The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation has announced the finalists eligible for induction at the twentieth annual ceremony in 2005. Voters will determine the eight inductees from the following list:

Lynyrd Skynyrd

The Pretenders 

The Sex Pistols

U-2

The J. Geils Band 

Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five

Buddy Guy

Wanda Jackson

Randy Newman

The O'Jays

Gram Parsons

Percy Sledge

Patti Smith

The Stooges

Conway Twitty

Artists become eligible for induction 25 years after the release of their first record. Criteria considered includes the influence and significance of the artist's contribution to the development and perpetuation of rock and roll.

The Foundation's nominating committee, composed of rock and roll historians, selects nominees each year in the "artist" category. Ballots are then sent to an international voting body of about 700 rock experts. The deadline for voters is October 8, 2004

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation was formed in 1983 and the first induction ceremony was held in 1986. All inductees are represented in the "Hall of Fame", a permanent exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame & Museum, in Cleveland Ohio.

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For additional information on the nominees: www.rockhall.com