It’s that time of year again. The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame has announced this year’s class of inductees: Kate Bush, Rage Against The Machine, George Michael, Missy Elliott, Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crow, and the Spinners.
Kate Bush’s induction comes in the wake of the sudden Stranger Things revival that turned “Running Up That Hill” into a huge international hit last year. Willie Nelson just celebrated his 90th birthday with a pair of all-star concerts in LA. Rage Against The Machine and the Spinners have both been nominated many times, and they’re finally getting in. George Michael won a much-publicized fan vote.
A few others are making it into the Hall Of Fame in different categories. The Musical Excellence Award is going to perennial nominee Chaka Khan, as well as Al Kooper and Bernie Taupin, while the Musical Influence Award is going to DJ Kool Herc and Link Wray. The late Soul Train host Don Cornelius is getting the Ahmet Ertegun Award.
This year’s announcement comes after Courtney Love called out the Hall Of Fame for pervasive sexism in a Guardian editorial. The Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde, meanwhile, says that she doesn’t want to be associated with the institution at all and that she only attended her own induction to make her parents happy.
The White Stripes, a Tribe Called Quest, Joy Division/New Order, Iron Maiden, Soundgarden Warren Zevon, and Cyndi Lauper were all nominated this year. They’ve all been snubbed.
The 2023 induction ceremony is happening 11/3 at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, and it’ll eventually air on HBO.
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