Mighty Max Weinberg, drummer for Bruce Springsteen, going into NJ Hall of Fame

The New Jersey Hall of Fame is getting a Mighty new member.

Mighty Max Weinberg, drummer for the E Street Band and a television star, is part of the incoming 2022 Class of Inductees, the hall has announced. Other inductees include former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Ron Jaworski and comedian Chelsea Handler.

The induction ceremony will be virtual and broadcast in late October on My9NJ, NJ PBS, radio and social media platforms. The previous two induction ceremonies were virtual as well due to COVID.

The hall is scheduled to move to the American Dream retail and amusement center at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford.

Weinberg, 71, was born in Newark and grew up in South Orange. He was inspired to drum when he saw Elvis Presley, and his drummer D.J. Fontana, perform "Hound Dog" on TV.

“I heard that, and when I saw how it got everybody’s attention, I knew that’s what I wanted to do. I knew I wanted to get everybody’s attention,” said Weinberg to the students of Asbury Park’s Lakehouse Music Academy in 2017. “Drums and music in general was a way to get connected to the world. It opened the world for me. All the dreams I had as a kid of being connected and not being weird and having people enjoy what I do through music, they became true. You look back on it and it’s almost hard to believe.”

Weinberg, who’s in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, joined the Bruce Springsteen and E Street Band in 1974 after an open audition. He became the foundation of the group, combining an explosive ferocity with an expert touch of style and finesse. He became a TV star, too, on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” and “The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien.” He currently has a recurring role as Mario Vangelis on the CBS police drama “Blue Bloods.”

He and his wife, Becky, have two children, Slipknot drummer Jay Weinberg and "PBS Newshour" journalist Ali Rogin.

“New Jersey is never at a loss for heroes and role models for coming generations,” said Jon F. Hanson, chairman of the NJHOF, in a statement. “We are honored to celebrate the lives and contributions of these notable New Jersey luminaries throughout the state, at our terminals and Parkway service areas, and next year at our Entertainment and Learning Center at American Dream.”

Springsteen and Steven Van Zandt from the E Street Band previously were inducted. The E Street Band, scheduled to tour with Springsteen next year, are members of the hall’s Class of 2012, but they never have been formally inducted.

More:Mighty Max visits the Lakehouse in Asbury Park

The New Jersey Hall of Fame Class of 2022 is:

Sports

Ron Jaworski, Voorhees, former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback and National Football League analyst**

Heather O’Reilly, East Brunswick, professional soccer player and three-time Olympic medalist

Performing Arts

Chelsea Handler, Livingston, award-winning comedian, television host, best-selling author and advocate

Max Weinberg, Newark, drummer and television personality

Enterprise

Ralph Izzo, Cranbury, businessman and former nuclear physicist

Dr. Roy Vagelos, Westfield, physician and business executive

The Unanue Family, Alpine, Ridgefield Park, founder of Goya Foods

Public Service

Gov. Richard J. Hughes, Florence Township, lawyer, politician and judge*

Dorothea Dix, Trenton, nurse and advocate for the mentally ill*

Arts & Letters

Margaret Bourke-White, Bound Brook, photographer*

Walter Dean Myers, Jersey City, writer of children’s books and young adult literature*

*Being honored posthumously.**Previous inductee, but being formally inducted this year.

Visit njhalloffame.org for more information.

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Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers music and entertainment for the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey. Contact him at @chrisfhjordan; cjordan@app.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Max Weinberg part of New Jersey Hall of Fame Class of 2022