Willie Nelson's name will officially go down in the history books as a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The singer was announced as one of this year's official inductees — the second country artist to be inducted in two years. He joins six other inductees: Kate Bush, Rage Against the Machine, Missy Elliott, Sheryl Crow, George Michael and the Spinners.
The inductees were selected by a voting committee made up of music industry experts and insiders, artists, executives, historians and journalists. In addition to the seven artists who will add their names to the historic group of artists, there are six others were voted into the hall through "general balloting." These include Chaka Khan, Al Kooper and Bernie Taupin in the "musical excellence" category, Link Wray and DJ Kool Herc in the "musical influence" category, and Don Cornelius, who will receive the yearly Ahmet Ertegun Award.
Artists who were initially nominated for the 2023 class but were not voted in include A Tribe Called Quest, Iron Maiden, Joy Division/New Order, Cyndi Lauper, Soundgarden, the White Stripes and Warren Zevon.
Nelson becomes the second country artist to be inducted into the respected institution in two years, following Dolly Parton's 2022 induction. The honor also comes days after Nelson's 90th birthday on April 29. The singer celebrated with fellow artists and friends at Long Story Short: Willie Nelson 90, A Star-Studded Concert Celebrating Willie's 90th Birthday April 29 and 30.The two-day event took place at the Hollywood Bowl and featured performances from Chris Stapleton, Dwight Yoakam, Emmylou Harris, Miranda Lambert, George Strait, Kris Kristofferson, Lukas Nelson, Lyle Lovett and many more.
The inductees will be celebrated and officially inducted into the Hall of Famed during a ceremony at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. on Friday, Nov. 3.
