Warren Zevon Nominated for the Hall of Fame, Thanks to Billy Joel

On Wednesday morning, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced its slate of nominees for the Class of 2023: Kate Bush, Sheryl Crow, Missy Elliott, Iron Maiden, Joy Division/New Order (interestingly, the two groups — the latter of which was formed after Joy Division lead singer Ian Curtis’s suicide — are being nominated as one entity), Cyndi Lauper, George Michael, Willie Nelson, Rage Against the Machine, Soundgarden, The Spinners, A Tribe Called Quest, The White Stripes and Warren Zevon.

Zevon’s nomination in particular was a long time coming; this is the first time the legendary singer-songwriter has been nominated for the Hall of Fame, despite the fact that he has been eligible since 1994. And it turns out Billy Joel may have had something to do with the late musician’s nomination. Joel told the Los Angeles Times recently that he wrote a letter to the Hall’s nominating committee urging them to consider the “Werewolves of London” singer.

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“I just wanted to put in my two cents of supporting Warren Zevon to be included,” Joel said. “If anyone deserves to be he does. He was a real original, and I don’t know if that’s appreciated enough…The first time I saw him, I was knocked out. He was like the crazy brother I never had. He was fearless, and it stuck with me. I never thought he got the attention he deserved.”

“Piano is actually a percussion instrument,” he added. “Most people think it’s a stringed instrument, but you play it like a drum. And Warren, he really fulfilled that role. He banged it, and he banged it good. Even without amplifiers, he was getting the most volume he could get out of that thing.”

Of course, it remains to be seen whether Zevon will actually get inducted into the Hall of Fame this time around. (Fingers crossed, though.) Inductees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s Class of 2023 will be revealed in May, and the induction ceremony will take place in the fall.