Jamaican-born musicians Pepa, Thom Bell among Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees
Two Jamaican-born musicians are among 2025’s class of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees.
The musicians, Sandra ‘Pepa’ Denton, an integral member of the Grammy winning trio Salt-N-Pepa, will receive an award for musical influence, while the late legendary record producer Thom Bell will receive the prizes for musical excellence.
Sandra Denton, also known as Pepa, of the hip-hop group Salt-N-Pepa, was born in Kingston, Jamaica. Pepa’s Jamaican heritage is a significant part of her identity and has been acknowledged by the group as being a major influence on the group’s sound and fashion forward style.
Known in rap and hip hop culture as “The First Ladies of Rap”, Salt-N-Pepa won the 1995 Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for their song None of Your Business, making them one of the first female rap acts to win a Grammy Award, along with Queen Latifah.
In 2021, they won a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Salt-N-Pepa have sold more than 15 million records worldwide, making them one of the best selling female rap acts of all time.
Meanwhile, the late Thom Bell was a Grammy-winning songwriter and producer. He was one of the key architects of the richly-orchestrated ‘Sound of Philadelphia’ brand of soul music along with Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff.
Bell was born on January 26, 1943 in Kingston, Jamaica, to Anna and Leroy Bell, and moved to Philadelphia with his parents when he was four. Bell was one of 11 siblings.
Thom’s mother, Anna, worked as a stenographer and was a pianist. Leroy, his father, owned a fish market and restaurant in addition to being musical, playing the accordion and Hawaiian guitar.
He is credited on dozens of classics including the O’Jays’ Back Stabbers, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes’ I Miss You, and The Stylistics’ Betcha By Golly Wow.
