Lenny Kravitz, Mariah Carey, Cher Mary J. Blige Among 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Nominees

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation recently announced its nominees for 2024 induction, sharing a celebrated list of individual artists and bands whose chart-topping music hits have touched most all of us for decades. To be eligible, nominees must have released their first commercial recording at least 25 years ago. Here’s this year’s list of nominees:

Image: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame / RockHall.com

Mariah Carey, Cher, Foreigner, Peter Frampton, Kool & the Gang, Lenny Kravitz, Oasis, Sinéad O’Connor, Ozzy Osbourne and Sade are first-time nominees.

“This remarkable list of nominees reflects the diverse artists and music that the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame honors and celebrates. Continuing in the true spirit of Rock & Roll, these artists have created their own sounds that have impacted generations and influenced countless others that have followed in their footsteps.”
- John Sykes, Chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation

Image: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame / RockHall.com

Versatile musical artist Lenny Kravitz has proven his mastery of multiple instruments, playing most of them on all his albums. His talent can’t be confined as he soars with the sounds of R&B, rock, and funk. The industry soon recognized his skills, leading to a bidding war with five major labels. Ultimately, Kravitz signed with Virgin, charting the number two spot on the Billboard 100 with his hit “It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over.”

According to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, “Lenny Kravitz redefined classic rock and created space for a generation of bands like the Struts and Greta Van Fleet to continue expanding the rock genre. His record-breaking four consecutive Grammy Awards for Male Rock Vocal Performance illustrate his staggering impact.”

Some of Kravitz’ hits highlighted by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation include:

Let Love Rule (1989) • “It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over,” Mama Said (1991) • “Are You Gonna Go My Way,” Are You Gonna Go My Way (1993) • “Fly Away,” “American Woman,” 5 (1998) • “Bank Robber Man,” Lenny (2001) • Black and White America (2011) • “TK421,” Blue Electric Light (2024).

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The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation describes Cher as “a musician who personifies female creative freedom in a male-dominated industry.”  Cher has had a number one hit on the Billboard chart in each of the last seven decades and she’s the only female artist to ever do so. Fans will remember Cher’s rise to fame with the 1965 chart topper “I Got You Babe” with then husband Sonny Bono. Cher’s solo career launched soon after and the performer continues to show her ability to master a number of musical genres.

Some of Cher’s hits highlighted by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation include:

“I Got You Babe” (Sonny and Cher) (1965) • “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)” (1966) • “Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves” (1971) • “I Found Someone,” “We All Sleep Alone,” Cher (1987) • Heart of Stone (1989) • Believe (1998) • “A Song for the Lonely,” Living Proof (2001) • “You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me” (2010) • “Woman’s World,” Closer to the Truth (2013).

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Known as the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, Mary J. Blige burst onto the R&B scene in 1989 after being signed to Uptown Records as the youngest and first female artist at the time. She turned heads with her hip-hop soul sound with R&B hits “Real Love” and “You Remind Me.” Blige soon showed her versatility as an all-around artist, writing the hits “Be Happy” and “My Life.” Her repertoire continued to blossom year after year, including her critically acclaimed “London Sessions” and her collabs with Hall of Fame inductees Ray Charles, Smokey Robinson, and Missy Elliot.

Some of Blige’s hits highlighted by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation include:

“Real Love,” What’s the 411? (1992) • “I’m Goin’ Down,” “My Life,” My Life (1994) • “Not Gon’ Cry” (1996) • Share My World (1997) • “Your Child,” Mary (1999) • “Family Affair,” No More Drama (2001) • “Be Without You,” The Breakthrough (2005) • Strength of a Woman (2017) • “Mighty River,” Mudbound soundtrack (2017).

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The unmistakable musicality and five-octave vocal range of the songbird Mariah Carey has mesmerized fans for decades. “As a singer, songwriter, performer, and record producer, her dynamic career trajectory has had an enormous impact on the pop music landscape, generating nineteen number one hits, second only to the Beatles,” the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation says in a statement.

Her 1990 debut album (Mariah Carey) had four number one singles, and she won a Grammy for Best New Artist that same year and the single “Vision of Love” won Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Carey has cemented her spot atop the Christmas charts with her one of her all-time best-selling singles, the 1994 hit “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”

Some of Carey’s hits highlighted by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation include:

“Vision of Love,” “Someday,” Mariah Carey (1990) • “Emotions,” “Make It Happen,” Emotions (1991) • “I’ll Be There” (with Trey Lorenz), MTV Unplugged EP (1992) • “Hero,” “Without You,” Music Box (1993) • “One Sweet Day” (with Boyz II Men), “Always Be My Baby,” Daydream (1995) • “Fantasy” (Bad Boy with O.D.B.) (1995) • “Honey,” Butterfly (1997) • The Emancipation of Mimi (2005) • “Big Energy (Remix)” (Latto and Mariah Carey featuring DJ Khaled) (2022).

Over 1,000 international artists, historians, and members of the music industry make up the Hall of Fame voting body who will consider the nominees’ musical impact, body of work, and influence on other artists. Inductees will be announced in late April. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame celebrates the sound of youth culture and honors the artists whose music connects everyone.