Cyndi Lauper, Outkast, White Stripes, and Soundgarden were among the performers inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Saturday.
Lauper, known for her colorful punk style and hits including “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” “True Colors,” and “Time After Time,” was inducted by singer Chappell Roan. Roan praised Lauper’s “four-octave range” and her unapologetic style, saying she has been an icon for artists often labeled “too much, too loud, too eccentric, or all of the above.”
Detroit rock band the White Stripes were inducted by Iggy Pop, who described their music as “coming from a foundation of love, not revolution.” Singer-guitarist Jack White accepted on behalf of himself and drummer Meg White, who did not attend, thanking industry peers and “the homeless and the powerless and the forgotten.”
Other American performers inducted included Atlanta hip-hop duo Outkast, known for “Hey Ya,” “Ms. Jackson,” and “The Way You Move,” and Seattle grunge band Soundgarden, famous for “Black Hole Sun” and “Spoonman.”
English singer Joe Cocker, who died in 2014, was honored posthumously for hits including “You Are So Beautiful,” his Beatles cover “With a Little Help from My Friends,” and the Grammy-winning duet “Up Where We Belong” with Jennifer Warnes. Other inductees included arena rock band Bad Company and singer Chubby Checker.
New York hip-hop trio Salt-N-Pepa received the Musical Influence Award. Grammy-winning singer Missy Elliott called the group “the bricklayers to the foundation that holds hip-hop together” before introducing their performance.
English session pianist Nicky Hopkins was honored with the Musical Excellence Award for his work with The Rolling Stones, The Who, David Bowie, and The Beatles. Mick Jagger highlighted Hopkins’s contribution to “Sympathy for the Devil.”
The ceremony featured performances by Elton John, Bryan Adams, Olivia Rodrigo, Twenty One Pilots, Doja Cat, Tyler, the Creator, and others. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland now displays artifacts from this year’s inductees.
