Month: November 2022

The 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony brought a handful of legends to Los Angeles on Saturday night (Nov. 5) to commemorate and celebrate one another. And as John Sykes, chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, revealed, L.A. will now join Cleveland and New York as a regular home for the annual honors.

The 2022 class included Dolly Parton, Eminem, Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo, Duran Duran, Eurythmics, Lionel Richie and Carly Simon. Judas Priest and Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis also joined the Rock Hall with the “award for musical excellence.”

Yet they were far from the only stars in the room: attendees included Dave Grohl, Mary J. Blige, Gwen Stefani, Ed Sheeran and Bruce Springsteen (whose longtime manager, Jon Landau, is stepping down as chairman of the Rock Hall, which he co-founded).

Also being honored: Elizabeth Cotton, who rose to prominence for playing the guitar both upside down and left handed; Sylvia Robinson, singer, producer and co-founder of Sugar Hill Records; singer and activist Harry Belafonte; legendary producer and executive Jimmy Iovine; and famed entertainment attorney Allen Grubman.

Though long — clocking in at five-and-a-half hours — the unrushed evening allowed for a surplus of special moments, from superstar jams to the recounting of beautiful memories from music’s greatest talents.

Ahead of the 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony airing Nov. 19 on HBO, here are the highlights.

Dolly Parton Live Debuted New Music

“If I’m gonna be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, I’m gonna have to earn it!” exclaimed Dolly Parton. Prior to performing, she spoke about how she had initially declined the honor, saying at the time she didn’t feel worthy enough. “Back when they tried to put me in, I didn’t think I had done enough, but I get it’s a little bit more than that now,” she said in her speech.

Yet, the country icon still felt she had something to prove, and as such live-debuted a brand new song off her upcoming rock album (How many of you rockers are gonna help me out?” she asked the room, surveying the audience). Rocking a black latex jumpsuit with large colored jewels and a matching guitar — on which she shred through a solo — Parton performed the new track with Zac Brown on guitar and backing vocals. “I still got rock and roll down in my country soul,” she sang.

Her set included P!nk and Brandi Carlile duetting on “Coat of Many Colors,” Sheryl Crow and Zac Brown Band singing “9 to 5” and a grand finale featuring every inductee (minus Eminem, naturally) for a whopping rendition of “Jolene.” 

Parton put it best: “We’ve got a star studded stage up here, don’t we?“

Eminem Ripped Through a Hits-Filled Medley

During Dr. Dre’s induction speech for his longtime friend and collaborator Eminem, the super producer recalled their first session. The rising rapper came to Dre’s home studio, listened to an unfinished track and immediately got on the mic to say: “Hi, my name is…” thus creating a soon-to-be mega hit.

Eminem fittingly opened his set with the track, before even more appropriately showing off his hyper-speed skills with “Rap God.” And it just kept getting better. Steven Tyler made a surprise appearance for “Dream On,” which Em samples on “Sing for the Moment,” only to be replaced by another guest star, Ed Sheeran. The pop icon, with his acoustic guitar in hand, helped deliver an impassioned “Stan.” The medley then moved into “Forever” before closing out with “Not Afraid.”

For a rapper whose piercing eyes and vicious verses could kill, his speech — for which he put on his glasses — was less of an attack and more of a thank you note, especially to Dr. Dre. Or, as Em called him, “the man who saved my life.”

Duran Duran Shared Some Heavy News

While Duran Duran was arguably met with the evening’s loudest cheers, not every moment the band spent on stage was a celebratory one. Following an induction from Robert Downey Jr., in which he revealed the band played a short set at his 50th birthday party (seven years ago) and shared the secret to longevity — “consistent quality over time, plus headbands” — frontman Simon Le Bon sang a powerful though accidental a cappella opening to “Girls On Film.” Despite the band’s sound not working, he remained in good spirits, joking, “We just had to prove to you that we weren’t lip syncing.”

The band then played “Hungry Like the Wolf” and “Ordinary World,” complete with an orchestra, before delivering a moving — and unexpectedly sad — speech. Simon began by reading a letter from former member Andy Taylor, in which he explained his absence and revealed he has stage four prostate cancer.

“I’m truly sorry and massively disappointed I couldn’t make it. Let there be no doubt I was stoked about the whole thing, even bought a new guitar with the essential whammy!” the letter read. “I often doubted the day would come. I’m sure as hell glad I’m around to see the day.”

Lionel Richie Had a Belt-Off With Dave Grohl

The story Lenny Kravitz told while inducting Lionel Richie of how, 25 years ago, his grandfather interrupted their first jam session was hard to top. But halfway through Richie’s beautifully arched set — which opened with “Hello” and closed with a fun-filled dance along to “All Night Long” — he delivered a show-stopping moment.

During “Easy,” Dave Grohl made a surprise appearance — wearing a velvet blazer perhaps inspired by the one Richie himself was wearing — to offer support as lead guitarist. It wasn’t his shredding that stole the show, but rather the growling belt-off that ensued between the two after Richie held the mic to Grohl. And though without context it may have seemed like a heated debate over who is lower maintenance, the conviction on both ends is what sold the spontaneity of it.

“We are celebrating one of the funniest jokes in my life,” said Richie, “because all of the songs I wrote and recorded, so many people told me, ‘These are the songs that will destroy your career.’”

Olivia Rodrigo and Sara Bareilles’ Embodied Carly Simon

Sara Bareilles pulled double duty, both inducting and performing on behalf of Carly Simon, who was unable to attend the ceremony. Bareilles beautifully belted the Grammy-awarded “Nobody Does It Better” before welcoming another performer to the stage: Olivia Rodrigo.

Rodrigo performed the classic Billboard Hot 100 No. 1, “You’re So Vain,” which was called “the biggest hit that has kept everyone guessing for 50 years” in Simon’s celebratory montage. And yet, Rodrigo sang with a convincing clarity, like she knew exactly who was at fault. In the same video package, Taylor Swift praised “Vain” for being “the best way anyone has addressed a breakup.”

As Simon wrote in a letter, read by Bareilles: “I am humbled, shocked, proud, overachieved, underqualified and singularity grateful.”

Judas Priest Brought The Pyro

The only (light) pyro of the evening came courtesy of none other than metal rockers Judas Priest. As Alice Cooper said in his induction speech, “I don’t want to hear rock is dead, because it isn’t,” he teed up the band nicely to demonstrate why it’s very alive and well. “Judas Priest,” he continued,” are truly the definitive metal band. Heavy metal didn’t have a look until Judas Priest.”

During lively performances of “Breaking the Law” and “Living After Midnight,” sparks served as an electrified backdrop to the band’s iconic twin guitar sound. “People underestimate just how popular heavy metal is,” Glenn Tipton said. To which Richie Faulkner admitted, “You rebel against the establishment until you realize you are the establishment… and here we are, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame… I’m honored and proud to be a part of it.”

Rob Halford delivered a similarly touching take on metal and this moment, though opened with more of a zinger: “I’m the gay guy in the band,” he said with a laugh. “The heavy metal community is all inclusive, everybody’s welcome… We’re all about the power and the emotion and the dedication and the love.”

Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo Proofed Love Can Be Long Lasting

Sheryl Crow inducted the duo of Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo by holding up the couple’s 1980 Rolling Stone cover. “They were hot!” she exclaimed, noting she was 18 years old when that issue came out. A clear longtime and avid fan, Crow insisted, “They should have been inducted many years ago… Finally, they get what they long deserve.”

To celebrate, the pair performed a roaring set that included “All Fired Up,” “Love Is a Battlefield” and “Heartbreaker.” But when delivering their speech, that ferocity that vibrates through Benatar’s hits was soon replaced with tenderness. As Giraldo spoke of their beautiful and expanding family (they just welcomed an 11-day-old grandson) and called his longtime love “Patricia,” she looked on with wide-eyes as if they had only just met.

Eurythmics Shimmered in Matching Sparkling Suits

After The Edge opened his speech by praising the women of Iran, he loosely quoted Oscar Wilde, saying “the duty of the artist is to make beautiful things.” And no better act, he felt, embodied that sentiment than Eurythmics.

The two seemed intent on proving as much with a set that included a vibrant and rallying performance of “Sweet Dreams.” And when the two insisted, “Keep your head up!” it was clear this song arguably resonates now more than ever — the sign of any true classic.

When it came time for Annie to speak after the set, she was met with a thunderous standing ovation, to which she said in awe: “Oh wow.” The rest of her speech packed more punch, as she spoke about how, by nature, “We musicians are peaceful people… we spread love around the world, not hate and division. We bring people together.”

Terry Lewis Shared More Than He Ever Has Before

To honor the great Terry Lewis and Jimmy Jam, longtime friend and collaborator Janet Jackson rocked the same look of her 1986 Control cover art — fitting, considering how she said that album was the first time anybody had asked her what she wanted to talk about. With Terry and Jimmy, she said, “it felt like we were kids playing in a sandbox,” plus they listened. “Those stories [I shared] became the foundation of the Control album, and that album sounds fresh to this day,” she said. 

Perhaps inspired by her speech — in which she also detailed the pair’s impressive resume, having worked with Aretha Franklin, Mariah Carey, George Michael, Usher, “my brother Michael” and so many more — Terry took the mic next. He spoke at length of his gratitude, especially for his mom, who used to yell at him and Jimmy to “turn that s–t” down whenever they would make music in the basement. “So thank you, mom, for tolerating all of that noise.”

Jimmy’s reply was simple: “That’s the most I’ve ever heard Terry talk in my whole life.”

Jimmy Iovine Passed On a Key Lesson

As Bruce Springsteen joked in his induction speech for Jimmy Iovine, referencing their first few encounters when Iovine was working in a studio, “[Jimmy] came with the furniture.” As it turned out, being embedded into the studio proved unbelievably beneficial when, one day, Springsteen’s manager came in asking Iovine if he could producer. “Jon [Landau] looked at me and said, ‘Can you do this?’ I’d like to thank myself for having the balls to say, ‘YES.’”

Turns out, he could do it — thanks to those who had taught him a thing or two. And now, the idea of passing it on informs Iovine’s every day life. “Technically I retired five years ago… not,” he jokes. “Thank the people who mentored you and try to be a mentor for somebody else whenever you can, because the truth is, no one gets to a moment like this alone.”

This year’s inductees into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame all gave heartfelt speeches from the stage of Los Angeles’ Microsoft Theater detailing what the honor meant to them. And when a number of the Class of 2022 stopped backstage to Billboard’s one-on-one booth, they were able to share even more.

Duran Duran

Before speaking with Billboard’s, the band stopped in the general press room where Duran Duran lead singer Simon LeBon talked about how he felt reading former bandmate Andy Taylor’s letter on stage about having stage four prostate cancer — a diagnosis that had not been previously made public.  “It is devastating news to found out that a colleague­ — not a colleague, a mate, a friend — is not going to be around for very long,” LeBon said. “It is absolutely devasting. We love Andy dearly. I’m not going to stand here and cry. It wouldn’t be appropriate, but that’s what I feel like.”

On stage, LeBon delivered an emotional take on the band’s 1993 hit, “Ordinary World,” which he co-wrote about trying to cope with the death of his best friend. He told Billboard even nearly 30 years later, the song takes him back every time he sings it. “I think of my dear friend Dave Miles and what it means to me to be able to free myself of his death. That’s what the song was,” he says. “I was imprisoned by my feelings about him. I couldn’t continue on. I couldn’t develop. That song was a way of freeing myself. A way of saying goodbye, letting something go. That is in my heart every time I sing it.”

Duran Duran won the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame fan vote in April garnering nearly a million votes from fans. The support of their Duranies means “everything,” says keyboardist Nick Rhodes. Bassist John Taylor, who befriended Rhodes when Taylor was 12 and Rhodes was 10, says the band can still relate. “We were fans. Not just music buyers. Nick and I used to go hang out backstage, listen to the band do their sound check,” he says. “We love the fan culture. We love identifying with fans through music, so we’ve always had a love for our followers. We get them. We are them.”

This year’s class is one of the most musically varied in the Rock Hall’s history and each member of the band named a different honoree when asked whom they would most like to collaborate with. For LeBon, it was Terry Lewis & Jimmy Jam. Roger Taylor chose Judas Priest, Rhodes picked Dolly Parton and John Taylor selected Annie Lennox.  Rhodes came up with the perfect solution: “The thing to do would be to get us and Judas Priest to do the track together and Dolly and Simon to sing with Jam & Lewis producing.”

Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo

November is a big month for Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo. Not only did the couple, who celebrated their 40^th anniversary this year, get inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, but on Nov. 22 their newest project, Invincible–The Musical, will premiere at the Wallis’ Bram Goldsmith Theater in Beverly Hills (it runs through Dec. 18). They began working on the play, which is a retelling of Romeo & Juliet through the pair’s catalog and new songs, five years ago.  The pandemic ended up providing a burst of creativity. “We had done four stage readings prior to the pandemic,” Benatar says. “At first it seemed like the momentum was going to be lost, but it turned out that being home and not touring gave us so much time to work on it. It wound up being something really great and when we finally did come back together to work, we were so much further ahead. That’s why we’re in full production right now.”

For the couple, writing songs is one of the few things they do apart­­ — at least in the early stages.  “I write mostly on piano,” Giraldo says. “Sometimes I start with words, sometimes I start with a title or a chorus, and I hand it off to Patricia. Then she adds to that and I go, ‘Oh my God, that’s great,’ and that inspires me. So I do more and then she hears what I do and goes, ‘Oh my god, that’s great.’ That’s how it goes.”

 “We don’t really write in the same room at the same time,” Benatar continued. “We take pieces of things. If I have a story that I’m thinking of, I give it to him and he puts music to it. It goes back and forth and we don’t do it at the same time until we get further along and then we come together with our individual ideas and put them together.” 

Lionel Richie

As one of several of the inductees who performed their songs at the event, Lionel Richie had the crowd on its feet and dancing during a joyous version of his signature hit “All Night Long.” As he told Billboard, he has reached a place in his life and career that is all about uniting people. “Do you know how wonderful it is to walk into a room and people start smiling?” he says. “ I’m not playing. I’m walking into a dinner, I’m walking into a restaurant, I’m walking my kids to school. What I’m saying is I don’t know how you get this blessed, but it’s a moment in time when you realize the songs have translated over into this thing called love.”

He touched on another love: country music. It’s been 10 years since Richie released Tuskegee, his wildly successful album reimagining his greatest hits as duets with country artists including Tim McGraw, Kenny Chesney and Jason Aldean. Richie, who also wrote Kenny Rogers’ smash, “Lady,” says he promises his own country record of new music is coming.  “Country is so solid with me and the answer is it will happen,” he says. “I’m a gigantic procrastinator, so [when] it hits me over the head or runs over me is when I go, ‘Ok, I’ll get on it,’ but [my manager] has been pushing me. Tell Nashville it’s coming. It won’t be too long. I promise.”

The Eurythmics

Dave Stewart and Annie Lennox wore identical black suits in an intentional homage to the Eurythmics‘ early days.  “All through the years, Dave and I, especially with [1983 breakthrough hit] ‘Sweet Dreams,’ we had very small budgets. We didn’t have any budget, actually,” Lennox says. “We’d buy second-hand things and put them together. We wore the suits at the very beginning with ‘Sweet Dreams.’ There was a sense for us of being equals, of being like twins.  There was something about the unit of being one and one makes three. It was always what we felt. I always loved it because it wasn’t an overtly feminist statement at the time, but nevertheless it gave me permission not to have to be a pretty kind of accessory. That was where it came from.”

Added Stewart, “There was a conscious decision to try and step away from anything that was happening at all and make ourselves like a single unit. United front.”

The duo also performed at their induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame earlier this year (postponed from 2020), but say they can go years without playing together. When they do, muscle memory kicks in. “We’ve played so much in the past, we know instinctively, ‘OK, this is this song, we can do this,’” Stewart says. 

But any thoughts of reuniting for a tour are not realistic, Lennox clarifies. “There’s always a certain joy that does come from performance and all singers’ bodies are their instruments and, for me, I actually did have a quite serious thing happen in my back,” she says. “I have certain health issues and the thought of doing a long tour is really arduous. In my time in life, it’s like, ‘What’s best to do?’ We do enjoy playing together. I very much enjoy playing with Dave. He’s great. One of the best musicians in the world.”

For Lennox, preparing for the energetic Rock Hall performance helped pull her out of pandemic doldrums. “I kind of lost a lot of my will to live,” she says. “I’m kidding. I just had to say that. Throughout the pandemic, I just didn’t feel like going out. I didn’t feel like exercising, but this gave me a motivation to go back and get fit again, which was a great bonus for me.” 

Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis

Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis have more No. 1s on Billboard charts than any other songwriting and production team — and they aren’t slowing down. The pair are at work on Volume 2, their follow up to to 2021’s Jam & Lewis, Volume 1, which paired them with Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, Toni Braxton and more. 

They wouldn’t spill any names for Volume 2 just yet, but from their Rock Hall class, the two acts they’d most like to collaborate with are Lennox and Duran Duran, “because we just had a discussion with them about ‘Hungry Like the Wolf’ influencing [Janet Jackson’s] ‘Escapade,’” Jam said. 

Friends since their teens, Jam and Lewis have always operated on a handshake deal and split everything 50/50. “We don’t really worry about the money or the budgets or any of that kind of stuff, it’s just about the creativity,” Jam says. “We’re free to individually do what we want to do…Sometimes there will be a song that came out on the radio and it sounds great and I’ll be like, ‘Terry, when did you do that?’ But I got 50 % of it, so it doesn’t matter and it eliminated about 99% of anything creatively that we could ever disagree about… It’s not my way or his way, it’s the best way.”

On Saturday night (Nov. 5), the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inducted its 2022 class in grand fashion. Inductees included Dolly Parton, Eminem, Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo, Duran Duran, Eurythmics, Lionel Richie and Carly Simon. Judas Priest and Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis are also joining the Rock Hall with the “award for musical excellence.”

And while little was known about what Eminem in particular would do to commemorate his induction — as is expected from the reserved rapper — the surprises, plural, made for an even more impactful showing.

Longtime friend and collaborator Dr. Dre had the pleasure of inducting Eminem, recalling the first time Jimmy Iovine called to let him know that Eminem was a white guy. “That completely f—-d me up,” said Dre with a laugh.

He continued to recount how nearly everyone tried to discourage him from working with the then-unknown rapper, saying no one believed or saw the vision. “I knew that his gifts were undeniable,” Dre affirmed. “Each of us was what the other one needed — and I was willing to bet my entire career on it.”

As Dre said, Eminem “brought hip-hop to middle America.” In doing so, he became one of the best-selling and most celebrated rappers in music, evidenced by the Rock Hall video montage that included clips from Adele, Elton John, Rihanna and more all praising his unmatched skills.

There was only one way to follow such a hefty induction, and that was with an even meatier performance. Em delivered just that, ripping through hits like “My Name Is,” “Forever,” “Not Afraid” and more — while also featuring unexpected guests from Steven Tyler to Ed Sheeran.

“I’m not supposed to be here tonight,” said Eminem following his set. “One, I’m a rapper; two, I almost died from an overdose; and three, I really had to fight my way through… I’m a high school drop out with a hip hop education.”

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony will air on Nov. 19 on HBO.

On Saturday night (Nov. 5), the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inducted its 2022 class in grand fashion. Inductees included Dolly Parton, Eminem, Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo, Duran Duran, Eurythmics, Lionel Richie and Carly Simon. Judas Priest and Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis are also joining the Rock Hall with the “award for musical excellence.”

P!nk had the honor of inducting Parton, delivering a moving speech in which she called the evening “one of the most magical nights I’ve witnessed in the history of me being in music.”

She walked the audience through Parton’s groundbreaking career, especially as it pertains to being a woman not only in entertainment but in America. P!nk highlighted the hits that speak most to not only Parton’s truths, but universal ones, from “Coat of Many Colors” to “9 to 5,” the latter of which she even briefly belted the chorus of.

“[Dolly is] one of the greatest storytellers of our time… of all time,” P!nk continued.

As Parton walked on stage to accept her honor, she and P!nk — both dressed head to toe in sparkles — exchanged a warm embrace before Parton joked, “I’m a rockstar now!”

In a speech of her own, Parton teased her upcoming rock album and even treated the audience to her as-yet-unreleased new rock song… in which she emphatically declares: “I still got rock and roll down in my country soul.”

And while a host of friends helped perform hits in Parton’s honor, the final sequence of both her set and of the night was the best, in which almost every inductee — and a few special friends — joined forces for a winding rendition of “Jolene.”

The 2022 ceremony is the first time in the Hall’s 37-year history that six female acts — Benatar, Parton, Simon, Cotten, Robinson and Annie Lennox (as part of Eurythmics) — were inducted in one class. 

The show will air on Nov. 19 on HBO.

While inducting entertainment lawyer Allen Grubman — the famed attorney for artists including Bruce Springsteen and Mariah Carey — longtime friend and client John Mellencamp took a moment to make his words count.

Before welcoming the “true mensch” to the stage to accept his honor, Mellencamp said, “Allen is Jewish, and I bring that up for one reason: I’m a gentile, and my life has been enriched by countless Jewish people.”

“I cannot tell you how fucking important it is to speak out if you’re an artist against antisemitism,” he continued. “I don’t give a f–k, I don’t care [what you are]. Here’s the trick: Silence is complicity. I’m standing here tonight loudly and proudly with Allen, his family and all of my Jewish friends and all of the Jewish people of the world.”

“F–k antisemtisim, and f–k anybody who says anything in that manner.”

Mellencamp’s comments come on the heels of antisemetic comments made by Kanye West in the past weeks, resulting in him being dropped from countless partnerships.

Grubman — along with Jimmy Iovine and Sylvia Robinson — was the recipient of the Ahmet Ertegun Award.

The 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, which took place this year in Los Angeles, will air Nov. 19 on HBO.

Andy Taylor was expected to join his former bandmates tonight (Saturday, Nov. 5) at Duran Duran’s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Los Angeles. However, after performing a medley of their hits, current members Simon LeBon, John Taylor, Nick Rhodes and Roger Taylor took to the podium and explained his absence. 

“Four years ago, Andy was diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer,” LeBon said, breaking the news.  He read a portion of a letter from Taylor, who had hoped to join the band on stage for the first time in 17 years but his health did not allow him to travel from Ibiza. 

Taylor left the band  in 1986. He rejoined in 2001 and played guitar on 2004’s Astronaut before leaving again in 2006. 

Below is his letter in full. 

Dear Simon, John, Roger, Nick, my fellow inductees and countrymen 

I wanted to send a personal note to pass along my sincerest respect to you all for what’s been an amazing career, and to also share what has happened to me. 

Firstly, can I say what an absolute honour it was to be nominated let alone be inducted into the RRHOF. There’s nothing that comes close to such recognition. I’m proud of everything we’ve achieved together and of the way you have continued. As a guitar player in a progressive band from the synth days of the early eighties, literally from the day I met Nick, John, Simon and Roger they truly valued the contribution of a rather noisy, versatile Northern brat. We all grew up on the same vinyl records and live gigs, from David Bowie to Roxy Music, The Sex Pistols and of course CHIC. I could go to all those places as a player and developed a hybrid guitar style that fitted this amazing concept OF A BAND…

I loved going into the studio and recording our material; nobody else sounded like us. We were ripe to absorb what was the art of analogue recording, but with some different kit, Nick’s artful obsession with synth technology was something I’d never seen before and I was introduced to layers. Because we were instinctively the right fit, we evolved very quickly, writing RIO as our second album with the confidence our very early success with ‘Girls On Film’ and ‘Planet Earth’ inspired. 

You can dream about what happened to us but to experience it, on one’s own terms, as mates, was beyond incredible. 

I would like to thank each of my brothers in this great band.

My family: my incredibly sane wife of 40 years – Tracey – my amazing children, Andy, Georgie, Bethy and Izzy, not forgetting my grandson Albie, who’s probably online listening or on Fortnite!!!

The original believers: Paul and Michael Berrow, Dave Ambrose, Terry Slater, Rob Hallett.

The Producers: Colin Thurston, Alex Sadkin, Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers – I’ve also really dug the work with Mark Ronson – I particularly admire ‘All You Need Is Now’, that’s a DD melody if ever I heard one.

Thanks also to Merck, Andrew and Wendy.

Now for the bad blood, well the good news is that there is none, just pure love and respect for everything we wrote, recorded and achieved together. What’s the point? There’s no stopping this 44-year thing called “Duran Duran”.

Now to the reason I’m not here:

Just over 4-years ago I was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic prostate cancer. Many families have experienced the slow burn of this disease and of course we are no different; so I speak from the perspective of a family-man but with profound humility to the band, the greatest fans a group could have and this exceptional accolade. 

I have the Rodgers and Edwards of doctors and medical treatment that until very recently allowed me to just rock on. Although my current condition is not immediately life threatening there is no cure.  Recently I was doing okay after some very sophisticated life extending treatment, that was until a week or so ago when I suffered a setback, and despite the exceptional efforts of my team, I had to be honest in that both physically and mentally, I would be pushing my boundaries.

However, none of this needs to or should detract from what this band (with or without me) has achieved and sustained for 44 years. We’ve had a privileged life, we were a bit naughty but really nice, a bit shirty but very well dressed, a bit full of ourselves, because we had a lot to give, but as I’ve said many times, when you feel that collective, instinctive, kindred spirit of creativity mixed with ambition, armed with an über cool bunch of fans, well what could possibly go wrong?  

I’m truly sorry and massively disappointed I couldn’t make it. Let there be no doubt I was stoked about the whole thing, even bought a new guitar with the essential whammy!

I’m so very proud of these four brothers; I’m amazed at their durability, and I’m overjoyed at accepting this award.  I often doubted the day would come. I’m sure as hell glad I’m around to see the day. 

All My Love

AT

On Saturday night (Nov. 5), the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inducted its 2022 class that included singer-songwriter great Carly Simon. Following an induction and performance from Sara Bareilles, Olivia Rodrigo made an appearance to deliver a theatrical and passionate take on Simon’s hit “You’re So Vain.”

In the video montage honoring Simon (who was unable to attend the ceremony), Taylor Swift even called “Vain” “the best song that’s ever been written… that is the best way anyone has addressed a breakup, it’s amazing.”

Wearing stockings and a gray dress, Rodrigo skipped on stage during the sing-songy chorus, giving a performance so convincing it was as if she had written the 50-year-old song herself.

“You’re So Vain” topped the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks. It’s Simon’s only No. 1 on the tally. Bareilles performed “Nobody Does It Better,” which hit No. 2 on the Hot 100.

The 2022 ceremony is the first time in the Hall’s 37-year history that six female acts — Benatar, Parton, Simon, Cotten, Robinson and Annie Lennox (as part of Eurythmics) — were inducted in one class. 

The 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, which took place this year in Los Angeles, will air Nov. 19 on HBO.

From career milestones and new music releases to major announcements and more, Billboard editors highlight the latest news buzz in Latin music every week. Here’s what happened in the Latin music world this week.

Maluma launches new business

Anyone in the mood for a Maluma-style burger or hot dog? The colombiano has launched his very own delivery-only restaurant called Dembow. Available in four countries (Colombia, Mexico, Brazil and Perú), those who want to place an order can do it directly via WhatsApp or fast-food deliver app Rappi or online. “Another dream come true,” the “Junio” singer wrote on social media. “Taste the greatest hamburgers and hot dogs with Latin flavor.”

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J Balvin receives special award

The Colombian star received the “Latino Impact Award” at the United Nations Latino Impact Summit for his work shining a light on mental health. J Balvin was honored on Nov. 3 at the United Nations headquarters in New York City during the summit, which returned to an in-person format for the first time since the pandemic. He was honored for raising awareness on mental health and wellness in the Latin community as well as for the launch of his mental wellness app, OYE.

Latin Grammys announces more performers

The Latin Recording Academy unveiled a new wave of performers set to take center stage at the 2022 Latin Grammy Awards. They include Christina Aguilera, Camilo, Christian Nodal, Elvis Costello, Jorge Drexler, John Legend, and Mariachi Sol de México de José Hernández. 

The Latin Grammy Awards — which “promise to honor the legacy, celebrate the present and embrace the future of Latin music, with deliberate consciousness, paying-it-forward to the next generations of music creators,” according to a press statement — will be held Nov. 17 at the Michelob Ultra Arena at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. The ceremony will air live on Univision beginning at 8 p.m. ET.

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Blessd breaks down tracks

Calling all Blessd fans! The Colombian artist released his sophomore album, Siempre Blessd.

Home to 13 tracks, including the previously-released “Instagram (Remix)” with De La Ghetto and Darell, and “Tendendia Global” with Myke Towers and Ovy on the Drums, Siempre Blessd continues to consolidate the artist’s status as Colombia’s breakthrough performer. 

The set navigates from songs that will inspire aspiring artists from the barrios to dream big (such as “Barrio Antioquia”), to songs about embracing solitude after a failed relationship (such as the Ñengo Flow-assisted “Solitario”) to songs inspired by him discovering the world (such as “Europa”).

Blessd breaks down five essential tracks from his new set. Read all about them here.

Halloween recap

Billboard compiled a list featuring some of the Latin music stars who understood the assignment this year. The list kicks off with Becky G and her boyfriend Sebastian Lletget, who dressed up as Santanico Pandemonium (Salma Hayek) and Seth Gecko (George Clooney) in the 1996 film From Dusk Till Dawn. The power couple is followed by artists such as Anittam who dressed as Beetlejuice’s wife, and Rauw Alejandro, who dressed up as the blue ranger from the timeless Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, to name a few. See the Halloween costumes here.

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