Is 2013 Disco’s Year? Donna Summer, Chic On Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Ballot

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 2013 ballot is out, and disco icons Donna Summer and Chic are both up for induction this year.
Though artists like The Bee Gees, The O’Jays and ABBA, who have been influenced by disco, have made their way into the Hall of Fame no straight ahead disco acts have ever been inducted. But that may change this year.
Summer is known as the Queen of Disco thanks to her songs like “Love To Love You Baby,” “Hot Stuff” and “Last Dance.” The singer, who passed away in May, had nineteen #1 Dance hits between ’75 and 2008, second only to Madonna.
With records like that to her name, it’s surprising that Summer hasn’t already been inducted into the Hall. Elton John also questioned this fact in an interview with E! News earlier this year.
“Her records sound as good today as they ever did,” John said. “That she has never been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a total disgrace, especially when I see the second-rate talent that has been inducted.”
In hopes to maybe stop fan favorites from being overlooked, this year the Hall of Fame is letting music lovers have a small say in who gets in.
From now until December 5, fans can vote at the Hall Of Fame’s website for the nominees they’d like to see inducted. The top five acts will comprise a “fan’s ballot” that will count as one of the more than 600 ballots that determine the Class of 2013. The results will be announced in mid-December.
Chic is also a favorite with music fans, making their mark with ”Le Freak” and “Good Times.” Though they were considered a “disco band” early on, the New York-based ensemble ended up pushing the boundaries of the genre, adding elements of soul and funk to their sound. Later on they even influenced early hip-hop artists like the Sugar Hill Gang and recorded beats for P Diddy.
Although rock fans have a complicated history with disco, Chic’s Nile Rodgers and Summer have managed to straddle the two music worlds. Rodgers has produced albums for rock and roll icons like Mick Jagger and David Bowie while Summer’s 1982’s self-titled U.S. debut was produced by Quincy Jones and featured Bruce Spring­steen, Roy Bittan and many American rockers.
Other artists on the ballot this year include Rush, Deep Purple, Heart, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Randy Newman and The Marvelettes. Check out the full list of nominees here.
The Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony will be held April 18, 2013 at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles (the first time it’s being held in L.A. since 1993), and it will air at a later date on HBO.
– Brian Ives, CBS Local