Heart nominated again for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

After getting left out in their first try, Seattle-based Heart is again nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The legendary band is among 15 artists vying for the honor, including Rush, Deep Purple, Public Enemy and Joan Jett and the Blackhearts.

Author Charles Cross, who co-wrote the new autobiography of Heart “Kicking and Dreaming” with Anne and Nancy Wilson, says the band’s legacy is its unique marriage of folk music and heavier rock.

“I think that changed hard rock, whether they were men or female hardly mattered at that point, it was more the fact they were able to meld those soft elements with the hard elements sometimes in the same song and that to me affected a number of bands after that.”

Cross accuses the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame of overt sexism, arguing 95 percent of those nominated or inducted are men.

“You know, music is not the exclusive domain of the male gender but that’s the way unfortunately that the rock hall has operated so it’s a horrible oversight that they have not been in before and I would be highly surprised if they did not get in this year.”

There’s no word when the winners will be announced. Inductees will be determined by the hall’s voting body of roughly 600 artists, historians and music industry professionals. The 28th annual ceremony takes place April 18, 2013 in Los Angeles.