How many Detroit artists are in the R&R Hall of Fame? After some dispute, here's an answer
But some of those folks had a bone to pick with the Detroit Free Press. We had described the White Stripes as Detroit's 22nd inductee, complete with a list of those 22 artists, a rundown that starts with the Class of 1987's Aretha Franklin.
"Where's the MC5?" asked many who scanned the list, recalling that band's entry into the rock hall last October. Similar questions came in about Motown's Norman Whitfield, who was honored the same night.
Readers were especially perplexed by the omissions because the Free Press had extensively covered that very ceremony last fall.
Yes, the MC5 and Whitfield weren't in Sunday's list of 22. But there is an explanation — even if, like all things Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, it's ripe for debate.
It's a running tab the Free Press has maintained for many years now. We've updated it each time a hometown artist gets inducted into the rock hall's prestigious performer wing.
The performer field is the one that dominates headlines every year, accompanied by the requisite cheers and arguments among music fans worldwide.
More: The White Stripes headed to Rock & Roll Hall of Fame; 22nd Detroit act to be inducted
More: From fan to family: A son discovers his father — and a link to a Detroit rock legacy
But beyond that main tier, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has some supplemental categories, like the Award for Musical Excellence — the honor bestowed last year on Whitfield and the MC5.
The award was established in 2000 under the name Sidemen, with Motown bassist James Jamerson among the inaugural honorees. When it was rebranded 10 years later with the 'Musical Excellence' banner, RRHOF officials said it was a way to recognize musicians who might not otherwise get their flowers.
That eventually benefited the MC5: After six unsuccessful nominations in the performer field, the late-great Detroit band was finally ushered into the hall of fame via the Musical Excellence category.
And while it might not be evident when watching the RRHOF's annual ceremony — where Musical Excellence awardees get less pomp and circumstance than others — officials say those recipients are considered fully vested hall of fame inductees.
The number 22 is impressive enough, signifying Detroit's mammoth contribution to music history. (At one point in the early '90s, Motor City artists constituted more than one-fifth of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's total body of performer inductees.)
Still, the Free Press will rethink this one going forward. We certainly don't want to downplay the full scope of Detroit's hall of fame presence.
So as of late April 2025, here's your total number: 29. Below is the list of all the Detroit-related groups and individuals who have made the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame via one route or another.
Contact Detroit Free Press music writer Brian McCollum: 313-223-4450 or bmccollum@freepress.com.
(Inducted in the performer wing unless otherwise noted.)
Aretha Franklin — 1987
Marvin Gaye — 1987
Smokey Robinson — 1987
Jackie Wilson — 1987
The Supremes — 1988
Berry Gordy Jr. — 1988 (Ahmet Ertegun Award)
The Temptations — 1989
Stevie Wonder — 1989
Hank Ballard — 1990
Four Tops — 1990
Holland-Dozier-Holland —1990 (Ahmet Ertegun Award)
John Lee Hooker — 1991
Martha and the Vandellas — 1995
Gladys Knight & the Pips — 1996
Little Willie John — 1996
Parliament-Funkadelic — 1997
James Jamerson — 2000 (Award for Musical Excellence)
Benny Benjamin — 2003 (Award for Musical Excellence)
Bob Seger — 2004
Madonna — 2008
The Stooges — 2010
Alice Cooper — 2011
The Miracles — 2012
Eminem — 2022
The Spinners — 2023
MC5 — 2024 (Award for Musical Excellence)
Norman Whitfield — 2024 (Award for Musical Excellence)
Suzanne de Passe — 2024 (Ahmet Ertegun Award)
The White Stripes — 2025 (pending November ceremony)
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: How many Detroit artists are in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame?
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
UPI
11 hours ago
- UPI
LL Cool J to host MTV Video Music Awards
1 of 3 | LL Cool J arrives on the red carpet at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in 2023. He will host the upcoming MTV Video Music Awards. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo Aug. 14 (UPI) -- Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee LL Cool J is set to host MTV's Video Music Awards on Sept. 7. He will take the UBS Arena stage in New York at 8 p.m. EDT, and the event will broadcast live on CBS, MTV and Paramount+. LL Cool J was previously the Video Vanguard Award winner, and he hosted opposite Nicki Minaj and Jack Harlow in 2022, a press release states. This time, he will host solo. VMAs nominations were announced earlier this month. LL Cool J's song "Murdergram Deaux" from The Force is up for Best Hip-Hop. Lady Gaga led nominees with 12 potential honors, marking her first time as most-nominated artist. Bruno Mars was nominated 11 times, while Kendrick Lamar is up for 10 potential awards. Blackpink's Rose and Sabrina Carpenter were each eight-time nominees. LL Cool J: 20 images of the hip-hop icon LL Cool J (L) meets 15-year-old Kenan Malkic from Bosnia, who lost his limbs from a land mine. LL Cool J gifted Malkic an autographed book during a book signing event in New York City on December 21, 1997. Photo by Ezio Petersen/UPI | License Photo
Forbes
12 hours ago
- Forbes
Red Hot Chili Peppers Rock Back Onto The Charts With A Signature Album
A little more than a quarter century ago, Red Hot Chili Peppers changed the sound of alternative music forever. The group, which by that point had already become hugely popular all around the world thanks to its signature funky, alternative style, released Californication in the summer of 1999. That set would go on to become not just one of the most famous by the outfit, but one of the most important titles in the rock subgenre. Decades later, Californication is back on the charts in the United Kingdom. Californication Reappears on Multiple Charts This week, the beloved full-length can be found on two rankings in the U.K., reappearing on both the Official Physical Albums and Official Albums Sales charts. Californication returns at Nos. 93 and 97, respectively. Californication's Performance on Two Charts, Compared There are some stark differences between Californication's performance on the two charts. The title has risen highest on the Official Physical Albums ranking, where it peaked at No. 5, and where it has now spent 244 frames. That list looks only at full-lengths and EPs available on CD, vinyl, or cassette. On the general sales tally, the genre favorite has climbed as high as No. 21 and has racked up 61 stays. 'Scar Tissue,' 'Otherside" and 'Californication' In its heyday, Californication peaked at No. 5 on the Official Albums chart. In the 25 years since it was released, the project has been certified five times platinum in the U.K. for moving 1.5 million copies. Several smashes emerged from its tracklist, including 'Scar Tissue,' 'Otherside,' and the title track — all of which are still regarded as among the greatest in the Red Hot Chili Peppers' oeuvre. Greatest Hits by Red Hot Chili Peppers Two Red Hot Chili Peppers full-lengths appear on the charts in the U.K., but there is no crossover between the rankings on which they appear. As Californication becomes a bestseller again, the band's Greatest Hits surges on both the Official Albums Streaming and Official Albums rankings. That title is once again a top 40 win on both rosters, lifting to Nos. 30 and 35, respectively. 'Can't Stop' Rocks Back Into the Top 10 Even the sole Red Hot Chili Peppers song on a U.K. list is on the move in a positive direction. 'Can't Stop' jumps from No. 12 to No. 7 on the Official Rock and Metal Singles chart, returning to the top 10 681 weeks into its time on the genre-specific sales roster.
Forbes
13 hours ago
- Forbes
Black Sabbath's Classic Hit Reaches A New All-Time High
Several weeks after Ozzy Osbourne's death, his name still appears on charts all around the world. Multiple tracks and albums credited to the rock pioneer, as well as Black Sabbath — where he got his start — land on multiple tallies in the United States as fans continue to mourn the passing of one of the most celebrated names in metal. Most of Osbourne's songs and full-lengths are on the decline, which isn't unusual at this point in the grieving process, but one track from his group bucks the downward trend and climbs to a new peak decades after its release. 'War Pigs' Climbs to a New Chart Peak 'War Pigs/Luke's Wall,' a double single of sorts, rises on the Hot Hard Rock Songs chart, Billboard's ranking of the most consumed hard rock-only tunes in the United States. The Black Sabbath classic lifts a single spot from No. 6 to No. 5. As it climbs, 'War Pigs/Luke's Wall' hits a never-before-seen high point three frames into its time on the consumption-based tally. Black Sabbaths's Three Hot Hard Rock Songs Chart Hits Black Sabbath has seen three tunes hit the Hot Hard Rock Songs chart, and all of them debuted within the last month. 'Paranoid' stands out as the group's only No. 1, while 'War Pigs/Luke's Wall' ties 'Iron Man' as the band's second-highest-charting tune – or lowest. Previously, 'War Pigs/Luke's Wall' was the lowest-peaking Black Sabbath cut on the roster, but it now shares that distinction with 'Iron Man.' 'Paranoid' Remains the Band's Longest-Running Win It also advances in terms of longevity. 'Paranoid' has spent five frames on the Hot Hard Rock Songs chart, while Black Sabbath's climbing tune earns a third stay, pulling out of a tie with 'Iron Man,' which only held on for two stints. 'War Pigs' Lives on Multiple Billboard Charts 'War Pigs/Luke's Wall' lives on half a dozen Billboard charts, all of which are focused on rock in one way or another. The cut only climbs on the Hot Hard Rock Songs tally, though it keeps at No. 6 on the Hard Rock Digital Song Sales list. The Black Sabbath favorite slips on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, Hot Rock Songs, Rock Digital Song Sales, and Hard Rock Streaming Songs charts at the same time. 'War Pigs' and 'Luke's Wall' 'War Pigs' was released in 1970 as part of Black Sabbath's Paranoid album. In the United States, the song's instrumental outro is specifically called 'Luke's Wall,' so in America the track is credited as 'War Pigs/Luke's Wall.'
