The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ballot officially closed on Friday (April 29) with a grand total of five million votes. Duran Duran, Eminem and Pat Benatar landed in Top 3 with Duran Duran collecting nearly 934,000 votes, Slim Shady with around 684,000 and Benatar with approximately 634,0000.
The Eurythmics came in fourth place with over 440,000 votes, followed by Dolly Parton in fifth place who in recent months withdrew from Rock Hall consideration only to reconsider her stance this week. Finishing just outside the Top 5 was 3x-nominee Judas Priest, Carly Simon and Lionel Richie, both of whom are on the ballot for the first time in 2022.
The #RockHall2022 Nominees are up and the Fan Vote is now open. Vote daily at https://t.co/keewGnGnnD pic.twitter.com/zrI7GejV8v
— Rock Hall (@rockhall) February 2, 2022
As the Rock Hall explained, the number of fan votes doesn’t secure a place in the coveted Rock Hall. The top five artists selected by the public will comprise a “fans’ ballot” that will be tallied along with the other ballots to choose the 2022 inductees.
Eminem was an early fan favorite. In February, he was momentarily leading the charge by a good margin, while Duran Duran, Pat Benatar, Dolly Parton and the Eurythmics rounded out the Top 5.
“We’ve officially hit one freaking million fan votes,” the Rock Hall shared in a tweet at the time. “@eminem, @duranduran, @benatargiraldo, @dollyparton and @eurythmicsmusic round out the current top five- with @lionelrichie in a close 6th. But there’s lots of time left, so continue to vote daily from the Fan Vote in bio.”
A Tribe Called Quest, Devo, Beck, Rage Against the Machine, MC5, Dionne Warwick, Fela Kuti, New York Dolls and Kate Bush are also in the running for a spot in the Cleveland institution. The Class of 2022 will be announced in May, with an induction ceremony following in the fall.
