Cher headlines a loaded class of this year’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees, announced Sunday evening on American Idol’s episode focused on the Cleveland-based institution.
The induction coincides with the 77-year-old entertainment icon’s first appearance on a ballot for the Hall of Fame in any capacity, be it for her solo work or her work with Sonny & Cher with late ex-husband Sonny Bono.
Cher criticized her exclusion from the institution last December appearing on The Kelly Clarkson Show, as she vowed she wouldn’t go in if inducted, after more than three decades of snubs, as she was originally eligible in 1991.
‘I’m not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!’ she told Clarkson. ‘You know what, I wouldn’t be in it now if they gave me a million dollars. I’m not kidding you.’
‘I’m never going to change my mind. They can just you-know-what themselves.’
Cher, 77, headlines a loaded class of this year’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees, but it’s not clear if she will attend, as she has been outspoken about being snubbed by the institution for decades. Pictured earlier this month at the iHeartRadio Music Awards in LA
In order to gain eligibility for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, a solo performer or group must have released their first commercial recording a minimum of 25 years ago.
Cher has had an unparalleled decades-long career in music with solo hits such as 1971’s Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves, 1974’s Dark Lady, 1989’s If I Could Turn Back Time, 1990’s The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s in His Kiss) and 1999’s Believe.
Other notable hits in her catalogue include staples with Bono (who died in a January 1998 skiing accident) such as 1965’s I Got You Babe and 1967’s The Beat Goes On.
Cher is joined in the Performer class by solo artists Ozzy Osbourne, 75, Mary J. Blige, 53, Peter Frampton, 74, and the groups Kool & The Gang, Dave Matthews Band, A Tribe Called Quest and Foreigner.
English blues and rock musician John Mayall, 90, and late artists Big Mama Thornton and Alexis Korner will be honored with the Musical Influence Award.
Suzanne de Passe, 77, will receive the Ahmet Ertegun Award, the institution said, according to Rolling Stone.
English blues and rock musician John Mayall, 90, and late artists Big Mama Thornton and Alexis Korner will be honored with the Musical Influence Award.
Osbourne enters as a solo artist after going in with Black Sabbath in 2006.
This year’s class was announced on Sunday’s edition of American Idol ‘s episode focused on the Cleveland-based institution
The show’s Ryan Seacrest and Lionel Richie were a part of Sunday’s announcement
Cher has had an unparalleled decades-long career in music with solo hits such as 1971’s Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves, 1974’s Dark Lady, 1989’s If I Could Turn Back Time
Mary J. Blige, 53, is among the prominent artists set to enter the prestigious institution
The popular Dave Matthews Band will enter the Hall of Fame this year
Show Me the Way singer Peter Frampton will be honored at the ceremony this fall
Musical staple Ozzy Osbourne, 75, is set to enter the Hall of Fame as a solo artist; he was previously inducted in 2006 as part of Black Sabbath
Gene Simmons, inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2014, was on hand Sunday on the show
The Crazy Train artist said earlier this year, ‘To be one of the few musicians who’s being considered for a second entry, now as a solo artist, is something I could never have imagined.
‘After 44 years as a solo artist the fact that I can continue to record music and receive this recognition is something I am incredibly proud of.’
The institution, which will present the honors October 19 at Cleveland’s Mortgage Fieldhouse, said that those honored ‘created music whose originality, impact, and influence has changed the course of rock & roll.’
The show will be streamed on Disney+ live, with special airings later on ABC and Hulu.
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation Chairman said in a statement that ‘Rock & Roll is an ever-evolving amalgam of sounds that impacts culture and moves generations.’
He continued: ‘This diverse group of inductees each broke down musical barriers and influenced countless artists that followed in their footsteps.’
