Thin Lizzy nominated for Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2020 induction

Irish rock band is one of 16 acts including Motörhead, Kraftwerk, The Notorious B.I.G

Irish rock band Thin Lizzy are among the nominees for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2020.

The Dublin act once fronted by Phil Lynott have been nominated alongside the likes of Motörhead, the Dave Matthews Band, Kraftwerk and The Notorious B.I.G. Nine of the 16 acts listed have been nominated for the first time.

In order for an artist to be eligible for nomination, they must have released their first commercial recording at least 25 years prior to the year of nomination.

Members of the public can cast their vote online. Once the voting period ends on January 10th, 2020, ballots for the nominees are sent to an international voting body which consists of more than 1,000 historians, musicians and people in the music industry. An artist's musical influence on other artists, length and depth of career and the body of work, innovation and superiority in style and technique are among the factor's taken into consideration.

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The successful inductees will be announced in January next year with the ceremony itself taking place at the Public Auditorium in Cleveland, Ohio in the US on May 2nd, 2020.

Thin Lizzy were formed in Dublin in 1969 by Lynott and drummer Brian Downey and went to become one of the most recognised hard rock bands in music history. Their most famous tracks include Whiskey in the Jar, The Boys are Back in Town and Jailbreak. The band split following a final performance at the Monsters of Rock festival in Nuremberg, Germany in September, 1983.

Lynott passed away three years later on January 4th, 1986 from pneumonia and heart failure which was associated with his drug use.

Lynott's mother, Philomena, died in June, 2019 at the age of 88 following a battle with cancer.

Thin Lizzy are not the first Irish act to be nominated or inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. U2 were inducted in 2005 and Van Morrison was recognised in 1993.

Full list of 2020 nominees

Thin Lizzy
Dave Matthews Band
Depeche Mode
The Doobie Brothers
Whitney Houston
Judas Priest
Kraftwerk
MC5
Motörhead
Nine Inch Nails
The Notorious B.I.G.
Rufus featuring Chaka Khan
Todd Rundgren
Soundgarden
T.Rex
Pat Benatar

Cast your vote at vote.rochall.com

Glen Murphy

Glen Murphy

Glen Murphy is an Irish Times journalist