Blige, Cher among Rock hall class
Mary J. Blige, Cher, Foreigner, a Tribe Called Quest, Kool & the Gang and Ozzy Osbourne have been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, a class that also includes folk-rockers
Dave Matthews Band and singer-guitarist Peter Frampton. Alexis Korner, John Mayall and Big Mama Thornton earned the Musical Influence Award, while the late Jimmy Buffett, MC5, Dionne Warwick and Norman Whitfield will receive the Musical Excellence Award.
“Rock ’n’ roll is an ever-evolving amalgam of sounds that impacts culture and moves generations,” John Sykes, chairman of the Rock & Roll
Hall of Fame Foundation, said in a statement. “This diverse group of inductees each broke down musical barriers and influenced countless artists that followed in their footsteps.”
The induction ceremony Oct. 19 in Cleveland, Ohio, will stream live on Disney+ and be available on Hulu the next day. It will air on ABC at a later date.
Music acts nominated this year but that didn’t make the cut included Mariah Carey, Lenny Kravitz, the late Sinéad O’Connor, soul-pop singer Sade, Britpoppers Oasis, hip-hop duo Eric B. & Rakim and alt-rockers Jane’s Addiction.
Ono to receive MacDowell Medal:
One of the country’s leading artist residency programs, MacDowell, has awarded a lifetime achievement prize to Yoko Ono. The groundbreaking artist, filmmaker and musician is this year’s recipient of the Edward MacDowell Medal, an honor previously given to Stephen Sondheim and Toni Morrison among others.
“There has never been anyone like her; there has never been work like hers,” MacDowell board chair Nell Painter said in a statement Sunday.
Ono’s son, Sean Ono Lennon, said in a statement that the medal was “an incredible honor.”
“The history and list of past recipients is truly remarkable. It makes me very proud to see her art appreciated and celebrated in this way,” he said.
Bacon dances back to ‘Footloose’ school:
Actor Kevin Bacon returned to the Utah high school where the cult classic movie “Footloose” was filmed more than 40 years ago. Bacon danced his way to a stage on a Payson High School athletic field Saturday to greet students before what likely was the final prom for the school, which is set to be torn down next spring.
“You talked me into it,” Bacon said, in a video posted by Salt Lake City’s ABC 4. “It’s great to see that kind of commitment to anything. I also think that it’s amazing to see the power that this movie has had to bring people together.”
Bacon starred in “Footloose” as a Chicago teen who moved to a small town and fought its ban on dancing. Payson students ended Saturday with a “Footloose”-themed prom, just as the movie ended.