Sheryl Crow, Willie Nelson and more inducted into Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Carrie Underwood honors George Michael
Sheryl Crow, Willie Nelson, Missy Elliott and more have been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
On Friday evening, some of music's biggest stars convened at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, to honor the music legends, including Elton John, Olivia Rodrigo, H.E.R., Jazmine Sullivan, Miguel, Carrie Underwood and more.
The night kicked off with a performance by Crow and Rodrigo rocking out to Crow's hit song, "If It Makes You Happy" while they played the guitar.
Actress Laura Dern then took the stage to honor Crow, who talked about Crow's career, activism, successes in the music industry and the artists who have been influenced by the "All I Wanna Do" singer, cementing her as an artist.
A video tribute to her career in the industry played after with interviews from Maren Morris, Stevie Nicks and Rodrigo, before Crow took the stage with Nicks to perform Crow's song, "Strong Enough." Crow then brought Peter Frampton on stage, who she said is one of her "heroes." With Nicks on vocals and Frampton on guitar, the trio performed "Everyday Is a Winding Road."
"This is so so surreal," Crow said as she accepted her award, saying it's a huge honor, but a "big honor to be inducted alongside one of the people I admire most on this planet and that's Willie Nelson."
During her speech, she thanked her parents for exposing her to many of the music greats like Duke Ellington, Burt Bacharach, Dionne Warwick, James Taylor, Carole King, and for the piano lessons. She also thanked her two sons, Wyatt and Levi.
"That's what music has brought me has been the most incredible journey," she said. "When I think about the years playing music and my journey I could not have dreamed my life. I was a kid who dreamed rock'n'roll who poured over album covers. I knew every name of every musician on every album cover, and I found my identity in the lyrics from the songs that I was sure were written for me, like, I was sure James Taylor wrote 'Fire and Rain' about me and for me, Stevie Nicks, I honestly would not be who I am without her."
At the very end of her speech, Crow paid tribute to the late Jimmy Buffett, sharing one of his quotes, "He said, 'If you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life.' Yes, for me, there have been ups and downs along this journey. But mine is a story of infinite possibility for any young person setting out on the musical journey. I love the work. Thank you guys so much."
On the red carpet before the ceremony, Crow told "Good Morning America" that the most important thing she has learned about herself throughout her career is her connection to her community.
Grammy Award-winning R&B singer Jazmine Sullivan also took the stage to honor Chaka Khan, who received the musical excellence award. After a video about her career played, with interviews from H.E.R., Queen Latifah and Joni Mitchell, Khan took the stage with Common, Sia and H.E.R. to perform some of her hit songs, "I Feel For You," "Ain't Nobody," "Sweet Thing" and "I'm Every Woman."
When it came time for Willie Nelson's induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, musician Dave Matthews took the stage to pay tribute to the country music legend.
"Thank you very much," Nelson said before performing some of his hits with Chris Stapleton. "And thank all y'all for this great honor. I appreciate the acknowledgement of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Included with so many legends and some I'm lucky enough to call a friend. Thanks again for including me tonight. And thanks for appreciating my music."
Crow also took the stage to perform "Crazy" with Nelson.
Missy Elliott was the final artist to be inducted. After Queen Latifah paid tribute to the artist, she took the stage to deliver an electrifying performance to some of her hit songs incuding, "Get Ur Freak On," "Work It" and "Lose Control."
"I've been through so many ups and downs and I know where my gifts come from," said Elliott, who is the first female rapper to be inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. "God has brought me all the way here. He has allowed me to meet some incredible people along the way. I'm still pinching myself to even be in a room with some of the inductees that I see."
"And this is the 50th year anniversary of hip hop. And so this is deeper than me just being up here," Elliott added.
Other notable moments of the night included Miguel, Levine and Underwood's tribute to George Michael, who was posthumously inducted. In addition, Elton John, who took the stage to honor his friend, lyricist Bernie Taupin, who received the musical excellence award. The duo collaborated together on many songs including "Benny and the Jets," "Rocket Man (I Think It's Going to Be a Long, Long Time)," "Tiny Dancer" and many others. John also performed "Tiny Dancer" on the piano.
Artists that were also inducted included "Running Up That Hill" singer Kate Bush, Rage Against the Machine and The Spinners. DJ Kool Herc and Link Wray received the musical influence award and Don Cornelius received the Ahmet Ertegun Award. Al Kooper also received the musical excellence award alongside Khan.
ABC will air a special featuring performance highlights and moments from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony on Monday, Jan. 1, 2024 at 8 p.m. ET.
