The legendary soul vocalist, Chaka Khan; songwriter and musician behind organizing the rock band, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Al Kooper, and the songwriter best known for his work with Elton John, Bernie Taupin will be acknowledged with the Musical Excellence Award for their "dramatic impact on music". And Don Cornelius, the creator behind the innovative television program that put a spotlight on African American musical artists with "Soul Train", will receive the Ahmet Ertegun Award.
The thirty-eighth annual induction ceremony was held this year on November 3rd at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. For the first time, the event was streamed live on Disney+ and now available to view on Disney+ on-demand. An edited version of the ceremony will also air on ABC this New Year's Day.
KATE BUSH
With the staggering recent success of the re-release of her 1985 hit, "Running Up That Hill" (thanks to its use on the Netflix series, "Stranger Things"), this resurgence helped put the British singer/songwriter, Kate Bush back on the radar of the Rock & Roll Hall and finally getting her inducted. Bush had taught herself how to play the piano as a young child before eventually writing her own music and lyrics. At sixteen, she began recording demos of her material and sent them out to several record labels, but none were interested. However, David Gilmour of the rock band, Pink Floyd got his hands on her work, helped get more polished demos made and sending them to EMI Records who would sign her. Moody, dark and eclectic, Bush crafted songs over nine albums that have an unusually distinctive sound that remains unlike what any other artist could possibly imagine. And while she has largely stepped away from public life and her professional career, Bush still inspires and influences listeners with her visionary music.
SHERYL CROW
Born and raised in Kennett, MO, Sheryl Crow began her career in music as an elementary school music teacher. But after hours, she was performing with several local bands and singing on advertising jingles. Crow's first big break came in 1987 when she was hired as a backing vocalist for Michael Jackson's Bad Tour, staying on the road with him for three years. This led to more work for Crow, performing background singing for several established artists but Crow was still determined to make her own music. After getting signed to A&M Records, Crow recorded an album and was on the verge of releasing it when she and the label mutually decided the record just didn't best represent her as an artist. Crow set out again to record her debut, working with a loose group of musicians who called themselves, "Tuesday Music Club" that helped her put together the album. "Tuesday Night Music Club" was released in 1993 and the single, "All I Wanna Do" would break out as a big hit with "Leaving Las Vegas" and "Strong Enough" following. This led Crow to become a major player with the album selling more than seven million copies and winning her three Grammys including Record of the Year. Crow has continued to make memorable music over the years, with her twelfth studio album, "Evolution" due out early next year.
MISSY ELLIOTT
Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott has become the first female rapper to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall and it goes without saying that this honor is long overdue. Enduring a tough and traumatic childhood in Virginia, Elliott managed to remain good natured, outgoing and loved to perform. Her first opportunity in music came when she was a part of an all-female r&b act called Sista in 1991. She recruited her neighborhood friend, Timothy Mosley (who would later be known as "Timbaland") to serve as the group's producer. Sista's debut, "4 All the Sistas Around da World" failed to make an impression and Elliott would move behind the scenes, writing and producing with Timbaland for other artists like Jodeci, SWV, 702, and the late, Aaliyah. Elliott soon began making featured appearances rapping on several tracks for various artists and signed a deal in 1996 to create her own imprint music label, The Goldmind Inc. With Timbaland on board, Elliott released her debut album, "Super Dupa Fly" with the lead single, "The Rain" becoming a major hit, enhanced by her playful, groundbreaking Afro-futuristic music video directed by "Hype" Williams. And while Elliott was enjoying wild success as a performer, she continued to write and produce for other top musicians, creating hits for Whitney Houston, Monica, Keyshia Cole, Jazmine Sullivan, Mariah Carey and Janet Jackson.
GEORGE MICHAEL
He was first a part of the wildly popular British boy-band duo, Wham! but after going solo, George Michael became even more famous yet also gained further respect as an artist of introspective pop music. Michael's 1987 debut album, "Faith" had five top-ten singles and would go on to sell well over twenty-five million copies worldwide and win the Grammy Award for Album of The Year. Yet all of this success took a toll on Michael, causing him to want to retreat from the intense pressure of the business and simply just wanted to make music. With his 1990 follow-up album, "Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1", he refused to do interviews, live performances, music videos or even have his image on the cover. The album sold well but not nearly as well as "Faith" which created friction between Michael and his record label, Sony. A lawsuit followed in 1992 with Michael wanting to end his contract. And although he lost, Sony sold his contract to Virgin Records and Michael went on to create more mature works Like "Older", the 1999 covers album, "Songs from the Last Century" and "Patience". After an unfortunate incident in a public men's restroom in 1998, Michael was forced out of the closet yet proudly embraced his queer identity. Sadly, Michael passed away from heart disease on Christmas Day in 2016.
WILLIE NELSON
At the incredible age of ninety, Willie Nelson is still on the road bringing country music to audiences across the globe. The Texas native was first a DJ for several radio stations and an aspiring singer/songwriter before heading to Nashville to try his luck breaking into the music business. Nelson would sign a publishing contract, writing several songs made popular by other artists (most famously, "Crazy" by Patsy Cline), and joined Ray Price's band as a bass guitar player before recording his debut album, " ...And Then I Wrote" in 1962. He had a few more successful albums but grew tired of the controlling Nashville establishment and headed back to Texas ten years later. While living in Austin, this was when Nelson moved towards what became known as "outlaw country", a more progressive form of country music, which brought him even greater fame. By the 1980's, Nelson found pop crossover success with the songs, "On the Road Again" and "To All the Girls I've Loved Before" and began to experiment with other genres of music like jazz, blues and reggae. He ventured into acting, appearing in films and television, and has long been a vocal advocate for the legalization of marijuana in the US.
RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE
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Formed in 1991, Rage Against the Machine is a rock band of extreme contrasts; thrashing together sounds of punk, heavy metal and rap while crafting songs that are politically motivated on activism and socialist views. The LA based band, consisting of vocalist, Zack de la Rocha, bassist, Tim Commerford, guitarist, Tom Morello, and drummer, Brad Wilk, released their self-titled debut in 1992 which received critical and commercial success. There was tension and conflicts during the recording of their follow-up (with rumors of the band breaking up) and "Evil Empire" was finally released four years later. The album entered the Billboard Hot 200 chart at number one and went on to sell over three million copies, taking RATM to the next level. Two more albums were released before de la Rocha left the band over the relentless internal battles and Rage Against the Machine would come to an end in 2000. But RATM would reunite at Coachella seven years later, begin a tour that lasted for a couple of years before disbanding again and reuniting nine years later, wouldn't actually hit the stage together until 2022 due to the pandemic and had to postpone a world tour over de la Rocha's leg injury.
THE SPINNERS
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The Spinners were a r&b vocal group formed in Ferndale, MI., a suburb outside of Detroit, in 1954. With original members, Billy Henderson, Henry Fambrough, Pervis Jackson, C. P. Spencer and Bobby Smith, the group had their first charting single, "That's What Girls Are Made For" in 1961. The Spinners joined Motown Records two years later but initially only found modest success there. It would not be until 1970 when the Spinners had their first major hit with "It's a Shame", co-written and produced by Stevie Wonder. Aretha Franklin encouraged the group to join her label, Atlantic Records when their contract was up and that's when their fortunes shifted considerably. The Spinners would enjoy a string of very popular singles which included "I'll Be Around", "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love", "One of a Kind (Love Affair)", "They Just Can't Stop It (Games People Play)", "The Rubberband Man" and "Then Came You" a duet with Dionne Warwick which reached the top of the pop charts. Egos and conflicts grew between members of the group by 1977, causing singers to leave and new vocalists to take their place. They still managed to have a couple of more hits in 1980 with "Working My Way Back to You" and "Cupid". The Spinners still continue to tour to this day, remaining a popular draw on the nostalgia concert circuit.
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