Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Announces 2023 Inductees Transcript

All right. Well, a few minutes ago we gave you this exclusive sneak peek of half the list, but it’s still growing. The land is rocking this morning.

That’s for sure. That’s because the class of 2023, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees were named just a short time ago.

Yes, very exciting. Andy Leach from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is here to talk about the newest artist to make it into the Hall of Fame. So welcome.

Welcome.

Take it away.

Before I ask you, the first one, are you shocked? Excited? Is there any ones that didn’t make it?

Chaka Khan, do you mean? Is that what you mean?

Chaka Khan.

I’m not shocked. I’m excited about them.

Yeah, good.

I have some favorites. Happy to mention who those are, but I-

It’s a diverse list. It’s a good list.

Let’s start with your favorites who made the list.

Okay, yeah.

Oh, you know what? Some of my favorites include Link Wray, who’s getting the Musical Excellence Award, and I’m happy to talk about him. Willie Nelson, of course.

Oh yeah, Willie Nelson.

The Spinners. Actually, The Spinners.

I’m excited about Chaka Khan because we’ve been talking about that, and she was here in town a few weeks ago and at the Rock Hall, and then we did some research because we’re like, well, for sure she’s in the Rock Hall. And then we started looking going, she’s not in the Rock Hall.

After she was just at the Rock Hall, what, a couple weeks ago we’re like-

It wasn’t long ago.

… She’s not in there?

But she is now. She’s going to be now.

She’s in. Yeah. And she’s had a 50 year career. I mean, she’s started off in this band called Rufus, which had an amazing run hits in the seventies.

Yeah, Rufus and Chaka Kahn.

And then she’s had this amazing solo career.

And I’m noticing this name on the list. A lot of people may not know who he is. Don Cornelius. The Soul Trade.

Absolutely. The creator, host of Soul Train, which was a massive phenomenon. Started off in 1970 in Chicago, but became a national show really quickly. He had so many great African American performers, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, but it was a launching pad for people like LL Cool J and Mariah Carey, and so many others.

What we had wanted to ask you, because we gave a little sneak peek to our viewers just a few minutes ago, maybe 20 minutes or so, and it was a list of a few performers, but then there are these three other categories. But they’re all getting inducted, and that’s why we had not mentioned Chaka Khan at the time, because we didn’t know what that category fell under. So let’s just go through the performers and who’s getting inducted this year.

Absolutely. So first on the list in alphabetic order. Kate Bush just an amazing, really eclectic singer, songwriter, producer, great performer. She paved the way for a lot of women in rock and roll in particular. She had a few hits. She had this massive hit last year with a 1985 song because the show Stranger Things. I think that was Running Up That Hill. So she’s kind of had this renewed fame lately. She’s in incredible though. Sheryl Crow-

Oh, take your time on this one.

Okay.

Yeah, you got 20 minutes. I’m kidding. I do love Sheryl Crow, but I didn’t really know until today when I was reading a little bit about her bio, she was a backup singer for a lot of big names.

Yeah. Michael Jackson, Don Henley, a few others, and then put out this solo record Tuesday Night Music Club, which is a classic now. And just has had a-

Now famous, again, she’s just kind of changed circles.

For sure, yeah.

She’s beautiful.

Great singer songwriter.

And the once again, embracing rap with Missy Elliot.

Absolutely.

Misdemeanor Elliot. Yeah.

Incredible. She had this great, her debut album, Supa Dupa Fly in 1997 that’s now a classic. She was the first hip hop woman inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and now she’s the first hip hop woman in the Rock and Roll.

Oh, that’s so cool. That’s great.

That’s awesome.

On the road again. Yeah, on the road again.

Yeah. Willie Willie Nelson is just an American institution.

Yeah he is.

Just an American treasure.

He’s still going strong.

He is. He’s 90. He just turned 90 the other day.

Isn’t he still performing?

Had that birthday ready on big birthday concert too.

He is.

Big bash, that looked amazing.

I want to be like him when I grow up.

He really, to me, embraces that rock and roll spirit because he’s always brought different kinds of music together, and he’s always been not aligned with the establishment. Always kind of done it on his own terms.

True. That’s true. George Michael won that fan favorite award, which doesn’t always guarantee you get in, but we were saying that on the air this week. But boy, he certainly is so well deserved.

He’s incredible.

Oh, incredible. Yeah. Wham was huge.

They were huge.

The band. In the early eighties. And then he was bigger-

And he broke off and did his own thing.

Just an incredible talented songwriter, singer.

What a voice.

And then you mentioned The Spinners.

The Spinners.

Love The Spinners. Yeah. They’ve probably been eligible longer than anyone. They’ve been around longer than any of these. Well, actually Willie Nelson’s probably been around longest. But yeah, just a great… They embodied that seventies Philly soul sound.

Great [inaudible 00:04:47].

Well, wait, we have to mention Rage Against the Machine too.

Yeah. Rage Against the Machine.

Yeah. Just their name says it all.

Rage Against the Machine.

Just a really political band in the spirit of kind of MC5 and The Clash and bands like that. And they brought it to the nineties with kind of a-

Talk about Bernie Taupin.

Yeah.

People may not know who he is.

Yeah. He’s not a household name necessarily, but he’s Elton John’s longtime songwriting partner. All those hits that you know from Elton John.

Your Song back in the day.

He wrote the lyrics.

Yeah.

He was the lyricist.

Yeah, if you watch the movie, you’ll really realize that dynamic that the two of them had together.

Absolutely. Right. Yeah. And he’s written songs with many big hits for other folks too.

What a class, man.

So those other awards, let’s mention them real quick before you leave, but they’re also getting inducted.

All these folks are getting inducted, and once they’re in, they’re inducted as equals. So everyone from Link Wray to DJ Kool Herc to Al Cooper, they’re all in.

Chaka Khan as we mentioned.

Chaka Khan, right.

[inaudible 00:05:43].

And then talk about the ceremony, because it is not in Cleveland this year.

No, this year it’ll be in New York at the Barclays Center, Friday, November 3rd. Starting next year in 2024, it will be in Cleveland, and it will be in Cleveland every other year from-

So is LA still involved?

LA and New York will be in the rotation, but it’ll be here every other year.

But we are-

That’s great for us.

That’s good. Yeah.

As it should be.

Right.

It should be.

You negotiated that. Great job.

Yes. It wasn’t me, but-

Way to Andy.

Yes. Andy did that.

Take the credit man. What the heck.

Before you go-

[Inaudible 00:06:14] the Rock Hall did that.

… Any fun new exhibits of the Rock Hall that is going on?

Yeah. Right now we just put up a new exhibit about Sheryl Crow, which you need to come and see.

Yay.

Cool. [inaudible 00:06:23].

We have a new exhibit on Chuck Berry in St. Louis.

Chuck Berry.

We have a little display on Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers. But the big one this year still is the Beatles.

Beatles.

The Beatles.

Yeah. Wayne went to that one. It was very good.

Yeah, that was nice.

Fantastic. And then of course with now the nice weather around the corner, Alexis has promised. Then you’ve got the food trucks out there this summer. You do a lot of summer artists, a lot of local artists, and it’s the place to be on the plaza. There on a random every Saturday afternoon. It’s so much fun.

Yeah. Something like a hundred shows this summer. Including, like you said, local bands as well as national groups coming through and playing the big stage in front of the museum.

So much fun. And then the food trucks. I can imagine that.

Absolutely.

Did we mention food?

So much fun.

Well thank you man for stopping by and breaking the news here on Fox 8 News this Morning.

Andy, great to see you.

You too.

Good to see you. Thank you.

And a reminder, the 38th Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony set for Friday, the 3rd of November. It’s going to be in New York City. The Barclay Center in Brooklyn, New York. Won’t be here, but it’ll be here next year.

Yeah. Then every other year

And then every other. Thank you for stopping by. Appreciate you.

Absolutely. Anytime.

Right.

Appreciate it.