On the Red Carpet with the Garden State’s Finest at the New Jersey Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

Following rousing applause, singer Jacquita May excites the audience with her tribute to former New Jersey Hall of Fame honoree Whitney Houston.

Backed by Burtnik and the Hall of Fame band, May sings Houston’s 1985 #1 single, “How Will I Know,” expertly accompanied by Reagan Richards and Khadijah Mohammed on background vocals. As the ensemble performs, audience members can be seen and heard dancing in their seats and singing along with these talented musicians!

Steven Van Zandt takes the stage to induct fellow musician Tommy James. Van Zandt explains that he is impressed by three things about Tommy. First is “his craft,” which Van Zandt describes as James’ exceptional songwriting abilities. Next up is “his voice,” about which Steven exclaims, “The simple fact is he is one of the greatest rock ’n’ roll voices of all time.” And, lastly, Van Zandt is impressed with “his soul,” acknowledging that James made it a point to campaign for political candidates at a time in history when that simply wasn’t done.

Most widely known as the leader of the world-reknown rock group, Tommy James and the Shondells, over the course of his 50-year career, James has amassed an enviable collection of hits to his credit including “Hanky Panky,” “Crystal Blue Persuasion,” “Crimson and Clover,” and “Sweet Cherry Wine.”

Upon receiving his award, James tells the crowd, “I was born in Ohio, raised in Michigan, and adopted by Jersey,” revealing he’s extremely happy to have had New Jersey as the “home state I’ve lived in for 45 years.”

Following his induction — a bit later in the ceremony — James takes the stage to perform live for the sold-out crowd at The Paramount Theater.

Here, Tommy opens with an unplugged version of his 1971 hit single, “Draggin’ the Line,” singing and playing acoustic guitar accompanied by musician Jonathn Ashe on guitar and vocals.

Moving on to a slowed-down acoustic version of his 1967 smash, “I Think We’re Alone Now,” the crowd cheers for this legendary Jersey musician, who will celebrate a half-century as an entertainer on June 2, 2017 with a 50th anniversary celebration concert at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, NJ.

Tasha Smith — known to audiences for her work on the big screen in such Tyler Perry films as Why Did I Get Married? and on television on numerous shows ranging from Boston Common to Empire — takes the stage to introduce Wyclef Jean.

Smith tells the audience about Jean — a rapper, musician, and actor, who immigrated to the US from Haiti with his family at the age of nine and spent many of his formative years growing up in the Garden State. First achieving fame as a member of the acclaimed hip-hop group The Fugees, Jean is a nine-time Grammy award nominee and a three-time Grammy Award winner.

A graduate of Newark’s Vailsburg High School, Jean humbly accepts his induction into the Hall of Fame by thanking his music teacher, whom he says changed his life. Talking about the power of music and sports in schools, Jean receives cheers from the audience when he strongly advises, “We need to protect these programs in the schools.” Jean also tells the crowd personal stories about growing up in New Jersey, working alongside his father, a custodian, who taught him, “As long as you do something with pride, America gives you an opportunity.”

Actor Ray Liotta — well known for roles in such Hollywood films as Goodfellas and Field of Dreams, and who currently stars on television in NBC’s Shades of Blue with Jennifer Lopez — says, “I always wanted to be in the New Jersey Hall of Fame. New Jersey is about family and Taylor Ham” — to which several audience members shout out, “Pork roll!” The audience cheers for Liotta when he accepts his award, acknowledging, “New Jersey has loads of great people.”

Next, Kelly Ripa is introduced by her father, Joe Ripa, who informs the audience that his daughter, Kelly, “is Jersey tough.” Proud to be honored by her beloved Garden State, Kelly says, “Being from New Jersey is a feeling — it’s a state of mind.” She also admits that she always seems to instinctively know when she meets someone else from Jersey, suggesting they are somehow “drawn to each other.”

Following spirited applause for Kelly and her dad, Wyclef Jean takes the stage to perform a song he recorded in 1975 with The Fugees — listed as one of Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time — Bob Marley’s “No Woman, No Cry,” deftly accompanied by Glen Burtnik and the New Jersey Hall of Fame Band.

Reworking the lyrics for this special event, Jean sings, “Everything’s gonna be all right/New Jersey’s in the house tonight,” before rapping, “In high school I used to bring the pain/Check it out, I’m in the Jersey Hall of Fame.”

Rapidly approaching the end of this special evening, all the inductees take the stage, rockin’ like only Jersey can, to the classic sounds of one of the greatest party songs of all time — Tommy James’ 1968 chart-topper “Mony, Mony.”

As the inductees and presenters celebrate, the Jersey crowd cheers and claps along, showing their enthusiastic support for all of the notable individuals associated with their beloved home state as they congratulate the New Jersey Hall of Fame Class of 2016!

For additional information about the New Jersey Hall of Fame — including facts about past and present inductees, scholarship information, and the Hall’s touring Mobile Museum — please go to njhalloffame.org.