Artists, composers, musicians, and bands become eligible for induction into the Rock Hall 25 years after the release of their first commercial recording.
Cher’s enduring influence on the generations of artists and musicians, especially women, that followed her ought to have earned her a nod by now. Cher has been eligible for a nomination since 1990. She has constantly reinvented herself and her music along the way, in a career that has surpassed five decades.
She is known for such smash hits as “Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves,” “Half-Breed,” “Dark Lady,” “Shoop Shoop (It’s in His Kiss),” “If I Could Turn Back Time,” “Strong Enough,” as well as her worldwide smash hit “Believe,” among many others.
Cher’s first solo album, All I Really Want to Do, debuted in 1965, in the same year that the beloved Sonny and Cher duet “I Got You Babe” was released; moreover, her breakthrough single “Ringo, I Love You,” came out in March of 1964 under the pseudonym Bonnie Jo Mason, which was given to her by producer and the song’s co-writer Phil Spector.
With the exception of a Tony award, Cher has won all of the most prestigious awards in history, including the Emmy, the Grammy, the Academy Award, among countless other accolades.
This past December, Cher was a Kennedy Center Honoree, where Adam Lambert honored his musical muse with a moving ballad rendition of “Believe.”
With Madonna and more recently, Janet Jackson getting in the Rock Hall, that should make the transition easier for Cher to someday be inducted into the coveted Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, an honor that she rightfully deserves, as she is a living legend, trailblazer and music icon in her own right.
Read More: Digital Journal reviewed Cher’s Dancing Queen album.