
- Depeche Mode - 111,294
- J. Geils Band - 108,970
- Radiohead - 68,124
- Nina Simone - 67,109
- Rage Against the Machine - 62,060
- Kate Bush - 53,917
- LL Cool J - 44,192
- Sister Rosetta Tharpe - 36,912
- The MC5 - 36,903
- Link Wray - 30,356
- Rufus featuring Chaka Khan - 29,844
- The Meters - 21,365
You have until December 5th to place your vote at RockHall.com/Vote. The Top 5 artists, as selected by the public, will comprise a “fans’ ballot” that will be tallied along with the other ballots to choose the 2018 inductees. You'll need to login with a Facebook account or e-mail to vote. Voting is capped at one ballot per day.
The 2018 inductees -- the five to seven acts chosen -- will be announced in December, with the 33rd annual induction ceremony set for April 14th at Public Auditorium in Cleveland. HBO will once again air the ceremony, with details to be announced later.
There are a number of these acts who are overdue for enshrinement, including The Moody Blues and The Cars. Ric Ocasek recently came out and said he's not optimistic of The Cars' chances. ~ Dewayne
MICHAEL McDONALD: Real father-daughter moment
Michael McDonald took full advantage of a classic father-daughter moment this year.
The late 1970s voice of The Doobie Brothers tells the News and Observer in North Carolina that his 26-year-old daughter Scarlett tipped him off to progressive-soul artist Thundercat. He explains, "We take these road trips and she'll plug in her iPhone and play me all the stuff that she thinks I need to hear... Thundercat was one of those artists."
McDonald and longtime pal Kenny Loggins went on to record the single "Show You the Way" with Thundercat. Michael also jammed with Thundercat at April's Coachella Festival in California. And Scarlett went along to the show with her dad.