The Police on Rock Hall Ballot
The Police, the Clash, Elvis Costello and the Attractions, ABBA, and the Patti Smith Group are among the fifteen acts who will appear on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ballot for the class of 2003.
Also up for possible induction are Lynyrd Skynyrd, the MC5, Kraftwerk, AC/DC, the Sex Pistols, the Righteous Brothers, Steve Winwood, the Dells, Chic and Black Sabbath.
To qualify for induction an act has to have released a recording twenty-five years prior to the induction year. In addition to Skynyrd, AC/DC and the Dells, Sabbath have been on the ballot multiple times. In fact, despite a letter two years ago from frontman Ozzy Osbourne asking that Black Sabbath be left off, this year marks the metal vets sixth year on the ballot. “I just know we’re not gonna win, up against people like Paul McCartney and Eric Clapton,” Osbourne said. “Believe me, I don’t give a fuck if I get in or not, however it’d be nice for my kids.”
The 2003 class of inductees will likely be issued in December, with the induction ceremony scheduled for next spring in New York City. This past February, the Ramones, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and the Talking Heads were among the inductees.