Missy Elliott, Willie Nelson, Rage Against the Machine among 2023 Rock Hall inductees

Missy Elliott, Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crow, Chaka Khan, Soul Train creator Don Cornelius and the late George Michael have all been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, with Kate Bush also finally reaching the top of the mountain.

The Cleveland-based institution announced Wednesday the artists and groups entering the room as the class of 2023, a list that also includes The Spinners, Rage Against the Machine, DJ Kool Herc, Link Wray, Al Kooper and longtime songwriter Elton John, Bernie. Taupin.

“When you can go from Link Wray, who was one of the early influences, to Missy Elliott and Kate Bush and The Spinners and Rage Against the Machine and Willie Nelson, you have a variety of work. What we always try to show is that rock ` n’ roll is a big tent and a lot of people,” said Joel Peresman, president and CEO of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, before the opening.

Elliott, the first female rapper to enter the Songwriters Hall of Fame, recipient of the MTV Video Vanguard Award and four-time Grammy Award winner, is now the first female hip-hop artist in the rock hall, which calls her “a true pathbreaker. in a male-dominated genre. “

Artists must have released their first commercial recording for at least 25 years before being eligible for induction. Eight of the 14 nominees were first on the ballot, including Crow, Elliott, Michael and Nelson. This is Elliott’s first year of eligibility.

List of talents

Bush was the nominee last year, but didn’t make the final cut. He got this year because of the new wave of popularity, after the show Stranger Things performing her song Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God). The hall praised him for “using lush soundscapes, radical experiments, literary themes, sampling and theatrics to amaze audiences and inspire countless musicians.”

Michael, first as a member of Wham! and then as a solo artist, cited for “paving the way for a generation of proud LGBTQIA+ artists, from Sam Smith to Lil Nas X to Troye Sivan,” and the 90-year-old Nelson was described only as “an American institution. .”

Crow is recognized for key songs in the 1990s music canon Everything I wanted and Every Day Is A Winding Roadwhile Rage Against the Machine “fake brazen protest music for the modern world.”

The hall called DJ Kool Herc “the founding father of hip-hop music” who “helped create the blueprint for hip-hop.” And Chaka Khan has been described as “one of the most powerful and influential voices in music,” a “street-wise yet sensual hip-hop-soul diva,” who paved the way for artists like Mary J. Blige, Erykah Badu and Janelle. Monae.

Spinners became a hit-making machine with four No. 1 R&B hit in less than 18 months, incl I will go around and Can I Fall In Love. Rock guitarist Wray is said to be ahead of his time, influenced by Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix and Bruce Springsteen.

Taupin, who was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1992 and won a Golden Globe and an Oscar for (I Will) Love Me Again from the biopic Rocketmanmakes hall rock 29 years after writing partner, John.

Many visionaries

Cornelius is celebrated for creating a national television platform for African American music and culture. He “was a visionary entrepreneur who opened doors – and continues to open them – for many others to follow him.”

“Do Willie Nelson fans know anything about Missy Elliott? Probably not, and vice versa,” Peresman said. “But it’s an opportunity for someone who’s one of these artists to look at and say, ‘Wow, I love Missy Elliott’ or ‘I love Rage Against the Machine. But the Spinners, who are they? Come on. Let me check.’ If we can open some minds and open some attitudes, then we have done our job.

Nominees Iron Maiden, Cyndi Lauper, A Tribe Called Quest, The White Stripes, Warren Zevon, Joy Division / New Order and Soundgarden did not earn a place in this hall. While Zevon had last been eligible since 1994, Billy Joel led a futile push to get in.

The induction ceremony will take place on November 3 at the Barclays Center in New York City.

Nominees were selected by more than 1,000 artists, historians and music industry professionals. Fans can vote online or in person at the museum, with the top five artists chosen by the public making up a “fan ballot” that counts against other professional ballots.