Kate Bush and George Michael are the British representatives of this year’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, it has been announced this morning.
The two artists are set to be joined by five other American acts, including country icon Willie Nelson, rap metal band Rage Against the Machine, rapper Missy Elliott, singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow and rhythm and blues vocal group the Spinners.
Bush has been nominated three times in the past five years (2018, 2021, 2022) but 2023 is the year she finally claims her prestigious place among music’s greats. Having released 25 UK Top 40 singles, including her first, “Wuthering Heights“, released in 1978 when only 19 years old, which reached number one in the UK and stayed there for four weeks, Bush is a late 70s and 80s music icon.
Watch the music video for “Wuthering Heights” below:
She recently came back to the limelight following the resurgent success of hit single “Running Up That Hill“, reaching UK number one a full 38 years since it was first released. The resurgence came after the song featured in the extremely popular Netflix drama Stranger Things. If Bush was to travel to New York to accept her induction and perform, as is customary, it would be her first public appearance since 2014, and as such would greatly excite her many fans.
Michael received his induction by way of a fan vote, receiving 1.04 million votes, just ahead of fellow nominee and singer-songwriter Cyndi Lauper. Michael is one the best-selling musicians of all time, achieving widespread success both in the UK and the US, releasing seven UK number one singles and eight US number ones. His induction also coincides with the 40th anniversary of Wham!’s debut album, Anniversary.
Watch the music video for “Careless Whisper” below:
Artists who were nominated this year but din’t make the cut include English post-punk band Joy Division (subsequently New Order) and English heavy metal group Iron Maiden. Cyndi Lauper, as previosly mentioned, also didn’t make it, along with American rock band Soundgarden, brother and sister rock duo the White Stripes, singer-songwriter Warren Zevon and legendary New York hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest.
Other winners include DJ Kool Herc and guitarist Link Wray, both receiving the Musical Influence Award, while the Music Excellence Award will be awarded to singer Chaka Khan and songwriters Al Kooper and Bernie Taupin, and television presenter Don Cornelius is set to win the Ahmet Ertegun Award.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony will be held at the Barclays Center in New York in November.
