Nirvana, KISS & Deep Purple Emerge As Early Favourites For Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction

The Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame will induct it's class of 2014 in April next year and earlier this week the nominees for the coveted place among rock's elite was announced to the public. For only the second time, the ballot for the inductees will be made available for public voting, and already there are some stand out favourites that look as though they have a good chance of being among the next hall of famers.

Nirvana
Nirvana are already the early favourites to be inducted

The early favourites, according to the public voting poll, are currently Nirvana, Kiss, Deep Purple and Yes, all of whom have over 10% of the current votes. Nirvana, who make their debut on the nominees list, currently stand as the out right favourites for induction, with the R&RHoF policy only permitting artist who have existed for a quarter of a century or longer as eligible for nomination. Their cover of Shocking Blue's 'Love Buzz' was released as their first single in 1988, which means they are finally able to be taken into consideration.

The Seattle grunge pioneers aren't the only first time nominees on the ballot, with Peter Gabriel, Hall and Oates, the Replacements, Linda Ronstadt, Link Wray, Cat Stevens, Yes and the Zombies also making their first appearance on the list. Gabriel, who has just under 10% of the votes, could be inducted for a second time, having already joined the hall of fame as a member of Genesis in 2009. Hall & Oates are also among the top contenders, having gained over 8% of the votes so far. LL Cool J, Chic, the Meters, N.W.A. and The Paul Butterfield Blues Band are also among the nominees.

According to the Rolling Stone, the top five artists voted for in the fan ballot will count as one of more than 600 different ballots, consisting of music insiders, artists, historians and others tied to the hall of fame. The top vote-winners will be inducted during a ceremony in New York City on 10 April, which will be aired at a later date on HBO. Public voting will close on 10 December.