Ozzy Osbourne, Cher and Mary J. Blige are among the acts in this year’s class of inductees at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
The Rock Hall entries, first announced during Sunday’s broadcast of “American Idol,” include Black Sabbath founder Osbourne, folk-rocker Cher and R&B titan Blige among its performer category. Folk-rock adventurers Dave Matthews Band, ‘80s hard rockers Foreigner, guitar hero and singer-songwriter Peter Frampton, funk and R&B mainstays Kool & the Gang and the influential rap group A Tribe Called Quest round out the Class of 2024.
Four of the eight inductees in the performer category are first-timers on the ballot — Cher, Foreigner, Kool & the Gang and Frampton.
The musical influence award will go to the pioneering American blues and R&B singer Big Mama Thornton (who first recorded “Hound Dog,” later recorded by Elvis Presley) and influential midcentury British blues guitarists Alexis Korner and John Mayall.
This year’s musical excellence awards will honor two recently deceased performers, beloved country-rock singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett and proto-punk guitarist and MC5 founder Wayne Kramer, along with rock and R&B legend Dionne Warwick and the late Motown songwriter Norman Whitfield. Buffet was recently feted at the Hollywood Bowl with a medley of performances featuring the Eagles, Paul McCartney and many others.
This year’s Ahmet Ertegun award, given for music industry achievements, will go to Suzanne de Passe, a producer and executive who for decades worked with Motown and its Motown productions arm, which produced film and TV projects, and the live performance series “Showtime at the Apollo.”
To be eligible for the Rock Hall, an artist or band must have released its first commercial recording at least 25 years prior to the nomination year. The 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place Oct. 19 in Cleveland and stream on Disney+.