Howard Sounds Off on All the Nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 2024 Class

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has announced the nominees for their class of 2024 and on Monday, Howard defended some of the poppier names on the list, like Mary J. Blige and Mariah Carey. “They’ve expanded what the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is. I wouldn’t call Mariah Carey rock and roll, but Dolly Parton’s in it and Willie Nelson is in it — I understand the concept now, it’s anybody that’s in music,” he explained.

Howard argued that Cher — another less conventional name on the list — deserves to get in. “She’s had hits in every decade — I think Cher might be a worthy candidate,” he noted. “I think it’s time for her to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame — she’s done a lot in this business.”

“If Madonna’s in then Cher should be in,” executive producer and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame voter Gary Dell’Abate agreed.

In addition to Oasis, Kool & the Gang, A Tribe Called Quest, Sade, and Eric B. & Rakim, past Stern Show guests Dave Matthews (Band), Foreigner, Jane’s Addiction, Lenny Kravitz, Ozzy Osbourne, and Peter Frampton made the cut. The late Sinéad O’Connor, who was honored by Adam Levine during his visit last December, was also included.

Staffer Jon Hein, who also gets a vote, thinks it’s a tricky field this year. “The ballot’s really tough,” he said. “The only slam dunk is Frampton.”

Howard eventually narrowed his list down to seven artists since that’s the amount that will be inducted. “I’m going to give it to Cher, Dave Matthews, Frampton, Jane’s Addiction … Kool and the Gang … Ozzy’s gotta be in,” he revealed before adding Kravitz. “I’ll give it to Lenny because he looks cool … almost a little too cool.”