“Honestly, I burst into tears when they told me,” says longtime Motown executive Suzanne de Passe of learning she will receive the Ahmet Ertegun Award at this year's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in October . 19 in Cleveland.
This reflected the many reactions coming from inductees after the Rock Hall's Class of 2024 was revealed on Sunday (April 21) night's episode of American Idol on ABC. Joy, jubilation and even some surprise were expressed by those headed to the Rock Hall this year, whether in the category of artists with votes or those receiving this year's awards for musical excellence.
Robert “Kool” Bell is happy to explain why Kool & the Gang, an R&B group with multiple pop hits, belongs in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Talking to you Advertising sign via Zoom, with bottles of his signature champagne sitting nearby to presumably, uh, celebrate the induction, Bell says that “I've done 48 shows with Van Halen, 10 shows with Kid Rock, opening for the Dave Matthews Band , Elton John, Rod Stewart. I also worked with Foreigner…If you call it the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, then yeah, I guess you could say I feel like a rock n' roller.”
Bell is, of course, the last remaining member of the original Kool & the Gang lineup, and he says his departed bandmates, including his brother Ronald Bell, would be pleased with the Rock Hall honor. “We've been to a lot of different ones,” notes Bell, including a 2018 induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. “It's great to finally be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. All the kids will love it.” Kool & the Gang's Rock Hall honor comes 60 years after the band formed in New Jersey and 55 years after its self-titled debut album.
Ozzy Osbourne, who joined Black Sabbath in 2006, says Advertising sign via email that being honored for his solo career “feels big. I am more than an honor.” He says the introduction to his own work, which began with Blizzard of Oz The 1980 album “feels different than with Sabbath because my solo career was a much bigger part of my overall music career as a whole… I feel like I was invited to a party in 1980, and it hasn't stopped. Not bad for a guy who got fired from his last band.” Osbourne, who has effectively retired from touring due to a variety of health issues, including Parkinson's disease, says he is unsure about appearing at the ceremony but will be there, wearing what will “definitely be black”.
Says Peter Frampton Advertising sign that he is “a bit shocked and speechless” after hearing the news of his induction. He was also delighted to finish second behind Dave Matthews Band in the fan vote, with 528,000. “It's an honor that people treat me this way. I'm just amazed,” said Frampton, who had encouraged fan voting during his recent tour by flashing a voting QR code on the video screen at his concerts. “It's very strange that we would be touring during the public vote, so every night I could hope to get a few hundred out of the two thousand, three thousand that were in the audience. And it made a difference.”
said Foreigner founder Mick Jones Advertising sign in an exclusive interview he said, “It's a great honor to be counted among all these great artists who have joined over the years.” He added that despite waiting more than 20 years since the band became eligible, “I'm definitely not too consumed by it. Every year it was the same thing, so in the end I wasn't really worried about it… I had a great career, and this is like the icing and the cherry on top.”
Jones, who battles Parkinson's disease, was also “very grateful” for son-in-law Mark Ronson's video campaign for Foreigner, which recruited the likes of Paul McCartney, Slash, Jack Black, Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and others. to express their surprise and outrage that Foreigner had not already been inducted. “I wasn't fully aware of the extent to which he saw this… I had a good laugh seeing Paul's Instagram post.” Jones added that he plans to attend the ceremony in October, but has not decided whether he will play or not. Original Foreigner frontman Lou Gramm previously said Advertising sign that he plans to be there and expects to perform his Billboard Hot 100 hit “I Want to Know What Love Is” and another song.
MC5's musical achievement award is “bittersweet” following the death of co-founder Wayne Kramer on February 2 at the age of 75, according to his widow, Margaret Saadi Kramer. “Maybe just the right thing at exactly the wrong time,” noted Kramer, who manages the MC5's affairs and co-founded the Jail Guitar Doors initiative with her husband. “However, I'm sure he would have landed in gratitude for this recognition and taken it like the beautiful free radical he was, an underdog winner.” Three other MC5 members – Rob Tyner, Fred Smith and Michael Davis – have also passed on, leaving only drummer Dennis “Machine Gun” Thompson.
Wayne Kramer has completed work on a new MC5 album, Weight Lifting, due out later this year and featuring guests including Thompson, Guns N' Roses' Slash, Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave), Living Colour's Vernon Reid, Alice in Chains' William DuVall, Rise Against's Tim McIlrath and Don was . It will be packed with a live recording of the MC50 all-star band during 2018 in the MC5's hometown of Detroit.
Suzanne de Passe, who is still active as a TV and film producer from her Motown days, said she was “really surprised and honored” and that the Ahmet Ertegun award meant even more to her because she saw her mentor, Motown founder Berry. Gordy Jr., received it back in 1987. “Berry Gordy gave me the opportunity of a lifetime,” says de Passe, whose time at Motown included shepherding the careers of the Jackson 5, Lionel Richie and others as well as producing Emmy- successful Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever and company 30th and 40th anniversary tributes. He also produced miniseries The Temptations and The Jacksons Lonesome Dove and other projects.
“I really learned a lot and was able to go out on a limb in some situations and either get up or down but never be in a position to learn and grow,” he says. “I'm very, very grateful for the career I've had and the opportunities that have come my way because of this launch pad.”
She's also happy to be honored alongside Motown songwriter-producer Norman Whitfield, whom she knew well and calls “one of the funniest people I've ever met, a born comedian. We worked together a lot and I learned a lot from Norman. He really took me under his wing and taught me a lot about studio work. We had a great relationship.”
Berry Gordy released a statement celebrating the honors for both of his Motown categories on April 21.
“Today marks a moment of intense pride as two members of the Motown family will be honored at the upcoming Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation Awards, Suzanne de Passe and Norman Whitfield,” Gordy's statement read. “I want to congratulate Suzanne, my protégé and longtime friend, for being selected to receive the prestigious Ahmet Ertegun Award! Suzanne's vision and passion contributed to Motown's success. Every task I ever threw at her, she not only succeeded, but exceeded my expectations. Suzanne became my creative assistant, helping launch the careers of Michael Jackson, the Jackson 5, Lionel Richie, the Commodores and more, to co-writing a script for Lady Sings the Blues, for which he received an Oscar nomination. Suzanne has great instincts, a sharp wit and creative flair that have made her a formidable player in the entertainment world. I continue to be extremely proud of her.
“I am also so thrilled that Norman Whitfield, who I consider a true musical genius and one of Motown's most important creative forces, has been selected for the Rock & Rock Hall of Fame's Musical Excellence Award. His brilliant work was flexible and daring. He had early collaborations such as Marvin Gaye's 'Pride and Joy' and the Temptations' 'Just My Imagination'. He had numerous No. 1 hits, including two with the same song, “I Heard It Through The Grapevine,” back to back with two artists – Gladys Knight & the Pips and Marvin Gaye. Then, with his ear to the streets, he took the Temptations and Motown in a whole new direction. Norman's music reflected the social consciousness of the times with songs such as 'Ball of Confusion', 'War', 'Papa Was a Rolling Stone'. His incredible body of work makes him one of the most important creative forces of his time.”
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/awards/robert-kool-bell-suzanne-de-passe-rock-hall-fame-1235662168/