Bon Jovi fi nally gets in rock hall
Can 1 million Bon Jovi fans possibly be wrong?
The formerly huge-haired New Jersey group leads the 2018 class of inductees into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the organization announced Wednesday. Long a commercial juggernaut, if scoffed at by music snobs, Bon Jovi also won the rock hall’s fan poll, receiving more than 1 million public votes, which counts as a single vote in the overall judging.
Asked about its inclusion, Jon Bon Jovi, the band’s lead singer, stammered a bit.
“Well, I mean ... we’re very happy about it,” he said. “And um, you know. It’s great.” He paused. “I really want to say it’s about time,” he added, using a colorful adjective omitted here.
The band will be inducted along with Nina Simone, the Cars, Dire Straits, the Moody Blues and Sister Rosetta Tharpe at the 33rd induction ceremony April 14 at the Public Auditorium in Cleveland; the show will be broadcast later by HBO and SiriusXM.
More than 1,000 industry figures cast ballots for induction. Artists become eligible 25 years after the release of their first recording.
Starting with its self-titled debut in 1984, Bon Jovi has released 13 studio albums, including “This House Is Not for Sale,” which topped the Billboard chart last year. The group’s hits like “Runaway,” “You Give Love a Bad Name,” “Livin’ on a Prayer” and “It’s My Life” have led to more than 100 million records sold (hence the 2004 box set titled “100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong”).
The rest of the rock hall crop varies from more straightforward — Dire Straits and the Moody Blues, which both got in on their first try — to slightly left of center.
Five of the nominees this year were acts led by women, while six featured nonwhite performers.