Hours before Sheryl Crow‘s induction into the 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on Friday (November 3), she had a strange dream. “I took a nap this afternoon, and I dreamt that I was in a station wagon with a bunch of random people trying to figure out where the Rock & Roll Hall [Hall of Fame] induction was.”
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Crow added, “This is a little bit like getting an Oscar for a screenplay you haven’t finished writing yet. But for me, it’s just a huge thrill.”
Before her speech, Crow kicked off the 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony with a performance of three of her hits, starting off her 1996 hit “If It Makes You Happy” with Olivia Rodrigo. The two have developed a special camaraderie over the past year. Crow recently made a surprise appearance at Rodrigo’s show at the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, Tennessee where the two also duetted on “If It Makes You Happy.” In 2022, Crow presented the 20-year-old pop star with a Billboard Women In Music Award.
Next, Crow went further back to her 1993 debut Tuesday Night Music Club with a performance of “Strong Enough,” with the help of Stevie Nicks. Peter Frampton came out next and joined Nicks for Crow’s final performance of “Every Day is a Winding Road,” another hit from her 1996 self-titled album.
During her speech, Crow remembered all her earlier influences and thanked her parents for playing everything from Stan Kenton, Duke Ellington, Burt Bacharach, James Taylor, Carole King, Stevie Wonder, and Elton John. “I’m thankful for all the years of unconditional love,” said Crow to her parents, “and for piano lessons as well.”
She went on to talk about getting into music when there was no social media, only rock magazines like Creem and television shows like American Bandstand and Midnight Special.
“I was a kid who dreamed rock and roll who poured over album covers,” shared Crow. “I knew every name of every musician on every album cover, and I found my identity in the lyrics from the songs.”
Calling out Stevie Nicks, Crow said she “obviously” wouldn’t be here without the Fleetwood Mac singer. “I felt certain as a kid that because I could twirl a baton and had really long wavy hair, that we were probably related somehow,” said Crow. “I found my command of words through her imagery and her melodies. I also found myself into greats like Tina Turner, and Bonnie Raitt, and Nancy Wilson, who with their ability to front a band with electric guitars showed me the way.”
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She continued, “I sang Linda Ronstadt songs into a curling iron, like all the greats before me. I found a way out of my own loneliness through Joni Mitchell‘s poetry and there have been so many musicians who have brought me here. Most of them are actually in the Rock Hall already.”
By the end of her speech, Crow talked about the power of music, particularly when she first felt it during the Vietnam War and growing up with music from Marvin Gaye, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and Buffalo Springfield playing on the radio. “That’s what the best music does,” said Crow. “It entertains us but it also makes us feel.”
Crow closed her speech with a quote from the late Jimmy Buffett. “I want to leave you guys with a quote from the great Jimmy Buffett who I know we all miss,” she said. “He said ‘If you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life.” 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 a musical journey. I love the work. Thank you guys.”
This year, Crow was inducted into the class of 2023 alongside Willie Nelson, who she later joined for a performance during his induction, along with Kate Bush, Missy Elliott, George Michael, Willie Nelson, Rage Against the Machine, and The Spinners. Honorary awards were also given to Chaka Khan, DJ Kool Herc, Link Wray, Al Kooper, Bernie Taupin, and the late Soul Train host and producer Don Cornelius.
Crow is set to release the 30th-anniversary edition (December 1) of her breakthrough debut Tuesday Night Music Club on vinyl for the first time. Produced by Bill Bottrell (Michael Jackson, Electric Light Orchestra, Madonna), Tuesday Night Music Club earned Crow three Grammy Awards for Record of the Year (“All I Wanna Do”), Best New Artist, and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance (“All I Wanna Do”).
On the date of her induction, Crow also revealed her 11th album Evolution, out March 29, 2024, along with a new single “Alarm Clock.” The album marks Crow’s first release since Threads in 2019.
Photos: Michael J. Le Brecht II/ Courtesy of Disney
