CLEVELAND — As they visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Monday, fans had their favorites among the inductees announced Sunday night. The list included Cher, Dave Matthews Band, Peter Frampton, Foreigner, Mary J. Blige, Kool and The Gang, A Tribe Called Quest and Ozzy Osbourne as a solo artist.
The last one caught Tasha Smith's attention.
"Big Ozzie fan," said Smith, visiting from Kansas. "Black Sabbath, his solo work, everything, all of the different collaborations, TV shows, the ones with his family, all of that," she said. "Just a little sad that it took so long to get Ozzie in, but you know what? Better late than never."
Sad as well was Jamie Bowen of Boise, Idaho, that Jimmy Buffett won't be around to see his induction in the Musical Excellence category.
"Jimmy Buffett's my favorite person on the planet," said Bowen. "So it's unfortunate that it came too late."
Her friend Alan Kahn agreed.
"Jimmy Buffett's induction is long overdue, and I think they are all deserving of it; every one of them is deserving of it," he said.
Eric Butterball of Washington Courthouse, Ohio, also applauded the Ozzie induction and the rest of the class.
"Mary J. Blige got in, A Tribe Called Quest, so it was cool to see some black artists getting inducted, you know," he said.
"It's an amazing class; you know it's a very broad inclusive group," said Rock Hall President and CEO Greg Harris. "There are a number of artists inducted this year that people thought were already in, that's how great they are, and we're just thrilled for these new artists to be going into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame."
We caught up with Harris right after he spoke with inductee Peter Frampton, who was in Nashville when he got the news.
"It was just powerful and emotional and what a great ambassador he is going to be for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame," Harris said.
It was a big night for Dave Matthews Band to finally get in after winning the fan vote for a second time. Though it did not play a big part in the final tally of ballots, the fan vote reflected the final outcome.
"It's pretty remarkable to have a year like that where of the top seven in the fan vote, six of them are going into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame," said Harris. "It's going to be a fan favorite night for the induction ceremony, and every single artist is well deserving."
This year marks the return of the induction ceremony to Cleveland, set for October 19 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. "But between now and October, we're collecting artifacts from the artists; we're going to exhibit them right here on the Hall of Fame floor," said Harris. "The show producers are putting together a show, the people at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation will think about what pairings to do, to perform at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse and the artists themselves they're working on their guest lists, they're working on their speeches, and it's going to be a very emotional night for them."
On the surprise announcement of the induction of Jimmy Buffett and Dionne Warwick, Harris said, "Musical Excellence is a great addition.
Jimmy Buffett went in with Musical Excellence, Dionne Warwick went in with Musical Excellence, and the MC5 - a great Detroit Rock and Roll band went in.
"It's a way to look at artists who have had a really massive impact, but for one reason or another, the regular ballot wasn't getting the attention, or maybe that hadn't been on the ballot, and they went right in. In past years Judas Priest went in that way, LL Cool J went in that way, Nile Rogers was inducted in that way and these artists are similar," Harris said.
The Rock Hall will be announcing ticket availability in the coming weeks.
"Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members will get first crack with an early offer for the tickets as well, but we hope to fill every hotel room in Downtown Cleveland; we're going to sell out Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. It's going to be a great night for Cleveland, Ohio," Harris said.
Who was selected?
It's been a little overtwo months since the 2024 Rock Hall nominees were released. Sunday night, the Rock Hall announced who made the cut.
The inductees this year are:
- Mary J. Blige
- Jimmy Buffett
- Cher
- Dave Matthews Band
- Foreigner
- Peter Frampton
- Kool & The Gang
- Alexis Korner
- John Mayall
- MC5
- Ozzy Osbourne
- Suzanne De Passe
- Big Mama Thornton
- A Tribe Called Quest
- Dionne Warwick
- Norman Whitfield
Mariah Carey, Jane's Addiction, Lenny Kravitz, Sade and Sinéad O'Connor were among those who were nominated in February but not selected.
RELATED: Rock Hall announces 2024 inductees
