Illinois Rock & Roll museum in Joliet announces latest inductees

The Illinois Rock & Roll Museum On Route 66 in Joliet will add a country music singer to its honorees this year.

The museum announced that country music singer Suzy Bogguss will be among inductees at its fourth Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, which will be Oct. 20.

Bogguss will perform at the ceremony.

“The Class of ‘24 continues to show our commitment to honoring all genres of music as well as the amazing talent whose roots can be traced to Illinois,” Ron Romero, executive director and board chairman at the museum, said in a news release.

Bogguss of Aledo, Illinois will be presented the President’s Choice Award at the ceremony, which will be held at 6 p.m. Oct. 20 at the Rialto Square Theatre in Joliet.

Bogguss began her career in the 1980s. In the 1990s, 10 of her songs were top 10 hits and one album received a platinum certification, according to the news release. Her biggest hits include “Drive South,” “Outboand Plane” and “Someday Soon.”

“What an unexpected honor to be included with these treasured Illinois natives and artists who have contributed so much to our musical landscape,” Bogguss said in the release. “I put a lot of miles on my camper chasing many of the past inductees around our state and others, learning what I could about the business and being a shameless fan girl.”

Bogguss will enter the Hall of Fame with a special introduction by longtime friends Steve King and Johnnie Putman from WGN Radio 720′s “Steve and Johnnie Show.”

Other inductees to the Class of ‘24 and scheduled to appear include Richard Marx and Marshall Thompson & The Original Chi-Lites. Marx and the Chi-Lites will perform.

The Smashing Pumpkins, Howlin’ Wolf, Little Walter and Bo Diddley will also be inducted in the Artist/Performer category. George Thorogood is scheduled to appear for a special Hall of Fame Induction for Bo Diddley.

Vee-Jay Records will join the Hall of Fame in the Record Label category as well as the late Willie Dixon and Steve Goodman as songwriters. Goodman was a student at Chicago’s Old Town School of Folk Music along with Bonnie Koloc and the late John Prine.

Prine was inducted to the Hall of Fame last year. Kolac and Skip Griparis will team up for a live performance of several of Goodman’s songs, including “Go Cubs, Go” led by Ron Coomer, part of the radio team for the Chicago Cubs games on 670 The Score.

Bob Stroud, a classic rock radio favorite, will be inducted for his decades of on-air work as a radio personality. He will be reunited with several former WCFL DJs to accept the honor, according to the release.

WGN Radio’s Bob Sirott will return as master of ceremonies.

Ticket prices for the event are $65, $55 and $45. Tickets are available on the museum’s website at RoadToRock.org at RialtoSquare.com and at TicketMaster.