Rock Hall Pres Greg Harris – 10 1st-Timers On the Ballot Is A Big Deal

The nominees for the Rock Hall of Fame were announced over the weekend with 10 1st-timers on the ballot. Rock Hall president Greg Hall joined Jim Monaghan on the WDHA Morning Jolt to talk about who's up for induction in 2024. These ten first-time nominees on the ballot in 2024 is a big deal to Rock Hall president Harris . Voters are going to have a wide variety of artists to consider before the ballots are counted in April. [audio mp3="https://wdhafm.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2024/02/Greg-Harris-edit-2-12-24.mp3"][/audio] 10 1st-time nominees JM - We got the list of nominees over the weekend for the Rock and Roll hall of Fame class of 2024. And I thought there were some very nice surprises on here, including a few people for the first time on the ballot, like Foreigner, Peter Frampton and Cher. I already thought Cher was in there, to be honest with you, Greg. GH - That's a good sign of somebody's impact and influence, right, when you already think they're in. But ten of these artists or bands if their first time on the ballot, which is really exciting. We've had other years when ten have been on, but it's a big deal. You said Cher, Mariah, Sinead, Lenny Kravitz, Oasis, Foreigner, Peter Frampton, a few others. It's all of their first time on the ballot. It's very exciting. Ozzy's impact JM - I'm looking at this in a very positive light because for years, one of the big ones was, why isn't Foreigner in, you know, I think to see them on the ballot, to see Ozzy on the ballot as a solo artist as well, I think that indicates at least something of a shift in the way the voters are looking at these. GH - Well, you know, it's an evolution, right? And you look at the impact and influence over time and it changes. But to the point on Ozzy, he did terrific stuff with Black Sabbath, just terrific. But his solo records as well are terrific and have been impactful, and he's been at it for four decades as a solo artist. So it's wonderful to have him recognized. "Dad, can I get a guitar?" JM - Of course, we just had the 60th anniversary of the Beatles first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, and I'm thinking back to that night and the week after, when just hundreds and hundreds, thousands of guitars and drum sets were sold, and you look at an artist like Peter Frampton. How many kids went out and bought a guitar after hearing Frampton Comes Alive? We mentioned Ozzy - how many kids went out and bought guitars because of the guitar players they were hearing on. GH - Yeah, you know, there's impact and influence on the broader culture, and then what it means for, you know, that Frampton Comes Alive was just so massive. And it's a good chance, too, for others to learn about his experience with Humble Pie as a young, very young guitar player and just how important he's been to so many other artists. That's what comes out in this nomination process. JM - I think, Greg, from a perception standpoint, I think there are so many signs of progress in how the voters are approaching things this year with just a wide variety of artists. We mentioned Dave Matthews, we mentioned Cher, Mary J. Blige. I love Mary J. Blige's music. And you could even look at her as a direct descendant of Cher. GH - These strong female artists - in Cher's case, starts, of course with Sonny and Cher, but then stands squarely on her own feet with her music. And I think she is one of these beacons for so many other female artists and male artists. And Mary J. Blige is the exact same thing. It's just a couple of decades later. So really powerful stuff. A quick baseball comment JM - Greg, I know you spent time at the Baseball hall of Fame working there and I always like to ask you a baseball question when you come on with us of the rule changes that Major League Baseball put in in 2023. What was your favorite? Mine was the pitch clock. GH - You know what, I started out not liking that, but I do like the pitch clock. I think it really helped the game and it keeps it flowing and it takes away this prolonged potential nonsense of stepping in and out and everything. So I'm with you on that. I haven't quite come around to the second base thing in extra innings, but I really like the pitch count. New Rock Hall exhibits for 2024 JM - What kind of new exhibits do you have going on at the Rock hall right now? GH - One of our featured exhibits is about the 50th anniversary of hip hop, and that's incredible. Then we have another one that we're opening in March that's called "Revolutionary Women in Rock and Roll." It celebrates all these great female artists. Meanwhile, we have our Hall of Fame exhibit from last year's class. Our whole Hall of Fame floor is open. Our theaters are open. All of our classic permanent exhibits with the Beatles and the Stones and the Supremes and James Brown and Bruce Springsteen. They're all open all the time, so there's plenty to see. Fire up the Oldsmobile, hop on Route 80 and come on out here to Cleveland to the Rock and Roll hall of Fame. Learn all about this year's nominees and the induction ceremony and the fan voting online rockhall.com.  THROWBACK: Rock Hall president Greg Harris on the Class of 2023 [select-gallery gallery_id="763736" syndication_name="a-night-at-ace-frehleys-house-a-photo-gallery" description="yes"]