Latest news with #FutureRockLegends
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘We're not coming': Rock legend to skip his own induction ceremony
Chubby Checker would much rather perform in front of a live audience than attend his own induction ceremony. 'The Twist' singer explained his reasoning for skipping the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction in November at a recent concert in Des Plaines, Illinois, Future Rock Legends reported. 'I told my manager, 'Make sure when we go to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction, that I'm doing what I love doing most: being in front of an audience. A live audience. Not a television audience,'' the 83-year-old said in a video posted to Bluesky. 'She got me a show and the Rock Hall says, 'We want you to come here this day and be here.' I said, 'We're not have a gig,'' Checker explained. Organizers wanted Checker to forget about the gig, to which he replied, 'You never forget about gigs.' Checker added that his reason for skipping the ceremony is 'to show that I'm alive.' 'My dream is still being fulfilled and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is happening all at the same time,' he added, according to another video posted to Bluesky. Read More: Trailblazing singer has unique request for Rock & Roll Hall of Fame The chart-topping singer is not the only musician who won't be attending the Hall's induction ceremony. Legendary bassist Carol Kaye, who was part of a group of session musicians known as the Wrecking Crew, revealed in June that she is boycotting this year's ceremony as well. 'People have been asking: NO I won't be there,' Kaye wrote in a since-deleted Facebook post. 'I am declining the RRHOF awards show (and Denny Tedesco process)... because it wasn't something that reflects the work that Studio Musicians do and did in the golden era of the 1960s Recording Hits.' According to Rolling Stone, Kaye was featured in Tedesco's 2008 documentary, 'The Wrecking Crew,' about the collective that recorded songs with The Beach Boys, Phil Spector, The Monkees and more in the 1960s and '70s. However, she objected to the Wrecking Crew name, which came from drummer Hal Blaine. Kaye said she started as a jazz guitarist who 'got into recording good music' in the '50s with artists like Sam Cooke. She once replaced a bassist who failed to show for a studio session and soon found it 'easy... to invent good bass lines' — but still gave credit to the group of collaborators. 'You are always part of a TEAM, not a solo artist at all….there were always 350-400 Studio Musicians (AFM Local 47 Hollywood) working in the busy 1960s, and called that ONLY ….since 1930s, I was never a 'wrecker' at all….that's a terrible insulting name,' she wrote. 'I refuse to be part of a process that is something else rather than what I believe in, for others' benefit and not reflecting on the truth – we all enjoyed working with EACH OTHER.' Read More: Chubby Checker will be at The Big E; here's other performers just announced Checker is most famous for 'The Twist,' which hit No. 1 in 1960 and was named the top song on Billboard's all-time Hot 100 chart. His decades-long career also includes 'Pony Time,' 'Let's Twist Again' and his version of 'Limbo Rock.' Checker, who was eligible since 1986, will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on Nov. 8 along with Joe Cocker, Cyndi Lauper, Bad Company, Outkast, Soundgarden and the White Stripes. The ceremony will stream live on Disney+ and be available on Hulu the next day. More music content The Who's final tour is coming to Boston - Here is how to buy tickets Country legend, 92, wows fans with 'once-in-a-lifetime' performance Legendary rock duo's longwinded legal battle resolved Taylor Swift shocks boyfriend's brother on podcast with big announcement Rock icon says band's tour 'is the last time you will see us' Read the original article on MassLive. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
83-Year-Old 'Twist' Icon Refuses Rock Hall — His Response Is Legendary
83-Year-Old 'Twist' Icon Refuses Rock Hall — His Response Is Legendary originally appeared on Parade. Chubby Checker, the legendary artist who made "The Twist" a global phenomenon, has shocked the music world by refusing to attend his Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. The 83-year-old performer, finally honored after decades of eligibility, chose to receive his trophy on his own terms. The unprecedented situation unfolded at Checker's concert in Des Plaines, Illinois, on July 27, per Future Rock Legends. In a move never before seen by the organization, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame officials brought cameras and Checker's trophy directly to his performance venue. The artist who turned "The Twist" into a dance craze with his 1960 hit single had been eligible for Rock Hall recognition since the institution's inaugural class in 1986. After nearly four decades of waiting, Checker received his long-overdue honor on his very first nomination. During his acceptance speech on stage, Checker explained his reasoning to the cameras. The singer had deliberately instructed his management to schedule a performance on the same night as the November induction ceremony. "You run into things that you didn't run into when you weren't an older person," Checker explained while on stage. "I told my manager, 'Make sure when we go to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the induction that I'm doing what I love doing the most, being in front of an audience. A live audience, not a television audience.'" His team followed through on the request, leading Checker to deliver a blunt message to the Rock Hall, "We're not coming. We have a gig." Part of Checker's decision to skip the ceremony stemmed from concerns about how the public perceives him. Despite continuing to tour for decades, he worried about how his appearance at the formal ceremony might be interpreted. "Chubby goes to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, he's an old guy, he's probably retired, he's not doing anything. Maybe he has crutches and he's coming to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame to get his little award and go back home," he stated. "I said, 'No. Let's be doing a show like I'm doing today.' This shows that I'm alive and well and the audience is wonderful and my dream is still being fulfilled, and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is happening all at the same time." During his speech to the Rock Hall officials, Checker expressed appreciation while maintaining his stance. He spoke about "how wonderful it is that this has happened to me and I'm alive to enjoy it." 83-Year-Old 'Twist' Icon Refuses Rock Hall — His Response Is Legendary first appeared on Parade on Aug 8, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Aug 8, 2025, where it first appeared. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Inductee Reveals Why He Won't Attend Ceremony
Chubby Checker, the singer and dancer known for his iconic 1960 cover of 'The Twist,' has spilled on why he's skipping his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame later this year following a nearly four-decade-long wait. 'I told my manager, I said, 'Make sure when we go to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the induction, that I'm doing what I love doing the most: Being in front of an audience. A live audience, not a television audience,'' said Checker in a clip shared by Future Rock Legends from a show in Des Plaines, Illinois last month. After his manager booked him a show, he claimed the hall told him to 'forget' about his gig. 'We never forget about gigs,' Checker stressed. The 83-year-old rocker, whose birth name is Ernest Evans, recalled his childhood hopes of becoming a 'star' and said every time he plays, his 'dream' is 'renewed.' He went on to dismiss critics who may see him as 'old,' 'retired' and 'not doing anything' on the day of the ceremony. Checker was eligible for induction into the hall since its first class in 1986, but he wasn't nominated until this year. Over the course of his career, Checker helped popularize the Pony and Limbo dance crazes with his songs 'Pony Time' and 'Limbo Rock,' respectively. His cover of 'The Twist' — written and released by 1990 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Hank Ballard and his group, the Midnighters (who were inducted separately as a group in 2012) — became a smash hit in 1960. The song notably topped Billboard's list of all-time No. 1 singles on its Hot 100 charts from 2008 through most of 2020 before The Weeknd's 'Blinding Lights' took the crown that September. Checker — who once protested the lack of radio play for 'The Twist' and more of his songs outside the induction ceremony in the early '00s — will be inducted into the hall along with the likes of Cyndi Lauper, OutKast, the White Stripes, Joe Cocker and Soundgarden at a ceremony in Los Angeles this November. At his Illinois show, Checker accepted a statue from the hall before a sea of adoring fans, noting that he'll now be 'illuminated by all the good things' that have happened in his life every time he travels through the hall's home of Cleveland, Ohio. 'I am so thankful, I appreciate it. And I can't say how wonderful it is that this has happened to me, and I'm alive to enjoy it,' Checker said. Related... Another Celebrity Announces He Might Leave The Country Because Of Trump Taylor Swift Announces New Album — And Emotions Run Wild On Social Media 'Freakier Friday' Isn't The Classic You Remember — But It Pulls Off A Big Surprise
Axios
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
How hip-hop came to dominate the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Hip-hop isn't exactly rock 'n' roll, but the genre has become a dominant force in the museum that honors the music made famous by Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley. Why it matters: Outkast and Salt-N-Pepa's inductions this November will continue hip-hop's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame winning streak over the past decade. It also fuels the Rock Hall's most heated debate over which genres and artists should or shouldn't be honored. Flashback: Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five became the first hip-hop act inducted in 2007. The inductions of Run-DMC, Beastie Boys and Public Enemy followed over the next several years. By the numbers: Things have picked up with 11 more hip-hop artists being inducted since 2016, including this year's inductees. 2023 saw Missy Elliott become the first female rap act to earn induction. That same year, the Rock Hall opened Holla If Ya Hear Me, a huge exhibit celebrating the 50th anniversary of hip-hop. What they're saying:"The Rock Hall's success in getting hip-hop artists inducted is a reflection of their focus primarily on the genre's biggest names," says Neil Walls, founder of Future Rock Legends, a website covering the Rock Hall. "Getting inducted in your first year of eligibility is the sign of an undeniable Hall of Fame career, and five of the last six artists to go in that way are from hip-hop," Walls tells Axios. The other side: That success rate has drawn the ire of "rock" purists who believe the museum should focus on guitar-driven acts. Yes, but: John Sykes, the chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation who changed Jay-Z's mind, has asserted the name won't change. "Rather than throwing the name out, it's doing a better job of communicating to people where rock and roll came from and what it's truly about," he told Vulture. "Once they hear it that way, they understand." What's next: Hip-hop's streak with the Rock Hall will likely slow, Walls believes, pointing to a lack of obvious inductees from the genre in the coming years.
