An Upstate New York singer and a Syracuse University alumna have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Foreigner, including Rochester’s Lou Gramm, was honored Saturday night alongside fellow 2024 inductees Mary J. Blige, Jimmy Buffett, Cher, Dave Matthews Band, Peter Frampton, Kool & The Gang, Alexis Korner, John Mayall, MC5, Ozzy Osbourne, Suzanne de Passe, Big Mama Thornton, A Tribe Called Quest, Dionne Warwick and Norman Whitfield. De Passe famously discovered the Jackson Five in 1968, the same year she graduated from SU.
Gramm had one of the biggest moments of the night when he performed “I Want to Know What Love Is” alongside Kelly Clarkson and Foreigner’s touring band. The 74-year-old singer earned a standing ovation from the crowd, which included big names like Jack Black, Jelly Roll and Mark Ronson (whose stepfather is Foreigner guitarist Mick Jones).
Foreigner, known for mega-selling rock hits like “Hot Blooded,” “Cold As Ice,” and “Feels Like the First Time,” was inducted into the Rock Hall after being nominated for the first time this year despite being eligible since 2002. Jones, who is battling Parkinson’s, and drummer Dennis Elliott did not attend, but they were inducted with Gramm, Al Greenwood, Rick Wills, and late members Ian McDonald and Ed Gagliardi.
“We didn’t always agree about Foreigner’s musical direction but all told we were very fortunate to have been in Foreigner together and our music continues to stand the test of time,” Gramm said in his acceptance speech.
Gramm, who was born Louis Grammatico in Rochester and currently lives in Webster, N.Y., said he plans to retire from performing at the end of this year. The original voice of Foreigner left the group in 1990 and again in 2003, but has continued performing as a solo artist; he and Jones were previously inducted in the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2013.
De Passe was honored with the Ahmet Ertegun Award, which recognizes non-performing industry professionals who have had a major influence on the creative development and growth of rock and roll. De Passe found the Jackson 5 for Motown’s Berry Gordy and also signed The Commodores, Rick James, Teena Marie, and DeBarge.
“I can’t believe that I am here,” de Passe said. “I am profoundly grateful to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. This is a life-changing moment for me.”
De Passe was a pioneer in the music industry, becoming president of Motown in 1981 and producing the TV special “Motown: Yesterday, Today, Forever” (which featured the debut of Michael Jackson’s moonwalk dance move). She was the first Black person to be nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the Academy Awards with her screenplay for the 1972 Billie Holiday biopic “Lady Sings the Blues,” starring Diana Ross. De Passe also earned seven Emmy nominations through her production company, de Passe Entertainment, which created TV shows like “Sister, Sister,” “The Temptations,” “Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century,” and “The Jacksons: An American Dream” (starring fellow Syracuse alumna Vanessa Williams as de Passe).
“With nearly six decades in the entertainment field, trailblazer Suzanne de Passe paved the way for women in the music business as one of the first leading female executives,” the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame said. “From de Passe’s extraordinary 20 years with Motown to her successful tenure heading de Passe Entertainment, she has used her passion, persistence, and vision to triumph in a male-dominated industry.”
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De Passe thanked Gordy and the artists she’s worked with, acknowledged the four women who have preceded her in the award, and spoke about how she fought to get the Jacksons signed.
“Sometimes when you really believe in something. You have to make ‘no’ your vitamin. It has to be the thing that makes you stronger, not weaker. Your belief can change people’s minds, hearts and lives,” she said.
ATCQ, Blige, Cher, DMB, Foreigner, Frampton, Kool & The Gang and Osbourne (who was previously inducted as a member of Black Sabbath) were inducted as performers in the Rock Hall’s 2024 class. Korner, Mayall and Thornton earned the Musical Influence Award, while Buffett, MC5, Warwick and Whitfield received the Musical Excellence Award.
The 2024 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony is available to stream on Disney+. The show will also air on ABC at a later date and be available on Hulu the next day.
