Cher, Ozzy Osbourne and Dave Matthews are among the musicians inducted into the 2024 class of The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, a Cleveland-based body that aims to celebrate the history of rock music and honour those who contribute to the genre through their work.
Bands like A Tribe Called Quest and Kool & The Gang have also made it to the hall of fame this year alongside musicians and singers like Mary J. Blige and Peter Frampton.
The Musical Influence Award was bestowed upon Alexis Korner at an event in the US on Sunday. John Mayall, and Big Mama Thornton the late Jimmy Buffett, MC5, Dionne Warwick, and Norman Whitfield were honoured with the Musical Excellence Award. Pioneering music executive Suzanne de Passe was honoured with the Ahmet Ertegun Award.
The induction ceremony is slated to be held on October 19 at Cleveland's Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, with live streaming on Disney+ and subsequent airings on ABC and Hulu.
In a statement, John Sykes, chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, emphasised how each inductee broke musical barriers and influenced countless artistes.
“Rock & Roll is an ever-evolving amalgam of sounds that impacts culture and moves generations. This diverse group of inductees each broke down musical barriers and influenced countless artists that followed in their footsteps,” he said.
While artistes like Mariah Carey, Lenny Kravitz, Sinead O'Connor, Sade, Oasis, Eric B. & Rakim, and Jane's Addiction were nominated but didn't make it to the list, this year's first-time nominees, including Cher, Foreigner, Frampton, and Kool & the Gang, made the cut.
Eligibility for induction requires artists to have released their first commercial recording at least 25 years prior to nomination. Nominees were selected through a voting process involving over 1,000 artistes, historians, and music industry professionals, as well as fan voting online or in person.
Last year's inductees included Missy Elliott, Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crow, Chaka Khan, Don Cornelius, Kate Bush, and the late George Michael.
