New York — Mary J. Blige, Cher, Foreigner, A Tribe Called Quest, Kool & The Gang and Ozzy Osbourne have been named to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, a class that also includes folk-rockers Dave Matthews Band and singer-guitarist Peter Frampton.
Alexis Korner, John Mayall and Big Mama Thornton earned the Musical Influence Award, while the late Jimmy Buffett, MC5, Dionne Warwick and Norman Whitfield will get the Musical Excellence Award. Pioneering music executive Suzanne de Passe won the Ahmet Ertegun Award.
"Rock 'n' roll is an ever-evolving amalgam of sounds that impacts culture and moves generations," John Sykes, chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, said in a statement. "This diverse group of inductees each broke down musical barriers and influenced countless artists that followed in their footsteps."
The induction ceremony will be held Oct. 19 at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio. It will stream live on Disney+ with an airing on ABC at a later date and available on Hulu the next day.
Music Acts Snubbed for Hall of Fame Induction
Among the notable music acts that were nominated this year but ultimately didn't make the cut are Mariah Carey, Lenny Kravitz, the late Sinéad O'Connor, Sade, Oasis, Eric B. & Rakim, and Jane's Addiction.
There was a strong push to include Foreigner, known for hits like "Urgent" and "Hot Blooded," in the hall of fame. Mark Ronson, Jack Black, Slash, Dave Grohl, and Paul McCartney publicly supported the nomination. Ronson, whose stepfather is Mick Jones, a founding member of Foreigner, championed the cause.
Ozzy Osbourne, infamous for his controversial imagery and heavy music in the 1980s, is being inducted as a solo artist, having previously entered the hall with Black Sabbath.
Out of the eight inductees, four - Cher, Foreigner, Frampton, and Kool & the Gang - were nominated for the first time.
Cher, the only artist to achieve a No. 1 song in each of the past six decades, and Blige, with numerous multi-platinum albums and Grammy Awards, will contribute to increasing the representation of women in the hall of fame, a point of criticism for its lack of diversity.
Criteria for induction requires artists to have released their first commercial recording at least 25 years prior to eligibility.
Nominations for induction into the hall were determined through a voting process involving over 1,000 artists, historians, and music industry professionals. Fans were also given the opportunity to vote either online or in person at the museum. The top five artists chosen by the public formed a "fans' ballot," which was then combined with the votes from the industry experts.
Notable inductees from the previous year included Missy Elliott, Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crow, Chaka Khan, Don Cornelius (creator of "Soul Train"), Kate Bush, and the late George Michael.
