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3. Cher: “Just Like Jesse James”
Here’s another legend who had never been nominated before this year, as a solo artist or as a part of Sonny & Cher. The big question now is whether Cher — who is justifiably salty about how long it took for her to be recognized — will show up to the ceremony. As she said on Kelly Clarkson’s show just a few months ago, “I wouldn’t be in it now if they gave me a million dollars. I’m never going to change my mind. They can just go you-know-what themselves.” Rock star attitude if I’ve ever heard it!
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4. Foreigner: “Cold as Ice”
The producer Mark Ronson, who is the stepson of Foreigner’s Mick Jones, led an unofficial campaign to get the rockers on this year’s ballot, asking some of his famous acquaintances — including Paul McCartney — to post on social media expressing shock that the band was not yet in the Rock Hall. It looks like it paid off.
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5. Mary J. Blige: “Real Love”
Two years after her commanding performance during the Super Bowl halftime show, Mary J. Blige will receive another high-profile honor when she’s inducted into the Rock Hall this year. This hit from her 1992 debut album “What’s the 411?” still sounds as fresh as the day it was released.
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6. Peter Frampton: “Show Me the Way (Live)”
When Sheryl Crow was inducted last year, she selected Peter Frampton as one of the artists she got to jam with — perhaps to draw attention to the fact that, after nearly three decades of eligibility, he still wasn’t in the Rock Hall. In a Rolling Stone interview after news broke that he was in this year’s class, Frampton said, “Sheryl was the first person I called when I found out.”
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7. Dave Matthews Band: “Crash Into Me (Live at Continental Airlines Arena)”
In 2020, the Dave Matthews Band won the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s fan vote, but it didn’t help it get in. The group won it again this year, and this time it will be inducted, too.
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8. Ozzy Osbourne: “Crazy Train”
And finally, though he was inducted as a member of Black Sabbath in 2006, Ozzy Osbourne was basically a shoo-in for this year’s Rock Hall class, given both his iconic status and his recent health troubles. As Osbourne, whose parting with Black Sabbath was infamously acrimonious, told Billboard after the news broke, “Not bad for a guy who was fired from his last band.”