Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2014 Nominations Include Nirvana, KISS: Half of Nominees are First Timers on Ballot [FULL LIST]

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2014 may end up be one of the diverse ones to date. Last night (Oct. 15), 16 potential inductees into the hall were announced, and include first-time eligible nominees Nirvana, alongside Hall & Oates, KISS, Peter Gabriel and Cat Stevens, according to The Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Link Wray, The Replacements, Linda Ronstadt, Yes, The Zombies, the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Chic, Deep Purple, LL Cool J, N.W.A. and The Meters join the previously mentioned as nominees.

Among the 16 nominees, half of the potential class of 2014 is appearing on the ballot for the first time.

Most notable of this year's nominees is Nirvana, who made it to the short list in their first year of eligibility. (Nominees must have released a single or album 25 years ago in order to be considered.) Though the grunge rockers didn't break into the mainstream until their 1991 single "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and that song's album, "Nevermind," they released their first single "Love Buzz" on Sub Pop Records in November 1988.

Joining Nirvana as first-time nominees are Ronstadt, Gabriel, Wray, Hall and Oates, The Replacements, Yes and The Zombies. The other artists have been nominated anywhere from once before to seven times (Chic).

The list will be narrowed down from 16 artists to five to seven. A mix of industry insiders and a fan vote on rockhall.com -- the latter component only being introduced last year -- will choose the inductees.

The winners will be announced in late December or early January. The induction ceremony will take place in April in New York City.