As previously reported, ALICE COOPER is among the 15 artists nominated for induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2011.

SLASH (VELVET REVOLVER, ex-GUNS N' ROSES) summed up Cooper’s influence this way: “Alice Cooper was the first ever to marry rock ’n’ roll with dramatic horror theatrics. For 40 years he’s made fantastic records and equally fantastic live performances. And still to this day he’s the best at his craft bar none. Often imitated but never duplicated.”

The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductees will be announced in December, and the 26th annual induction ceremony will be held on March 14 at the Waldorf-Astoria in Manhattan. Artists become eligible for nomination 25 years after the release of their first single or album, and the awards are voted on by more than 500 music professionals.

Original Alice Cooper Band drummer Neal Smith spoke to BraveWords.com recently about the nomination.

"I think the nomination is sixteen years overdue," he says. "Looking back historically, the vein of music that the band opened up… before that maybe DR. JOHN or SCREAMING JAY HAWKINS touched on theatrics, but nothing to the extend of where we took it. So, to be totally ignored for sixteen years, to me, is still a bit of an insult. We didn’t change music as much as the show, but the music we had certainly has stood the test of time. That’s the one thing that surprises and humbles me more than anything… That people still want to listen to our music. That’s the greatest testimonial that we have. Alice is still out there basically doing the same stuff we did, but with a little bit of a spin on it. The bulk of the music is our original music and that’s great. I’m glad that fan can still hear it. It’s still not the same to me as when we play it.”

Read the entire interview here.

(Thanks Gibson.com)