Kate Bush and George Michael are among the artists who will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame ceremony in 2023.
The full lists of inductees have been announced today (May 3) and along with a list of seven performers being inducted, the recipients of the Musical Influence Award and the Musical Excellence Award have also been unveiled.
All artists are eligible to enter the hall 25 years after their first single, and this year’s instalment sees Kate Bush finally enter the prestigious hall — following three previous nominations in 2018, 2021 and 2022.
While she has not released new music in over a decade, the singer-songwriter recently enjoyed a spike in popularity when her 1985 single, ‘Running Up That Hill’, went viral after appearing in Netflix series Stranger Things.
It is not yet clear whether she will attend the New York ceremony. If she does, however, it will mark her first public appearance in nearly 10 years.
Other inductees for 2023 include Sheryl Crow, Tom Morello’s band Rage Against The Machine, rap innovator Missy Eliott, The Spinners, and country legend Willie Nelson, who recently celebrated his 90th birthday.
The final performer to be included in the class of 2023 is George Michael, who was deemed successful for the final cut after winning a fan vote, which was tallied alongside official ballots. Achieving over 1.04million votes from fans, Michael’s induction will arrive in the same year that Wham! celebrate the 40th anniversary of their debut album, ‘Fantastic’.
Receiving the award for Musical Influence this year are Link Wray and DJ Kool Herc, and five artists are set to receive the Musical Excellence Award — which recognises those whose “originality and influence creating music have had a dramatic impact on music”. These include Chaka Khan, Don Cornelius and Bernie Taupin — who co-wrote the hit Elton John track ‘Rocket Man’. Find a full list of inductees below.
FULL LIST OF INDUCTEES FOR 2023
Performers:
Kate Bush
Sheryl Crow
Missy Elliott
George Michael
Willie Nelson
Rage Against the Machine
The Spinners
Musical Influence Award:
DJ Kool Herc
Link Wray
Musical Excellence Award:
Chaka Khan
Al Kooper
Bernie Taupin
Ahmet Ertegun Award
Don Cornelius
Artists who were nominated, but didn’t make the final cut include Cyndi Lauper, The White Stripes, A Tribe Called Quest and Joy Division/New Order. The 2023 ceremony will be held at the Barclays Center in New York in November.
Earlier this year, Hole frontwoman Courtney Love called for more female acts to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, and highlighted how in previous years, there has been a lack of Black inductees.
“If the Rock Hall is not willing to look at the ways it is replicating the violence of structural racism and sexism that artists face in the music industry, if it cannot properly honour what visionary women artists have created, innovated, revolutionised and contributed to popular music – well, then let it go to hell in a handbag,” she wrote.
Elsewhere, The Pretenders‘ Chrissie Hynde also weighed in her thoughts on diversity within the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, calling it “total bollocks”.
“If anyone wants my position in the rock ‘n’ roll Hall of Fame they are welcome to it. I don’t even wanna be associated with it,” she said. “It’s absolutely nothing to do with rock ‘n’ roll and anyone who thinks it is is a fool.”
Last year’s inductees included Eminem, Duran Duran, Dolly Parton, Lionel Richie, Carly Simon, Eurythmics, Judas Priest and Pat Benatar.