A Central New York native could soon be headed to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The 2025 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees announced Wednesday morning include: Bad Company, The Black Crowes, Mariah Carey, Chubby Checker, Joe Cocker, Billy Idol, Joy Division/New Order, Cyndi Lauper, Maná, Oasis, OutKast, Phish, Soundgarden and The White Stripes.
Phish, led by Trey Anastasio, is a Grammy-nominated jam band named after drummer Jon Fishman (though some accounts have claimed different inspirations). Fishman, a 1983 graduate of Jamesville-DeWitt High School, received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Syracuse Area Music Awards (SAMMYS) in 2015.
“I was the worst drummer in my school band,” Fishman told syracuse.com of his early music experiences in middle school. “There were five kids in the percussion section and I was the bottom of the barrel. Three kids would get to play the drum set and the other two were relegated to tambourine and bass drum. I was the tambourine kid.”
But Fishman, fueled by lessons from SAMMYS Hall of Famer Dave Hanlon and support from his father, continued to study jazz and rock drummers. He soon found himself at a college in Vermont where he would eventually join Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon and keyboardist Page McConnell to form Phish, one of the most beloved bands in the jam music scene.
Anastasio is typically the lead singer, but Fishman sometimes contributes vocals and co-writes songs for the group, including on Phish’s “Tweezer” and “Taste.” Fishman also sometimes performs solos on a vacuum cleaner.
According to Billboard, only about half of this year’s 14 nominees will likely inducted into the Rock Hall’s Class of 2025. Eight of them are appearing on the ballot for the first time, including Bad Company, The Black Crowes, Chubby Checker, Joe Cocker, Billy Idol, Maná, OutKast and Phish.
The inductees will be announced in April, along with categories for musical influence, musical excellence and non-performers.
Artists are eligible for nomination 25 years after the release of their first commercial recording. Nominees are voted on by an international panel of more than 1,200 artists, historians and music industry players; fan voting can also impact the final tally.
The 2025 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place in Los Angeles later this year.
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