Willie Nelson and Sheryl Crow finalists for Rock Hall

Three acts with deep Nashville ties are finalists for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Driving the news: Country legend Willie Nelson, pop-rocker Sheryl Crow and Jack White's most popular rock project the White Stripes were among the finalists announced Tuesday.

Between the lines: Nelson, like this year's inductee Dolly Parton, may not be closely associated with rock music, but his influence and longevity make him a good bet to be inducted.

• Crow and White relocated to Nashville later in their careers, but have become local standard bearers for the city's music scene.

Flashback: Nelson helped shepherd in country music's Outlaw movement, wrote the iconic Patsy Cline hit "Crazy" and recorded one of the genre's most critically acclaimed albums "Red Headed Stranger."

• Nelson, who spent the formative years of his career in Nashville, is one of the most decorated country artists of all time with 11 CMA awards and 12 Grammys, including the lifetime achievement award in 1999. The Texas native was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1993.

Of note: White's time with the White Stripes was winding down when he moved here. The band's bluesy, guitar-driven sound ushered in a new era of rock music in the early 2000s with hits like "Seven Nation Army."

• In Nashville, his Third Man Records is a community music hub with a record shop, performance space and independent record label under its umbrella.

Zoom out: Crow's unique brand of music spans rock, country, pop and folk music.

• Her resume would seem to make her a lock to one day be inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame. She's had 19 songs on Billboard's Hot 100 chart, five platinum albums and won nine Grammy awards.

Read more about this year's nominees