Music’s glitterati will fete a new class of legends entering the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Friday, including Missy Elliott and the late George Michael.
Rock experimentalist Kate Bush, agitators Rage Against the Machine, country icon Willie Nelson, heartland rocker Sheryl Crow and R&B group The Spinners will round out the 2023 class of inductees.
Chaka Khan, Al Kooper and Bernie Taupin will receive the Hall’s musical excellence awards. DJ Kool Herc and Link Wray will be inducted as “influences” and the late creator of “Soul Train,” Don Cornelius, will receive a non-performer honor.
The Cleveland-based Hall of Fame – which surveyed more than 1,000 musicians, historians, and industry members to choose the entrants – will honour the acts in a star-studded gala concert at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.
Hall of Fame Chairman John Sykes had previously emphasised that this year’s crop of musicians “reflects the diverse artists and sounds that define Rock & Roll” – and also noted it coincides with a milestone year that includes the 50th anniversary of the hip-hop genre and country icon Nelson’s 90th birthday.
Elliott will become the first woman in hip-hop to enter the music pantheon. The “Lose Control” and “Get Ur Freak On” rapper cut in her first year of eligibility.
