NEW YORK (AP) — Sheryl Crow and Chaka Khan had the audience cheering at the 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony Friday night as the Queen of Funk performed a medley of her hits, including “Ain’t Nobody” and The Southern singer-songwriter who releases an electric version of her “If It Makes You Happy” with Olivia Rodrigo.
Willie Nelson brought the country, St. Vincent honored the art-rock of Kate Bush and George Michael’s old partner in Wham! honored the late pop star.
Crow and Rodrigo – both in black – traded verses while both played guitar. Stevie Nicks later joined Crow in a performance of “Strong Enough” and Peter Frampton stopped by to help sing “Everyday Is a Winding Road.”
“It’s a bit like getting an Oscar for a screenplay you haven’t finished writing yet,” Crow said. She thanked her parents for their unconditional love “and piano lessons.” She called music a “universal gift.”
Laura Dern introduced Crow, calling her friend “a badass goddess.” Dern said the music industry initially had no idea what to do with a guitar-playing singer-songwriter from the South. But it soon learned. “She mapped out the chapters of our lives,” Dern said.
Elton John came out of retirement to perform and toast his songwriting partner Bernie Taupin. “He became my best friend and my lyricist,” John said. “He is without a doubt one of the best poets of all time.”
John joked that the two had never had an argument in their 56 years together. “He was disgusted by my behavior, but that’s a given.” John also revealed that the pair have just finished a new album.
The two men hugged at the podium and Taupin said he found in John someone “who stimulated his imagination and ignited his dreams” when they met in 1967. John then sat down at the piano and sang “Tiny Dancer.”
The ceremony in New York City will be broadcast live on Disney+ for the first time.
HER, Sia and Common joined Khan on a medley of her funky hits, including “I Feel For You,” “Ain’t Nobody,” “Sweet Thing” and “I’m Every Woman,” the latter of which thrilled almost everyone to their feet.
At the podium, Khan kindly called out guitarist Tony Maiden, a member of the band Rufus, in which Khan performed early in her career. “Without him and the band, I wouldn’t be here today,” Khan said.
Nelson’s part of the ceremony took up a significant portion of the night, with Dave Matthews performing an acoustic “Funny How Time Slips Away” and the legend joining Chris Stapleton on “Whiskey River,” along with Crow performing “Crazy” and then all three Musicians joined Nelson for a rollicking “On the Road Again,” which received a standing ovation.
Matthews said Nelson, 90, wrote his first song in 1940 when he was 7 years old and has released more than 70 albums. He recounted the legendary musician’s career, including Farm Aid, IRS troubles and Nelson’s penchant for marijuana. “It’s people like Willie Nelson who give me hope for the world,” Matthews said.
When it was his turn, Nelson thanked his wife, Annie, for “keeping me out here and doing what I’m supposed to do.” He added, “Thank you for appreciating my music.”
Andrew Ridgeley honored his partner in Wham!, the late George Michael. “His music was the key to his compassion,” Ridgeley said. “George is one of the greatest singers of our time.”
Michael attracted a mesmerizing trio of artists in his honor: Miguel, Carrie Underwood and Adam Levine, who each performed one of his hits – “Careless Whisper,” “Faith” and “One More Try.”
Another posthumous addition was “Soul Train” creator Don Cornelius. A huge sign from his old TV dance show was brought down and the crowd danced happily. Snoop Dogg, Questlove and Lionel Richie called the show a rite of passage and a groundbreaking show that highlighted black music and culture in a video.
Big Boi introduced Kate Bush by telling the audience he never knows what to expect from her music and compared her insistence on producing her own work to strong hip-hop. “Who sounds like Kate Bush?” he asked. “If you were to hear Kate’s music for the first time, why wouldn’t you believe it was a current artist?”
St. Vincent took the stage to sing a solemn “Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God),” the Bush song that boosted her popularity after it was featured on the TV show “Stranger Things.” Bush didn’t make it to Friday’s ceremony.
LL Cool J introduced new DJ Kool Herc, dubbed the “Father of Hip-Hop.” “Arguably no one has made a greater contribution to hip-hop culture than DJ Kool Herc,” said LL Cool J, then turned to the older artist: “You lit the fire and it still burns.” A visibly moved Herc was unable to speak for a few moments before thanking his parents, James Brown, Marcus Garvey and Harry Belafonte, among others.
Queen Latifah will introduce Elliott, who will become the rock hall’s first female hip-hop artist. Elliott will then take the stage at Barclay’s Center for a performance. The four-time Grammy Award winner is also the first female rapper to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
The Spinners, who became a hit machine with four No. 1 R&B hits in less than 18 months, were honored with a velvet jacket and fedora-clad New Edition singing “I’ll Be Around.” The Rubberband Man” and “Could It Be I’m Falling in Love.” John Edwards and Henry Fambrough represented the five-piece group from Philadelphia.
Also entering the hall as the 2023 class are Rage Against the Machine and the late guitarist Link Wray. Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page honored Wray with a virtuoso performance of the late guitar god’s groundbreaking “Rumble” on a double-neck guitar.
The strong representation of women at the ceremony this year comes not long after the hall removed Rolling Stone co-founder Jann Wenner from its board. Wenner, who was also a co-founder of the hall, had said that black and female musicians “did not articulate at the level of the white musicians” featured in his new book of interviews. He later apologized. Taupin drew cheers when he said he was honored to be part of the Class of 2023 with such “deeply articulate women” and “eloquent Black artists.”
Artists must have released their first commercial recording at least 25 years before being considered for inclusion. More than 1,000 artists, historians and music industry professionals voted on the nominees.
ABC will air a special on January 1st featuring performance highlights and standout moments.
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Mark Kennedy is there http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits