Kate Bush Inducted Into Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame
Kate Bush and Rage Against the Machine are among the artists to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2023. The other performer inductees are Missy Elliott, Sheryl Crow, Willie Nelson, George Michael, and The Spinners.
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Following the announcement, Bush shared a statement on her website reflecting on the honour. “I have to admit I’m completely shocked at the news of being inducted into the Hall of Fame!” she wrote. “It’s something I just never thought would happen.” Bush added: “Thank you so much to everyone who voted for me. It means a great deal that you would think of me. It’s such a huge honour. Now as part of the initiation ceremony I get to find out about the secret handshake… there is one, right?”
Hip-hop legend DJ Kool Herc and guitarist Link Wray will receive the Musical Influence Award, and Chaka Khan, Al Kooper, and Elton John’s songwriter Bernie Taupin are receiving the Musical Excellence Award. In addition, Don Cornelius, the late creator of Soul Train, will get the Ahmet Ertegun Award. The 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony happens on Friday 3 November at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
“This year’s incredible group of inductees reflects the diverse artists and sounds that define rock’n’roll,” John Sykes, chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, said in a press statement. “We are honored that this November’s induction ceremony in New York will coincide with two milestones in music culture; the 90th birthday of Willie Nelson and the 50th Anniversary of the birth of hip-hop.”
Sheryl Crow, George Michael, Missy Elliott, and Willie Nelson are making the Rock Hall after their first nominations. Kate Bush is being inducted on her fourth nomination, Rage Against the Machine get the nod on their fifth try, and the Spinners were also inducted after four nominations.
The artists nominated for 2023 induction who did not make the final cut are A Tribe Called Quest, Cyndi Lauper, Iron Maiden, Joy Division/New Order, Soundgarden, Warren Zevon, and the White Stripes.
While Kate Bush has not released new music since 2011, she has seen a resurgence in popularity thanks to the use of Running Up That Hill in hit drama Stranger Things. The song went viral after the Netflix show premiered last year, ultimately going on to top the charts in the UK, 38 years after it was first released.
If she travels to New York to accept her induction, it would mark her first public appearance since 2014. Most musicians who enter the Rock Hall attend and perform at the ceremony, although some have declined.