The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced the inductees who will represent its Class of 2024, and the list is extensive with heavy hitmakers. Sixteen creatives who either made an impact as a performer or as a professional within the music industry were selected for the honor. Five of those inductees are women.
Big Mama Thorton
Powerhouse vocalist Big Mama Thorton, born Willie Mae Thorton, receives the Musical Influence honor posthumously. The Alabama born and California-raised blues singer stunned music listeners with her no-nonsense single “Hound Dog,” her biggest hit to date, selling over 500,000 copies and later, rerecorded by Elvis Presley.
Since the 1950s, Big Mama Thorton has delivered sonically impressive music, including “Ball N’ Chain,” a staple rock & roll single that captures the brilliance of Thorton’s wailing vocals. Her discography consists of “I Smell a Rat,” “Down-Home Shake-Down,” and “Go Down Moses.” In 1984, Thorton passed away in Los Angeles at the age of 57, but her music lives on in the sphere of blues and rock & roll.
Mary J. Blige
Dubbed the Queen of Hip Hop Soul, Mary J. Blige is officially an inductee in the Performer category after being considered for the second time — her first attempt to be inducted occurred in 2021.
Blige started her career as a R&B artist at Uptown Records in 1989, where she would meet the late Andre Harrell and intern turned Bad Boy Records founder, Sean “Puffy” Combs, who would be assigned to her as a producer and image consultant. Her music significantly impacted the culture of R&B and hip hop as she churned out No. 1 hits, such as “Real Love,” “Be Happy,” “I Can Love You,” “Not Gon’ Cry,” “No More Drama,” “Family Affair,” “Be Without You,” and many more in a discography that extends nearly four decades. Nowadays, Blige has transitioned to acting, while also managing her own production company.
Cher
Cher is another woman inductee in the Performer category that has been a cultural phenomenon for several decades on end — seven, to be exact. Formerly one part of the duo Sonny & Cher, the music icon first captured mainstream attention with the 1960’s love song “I Got You Babe.” She would eventually branch out as a solo artist, releasing songs “Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves,” “Believe,” You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me,” and “Woman’s World.” Today, she is championed as one of the leading artists of the dance music scene.
Dionne Warwick
Hailing from the same era as Cher, Dionne Warwick made an indelible mark on the music industry with her 1963 single “Don’t Make Me Over” from her debut album Presenting Dionne Warwick. The single landed at No. 21 on the U.S. Billboard Chart and No. 5 on the U.S. Hot R&B and Hip Hop Chart.
She followed up with the highly sampled “Walk On By” (1964), and the RIAA Gold certified “I Say a Little Prayer” (1967). Her No. 1 hits include “Then Came You” (1974) with The Spinners and “That’s What Friends Are For” (1985) with Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, and Elton John. Warwick will be recognized in the Musical Excellence category.
Suzanne de Passe
Just two years after the induction of Sugar Hill founder Sylvia Robinson, another trailblazing female executive is being inducted into the Hall of Fame. Suzanne de Passe is most notably known for her work with Motown’s Berry Gordy, where she chaperoned the stardom of the Jackson 5 and signed future stars, such as The Commodores and collaborators Rick James and Teena Marie.
Later in her career, she would transition into television and film, co-writing the screenplay for the Billie Holiday influenced Lady Sings the Blues, released in 1972, and the 1998 television special, Motown 40: The Music Is Forever. Her producer credits include Class Act, starring Kid N’ Play, the television mini series The Jacksons: An American Dream and The Temptations, and the classic television series Sister, Sister. De Passe is inducted in the Ahmet Ertegun Award category for non-performers.
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Other inductees this year include A Tribe Called Quest, Kool & The Gang, Dave Matthews Band, Ozzy Osbourne, Foreigner, and Peter Frampton, all recognized in the Performers category. Jimmy Buffet, Norman Whitfield, and MC5 are inductees of the Musical Excellence category, while Alexis Korner and John Mayall are in the Musical Influence category.
The Class of 2024 inductees join a bill of global superstars such as Willie Nelson (Class of 2023), Tina Turner (Class of 2021), Jay-Z (Class of 2021), Whitney Houston (Class of 2020), The Notorious B.I.G. (Class of 2020), Janet Jackson (Class of 2019), Tupac Shakur (Class of 2017), Quincy Jones (Class of 2013), Run DMC (Class of 2009), U2 (Class of 2005), Prince (Class of 2004), Michael Jackson (Class of 2001), Queen (Class of 2001), The Doors (Class of 1993), The Rolling Stones (Class of 1989), The Beatles (Class of 1988), Aretha Franklin (Class of 1987), and Sam Cooke (Class of 1986).
The 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction takes place at Cleveland’s Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on Oct. 19.
