Taylor Swift serenaded Carole King, former US President Barack Obama praised rapper JAY-Z, and Paul McCartney paid tribute to the Foo Fighters on Saturday at a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony that also honored Tina Turner and The Go-Gos.
Obama, speaking via video, called 23-time Grammy winner JAY-Z “the embodiment of the American Dream” for his rise from a poor New York neighborhood to a billionaire songwriter, record executive and businessman.
“That’s a lot. Trying to make me cry in front of all these white people!” he joked. “Growing up we didn’t think we could be inducted in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. We were told that hip-hop was a fad.”
Swift opened the show with a pop version of “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” while Jennifer Hudson sang “A Natural Woman” in honor of the singer-songwriter King, 79, who led the audience in a singalong of her hit “You’ve Got a Friend.”
“I can’t remember a time when I didn’t know Carole King’s music,” said Swift, calling her 1971 “Tapestry” album “a watershed moment for humans in the world with feelings.”
Christina Aguilera led a medley of Turner’s biggest hits.
“If they’re still giving me awards at 81, I must be doing something right,” Turner said.
King and Dave Grohl were also two time honorees. King had previously been inducted with her songwriting partner Gerry Goffin, while Foo Fighters frontman Grohl was a member of grunge band Nirvana which was inducted in 2014.
Female 1980s rock band The Go-Gos, rapper LL Cool J, German electronic pioneers Kraftwerk and the late Billy Preston were also inducted.
The honors recognize artists who have spent more than 25 years in the music industry. They are selected based on ballots sent by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame to more than 1,200 artists, historians and members of the music industry. Members of the public also provided votes.