The late Sinéad O'Connor is among the musicians nominated for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Mary J Blige, Mariah Carey, Cher, Lenny Kravitz and Sinéad O’Connor are part of a wide variety of global artists, which also includes the pop-soul of Sade.
Ozzy Osbourne, who led many parents in the 1980s to clutch their pearls with his satanic imagery, gets the nod as a solo artist, having already gone into the hall with Black Sabbath.
I’m deeply honored to receive this news from the @RockHall. 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… pic.twitter.com/yCvPvVbvSW
— Ozzy Osbourne (@OzzyOsbourne) February 10, 2024
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Nominations also were handed to hip-hop duo Eric B & Rakim, soft rockers Foreigner, singer-guitarist Peter Frampton, alt-rockers Jane’s Addiction and the Dave Matthews Band, and dance icons Kool & the Gang.
John Sykes, chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, said: “Continuing in the true spirit of rock ‘n’ roll, these artists have created their own sounds that have impacted generations and influenced countless others that have followed in their footsteps.”
Ten of the 15 nominees are on the ballot for the first time, including Carey, Cher, Foreigner, Frampton, Kool & the Gang, Kravitz, Oasis, O’Connor, Osbourne and Sade.
Sade, whose 1980s soft rock hits include Smooth Operator and The Sweetest Taboo, was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame only last year.
Carey, with 19 US number one hits, Blige with eight multi-platinum albums and nine Grammy Awards, and Cher – the only artist to have a chart topper in each of the past six decades – would help boost the number of women in the hall.
Artists must have released their first commercial recording at least 25 years before they are eligible for induction. The induction ceremony will take place in Cleveland this autumn.
Nominees will be voted on by more than 1,000 artists, historians and music industry professionals.
Fans can vote online or in person at the museum, with the top five artists picked by the public making up a “fans’ ballot” that will be tallied with the other professional ballots.
Last year, Missy Elliott, Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crow, Chaka Khan, Soul Train creator Don Cornelius, Kate Bush and the late George Michael were some of the artists who entered the hall of fame.
