Courtesy of Tommy Shaw1960s pop legend Tommy James is among the 15 noteworthy people with ties to the Garden State who will be inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame this year at a May 7 ceremony in Asbury Park, New Jersey. James, who scored more than a dozen top 40 hits with his band The Shondells during the ’60s, also will perform at the event.
“New Jersey has been my home for over 40 years. It has a lot of great people and a lot of great things about it,” said James in a message on his Facebook page. “I live here, I record here, and I do many concerts here. So I was very honored when I was told that I’m going to be inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame.”
Other celebrities who will be inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame in May include veteran pop star and actress Connie Francis, hip-hop artist Wyclef Jean, actor Ray Liotta, talk-show host Kelly Ripa, news anchor Connie Chung, author Carol Higgins Clark, soccer player Carli Lloyd, NFL star Rosey Grier, boxer Chuck Wepner and basketball player Carol Blazejowski.
Tickets for the ceremony go on sale this Saturday, February 18, at noon ET via Ticketmaster.com. The event will be held at the Asbury Park Convention Hall, and will feature speeches from current and past inductees, as well as special music performances.
Previous New Jersey Hall of Fame honorees include Bruce Springsteen, The E Street Band, Frank Sinatra, Frankie Valli, Jon Bon Jovi, Dionne Warwick, Whitney Houston, Kool & the Gang and The Shirelles.
For more information, visit NJHallofFame.org.
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