Longtime Detroit rocker Bob Seger was among seven acts announced Thursday as a new inductees of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

It was a considerable wait for the Motor City favorite; he’s been eligible since the early ’90s. The hall’s rules allow for induction 25 years after the artist’s first recording.

But the delay is probably long-forgotten now as the man who personifies earnest blue-collar rock ‘n’ roll — and who is considered the definitive Detroit rocker in a city littered with great names — prepares to takes his place at the Cleveland institution aside legendary names such as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin and Led Zeppelin.

Seger was elected by a voting body of about 700 rock experts, after being selected by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation’s nominating committee.

The Nineteenth Annual Induction Ceremony will be March 15 in New York at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Other 2004 inductees include pop-folkster Jackson Browne, vocal group the Dells, ex-Beatles guitarist George Harrison (as a solo artist), pop-R&B star Prince, ’70s chops-oriented pop act Traffic, and bearded blues-rockers ZZ Top.

Said the Hall in a statement: “Detroit’s standard-bearer of rock and soul began his multi-platinum streak in 1975, followed by a decade of nearly 20 consecutive top 40 singles, all of which celebrated Seger’s allegiance to and love affair with the music that provided his escape from an impoverished childhood.”

Just last month, Seger released his second greatest hits collection, which included two new songs. It’s a precursor to a full album that is expected to be released next year. In any interview timed to the release of the greatest hits, Seger said he was still enamored with the craft of songwriting.

“I write a lot of songs people don’t hear. I fall in love with every single one of them,” he said. “I finish them all, and I don’t think there’s a whole lot of difference between the bad ones and the good ones. But every now and then you hit something you really like a lot. Every now and then, you’ll nail one that’s really special. And that’s what you live for.”