(An act becomes eligible for induction 25 years after the release of its first commercial recording.) First-time balloters include Crow, the hitmaker who has moved easily between rock, pop and country Michael, the superstar singer and queer icon who died in 2016 and Nelson, the American legend who just celebrated his 90th birthday with an all-star, two-night blowout at the Hollywood Bowl. Several of the new members - voted in by a group of about 1,200 musicians, executives, historians and journalists - are joining the hall after being nominated for the first time. “That’s still not enough,” Sykes told The Times, “but I’m seeing us make progress to recognize the incredible women who’ve contributed to the growth and impact of rock ’n’ roll.” (Author and historian Evelyn McDonnell has put the figure lower, at less than 8%.) Since 2019, according to Sykes, a quarter of those inducted have been women. He added that in 2018, women accounted for 15% of the hall's inductees to that point. In an interview, the Rock Hall’s chairman, John Sykes, said that “rock ’n’ roll has never been one definitive sound but rather an attitude or a spirit” and that this year’s honorees show “how diverse the definition of rock ’n’ roll has become.” represents a broad array of styles and genres, including country, hip-hop, rap-rock, R&B, art pop, folk-rock, dance music and blue-eyed soul. Musically, too, the new class - set to be welcomed Nov.

The 2023 class of inductees is among the most varied in the hall’s history, with women and people of color outnumbering white men, whose work the group has long been criticized for overvaluing. Kate Bush, Sheryl Crow, Missy Elliott, George Michael, Willie Nelson, Rage Against the Machine and the Spinners will join the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year at its 38th annual induction ceremony, organizers announced Wednesday.

(Trevor Leighton / Getty Chris Pizzello / Invision / Associated Press Jim Bennett / WireImage) Kate Bush, Missy Elliott and Willie Nelson are among this year's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees.

Kate folk out there