Three weeks is all music fans have left to vote for the nominees they believe should be inducted as part of the 2025 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class. Since the outset, jam-band Phish has led the fan ballot, even though they might be a stretch to actually be inducted. Maybe they do, though, and become the second band after the Grateful Dead to get in primarily because of their touring prowess.
But one band got more votes than Phish last week. For a while, Bad Company was trending third behind Billy Idol, but the band passed the punk icon last week. This week, the group is putting further distance between itself and third place.
In the last eight days, Phish has received 21,880 votes while Paul Rodgers and Bad Company have received 25,072. Not that there is likely enough time for Bad Company to catch up to Phish, but that is not needed. The entire fan vote goes into one ballot of about a thousand. It matters, but only so much.
Bad Company gaining ground in 2025 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame fan voting
Fan voting, at least based on the 2024 inductees, is a good indication of who will be named to the 2025 class. Last year, the top five vote-getters were enshrined. Bad Company deserves to be one of them (as does Billy Idol and others).
Bad Company was a supergroup that featured members of bands such as Mott the Hoople (Mick Ralphs), King Crimson (Boz Burrell), and Free (Simon Kirke and Rodgers). Together, they made hard rock gems with a large dash of groove built in. The band sold 40 million records worldwide and had five top-20 singles in the United States.
2025 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame voting through March 28:
- Phish - 255,542
- Bad Company - 194,531
- Billy Idol - 186,923
- Soundgarden - 168,182
- Cyndi Lauper - 167,648
- Joe Cocker - 162,793
- Chubby Checker - 143,415
- Black Crowes - 120,782
- Mariah Carey - 108,670
- Joy Division + New Order - 88,687
- White Stripes - 83,342
- Outkast - 81,630
- Oasis - 76,766
- Maná - 28,239
Voting runs through April 21. You can have your voice (somewhat) heard by casting your ballot here.