Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Fan Vote Winners Announced
Amsterdam, NETHERLANDS: British singer George Michael performs during a concert in Amsterdam, 26 June 2007. AFP PHOTO / ANP PHOTO / EVERT ELZINGA (Photo credit should read EVERT ELZINGA/AFP via Getty Images)
The voting has been completed in the 2023 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame fan vote. It appears that George Michael and Cyndi Lauper will be headed to the hall.
If it were up to me, every one of this year’s nominees would be inducted into the Hall of Fame, but that’s not how it works.
The votes are in, and the fans want George Michael in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. George, who passed away on Christmas Day in 2016, topped the Hall’s 2023 fan vote, as the only artist with more than a million votes in the online poll. Cyndi Lauper, Warren Zevon, Iron Maiden, and Soundgarden round out the top five.
George Michael and Cyndi Lauper played a huge part in the soundtrack of the lives of those of us who grew up in the eighties. Both of them have had an enormous impact on the music scene and pop culture. George, was huge during his time with Andrew Ridgely and Wham, followed by his legendary solo career. Cyndi Lauper’s Grammy-winning albums, the aptly titled “She’s So Unusual” and “True Colors” exploded on radio stations everywhere including Magic 98.3 back in the mid-eighties.
The others finishing in the top five are Warren Zevon, Iron Maiden, and Soundgarden.
Winning the Fan Vote doesn’t necessarily mean George will be inducted into the Hall. The top five artists will be listed on a ‘Fan Ballot’ that gets counted along with thousands of other official ballots. The official 2023 HOF inductees will be announced later this month.
Additional nominees this year include Sheryl Crow, The Spinners, Rage Against the Machine, Joy Division + New Order, The White Stripes, Missy Elliott, A Tribe Called Quest, Willie Nelson , and Kate Bush. Kate has been enjoying a resurgence since her song, “Running Up That Hill” was featured in “Stranger Things,” which most likely helped her grab a few extra fan votes.
New Jersey Hall Of Fame Class Of 2023 Nominees Announced
The 15th Annual New Jersey Hall of Fame (NJHOF) ceremony is scheduled to occur at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) in Newark, New Jersey later this year.
Now, the public is being asked to cast their vote up until Friday, May 19th to help decide who will be inducted into the class of 2023.
The NJHOF recently announced 50 nominees for the 2023 public vote in five categories: Arts & Letters, Enterprise, Performing Arts, Public Service, and Sports.
Although every name on the list is special to the state of New Jersey, there are several people nominated this year that are favorites to most across the country and even worldwide.
From Anthony Bourdain, Paul Rudd, George Segal, and Joe Walsh, to Tiki Barber, each and every nominee has a reason to be placed on the ballot.
“We are honored to spotlight the wealth of successful and talented individuals in our state,” said Jon F. Hanson, Chairman of the NJHOF in a press release. “Each year we develop this list of remarkable nominees, we come away more inspired and influenced by the power of New Jerseyans.”
The final inductees will be officially announced in July with a ceremony set for October. Everyone will have a chance to be a part of the special event as it will also be streamed on multiple platforms.
Click here for more information or scroll below to see the full list of nominees for the New Jersey Hall of Fame Class of 2023.
Joel Katz is the Morning Show Personality, Assistant Program Director, Podcast Host, Voiceover artist, audio producer, and Digital Content Writer for Magic 98.3. Joel has been working in New Jersey radio since college and started at Magic in 2002 as the Morning Show Host, “I can’t think of another place where I’d fit more perfectly; it’s just a great company with awesome people.” Joel is married to Kathleen, his elementary school sweetheart (they were each other’s first dates at age 9), shares a birthday with his oldest son, Ty, and has twins, Kiera and Liam. Joel runs at least 3.1 miles every day and enjoys playing basketball, doing laundry, saving his turn signal for when he really needs it, kissing dogs through a fence, using coasters, making that cool noise by rubbing his fingers on balloons, and chasing after ping pong balls on a windy cruise ship.