Bruce, Alicia Hail Rock Hall

Bruce Springsteen, Dave Matthews, Keith Richards, Alicia Keys, OutKast, Kid Rock, Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne will be on hand to induct the Class of 2004 into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

To add an element of surprise to the event, a list of who will be inducting whom has not been revealed, though several presenters have connections to inductees that offer possible hints. Kid Rock has long been an outspoken fan of inductee Bob Seger, a fellow Detroit rocker, while another inductee, ZZ Top, lent guitarist Billy Gibbons to play on Rock's latest album. Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne recorded a pair of records with George Harrison as the Travelling Wilburys, and Lynne also produced Harrison's 1987 hit Cloud 9 and his final studio album, 2002's Brainwashed. OutKast's Andre 3000 is a longtime Prince fan, and Alicia Keys is an alum of the funk star's annual weeklong concert birthday bash.

Other inductees include Jackson Browne, Traffic and the Dells. Rolling Stone founder and publisher Jann Wenner, who launched the magazine more than three decades ago, will be inducted in the non-performer category.

The event will be held at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City on March 15th. The program will air on VH1 on March 21st.

• 
  MUSIC 100 Greatest Debut Albums
• 
  MOVIES 'Great Gatsby' Is a Crushing Disappointment
• 
  TV Why You Should Watch 'Happy Endings'
• 
  POLITICS No Price Big Banks Can't Fix

Song Stories

“Oh Sherrie”

Steve Perry | 1984

Steve Perry's girlfriend Sherrie Swafford was actually in the studio when Perry began writing this song--his lone Top Ten hit as a solo act--with two co-writers. The trio began at midnight one night with just "Oh, Sherrie!" and "hold on, hold on." Three hours later, they had a complete song. Swafford, however, had to wait until the next day to hear it. "Sherrie actually got tired and went to bed," Perry said. She also appeared in the video, but their relationship did not hold on for long.

More Song Stories entries »

Twitter