Neil Young: A Rock and Roll Hall of Famer - A Look Back

Chuck Berry, Keith Richards, Neil Young
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, 1986
Photo Lynn Goldsmith
(Click photo to enlarge)
Tonight, Neil Young was planned to induct Pearl Jam into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. This would have been at least his *seventh* time as an inductor of a Hall of Famer.

However, earlier in the week, we reported some distressing news ...Neil Young is Sick: David Letterman Replacing to Induct Pearl Jam Into Rock Hall . Fortunately, we've learned subsequently that Neil Young Illness “Nothing Major,” Representative Says.

So as disappointed as we all are that Neil Young won't induct Pearl Jam into the Hall of Fame tonight, the most important point is that there is no serious health situation. So we look back at Neil Young and his participation in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremonies over the years.

Neil Young is a 2 time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame recipient as a solo artist (1995) and with the band Buffalo Springfield (1997). Young's induction of Tom Waits in 2011 marks at least his *sixth* time as an inductor of a Hall of Famer:

• The Everly Brothers in 1986
• Woody Guthrie in 1988
• Jimi Hendrix in 1992
• Paul McCartney in 1999
• The Pretenders 2005

Inductee Tom Waits and Neil Young
Photo: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images
Tom Waits and Neil Young performed "Get Behind The Mule" at the 26th annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at The Waldorf-Astoria on March 14, 2011 in New York City.

Immediately after the performance, Elton John noted: “If Jackson Pollack could sing, he’d sound like Tom Waits.”

Rolling Stone Music | Photos
Neil Young, Tom Waits - 26th Annual Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony - Backstage
Photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImage
From Rolling Stone Music | Alice Cooper, Darlene Love, Neil Diamond Make for Unforgettable Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Ceremony:

"After a 15-minute intermission Young inducted Waits. 'I didn't bring my teleprompter or my notes and I don't have any real thoughts,' Young joked. 'I will say that this next man is indescribable and I'm here to describe him. In the scope of things this man is a great singer, actor, magician, spirit guide, changeling and performer for you.'

Neil Young's Induction Speech for Tom Waits into Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame


Neil Young Inducting The Pretenders
2005 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Ceremony

Paul McCartney inducted into Rock & Roll Hall of Fame by Neil Young - March 1999
In March 1999, Neil Young inducted former Beatle Paul McCartney into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. During Neil's induction speech he said:

"The first song I learned to play was a Beatles song -- "Give Me Money, That's What I Want". Paul McCartney is one of the greatest songwriters ever. He'll be remembered hundreds of years from now."

Neil Young inducts Paul McCartney Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions 1999

After Neil handed Paul the Hall of Fame statue, Paul commented: "Thank you all. I love Neil!"


Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder inducts Neil Young into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame - 1995

On January 12, 1995, Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder inducted Neil Young into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. In his induction speech, Eddie Vedder said (from Five Horizons):

"He's taught us a lot as a band about dignity and commitment and playing in the moment and when I hear, you know, the speeches and inducting Janis Joplin and Frank Zappa, I get, uh, I'm just really glad he's still here. And I'm gonna (audience applauds; Eddie rolls his eyes, smiles and clutches his hand to his heart)... yeah!!

And I think I'm gonna have to say that I don't know if there's been another artist that has been inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame to commemorate a career that is still as vital as he is today. Some of his best songs were on his last record."

Neil Young being inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Eddie Vedder at Waldorf Astoria Hotel, New York, NY on January 12, 1995 - Part 1


Part 2 - Neil Young's induction acceptance speech at Rock and Roll Hall of Fame


Neil Young Inducting The Pretenders
2005 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Ceremony

On Mar 14, 2005, the Pretenders were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Neil Young. From a RollingStone.com report, Young said that he and Crazy Horse mined the Pretenders debut album for ideas in the early Eighties.

"They went through all the heartache that rock & roll is built on. They lost two key members and they never gave up."

Neil joined the Pretenders on the song "My City Was Gone".


Photo of Chrissie Hynde, Pretenders and Neil Young by Timothy A. Clary of Getty Images


Neil Young inducts Pretenders Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductions 2005

From Modern Guitars transcript:

Neil Young: "Thank You, it’s a great honor to be here. I enjoy your company every time I come here. See you people all the time. It’s great! I’m running for office.

"No, really, I’m very happy and very honored to be here to talk a little about The Pretenders, who had a great influence on myself and my band, Crazy Horse. Yeah, well, when we couldn’t figure out what to do, we’d just put on those records and listen to them, and go ‘Ok, they got a....what’s she look like? This was 1980 or something, anyway they had a huge impression on me. I obviously didn’t look at my...I don’t have any notes."

"I don’t know what to say. This is one of the greatest Rock and Roll bands that ever lived. They went through all the heartache that rock 'n' roll was built on. They lost two key members, and they never gave up, they kept going, nothing would stop them. Chrissie, she’s a rock 'n' roll woman. She’s got it in her heart. She’s gonna be rocking till she drops, and I love her. I’m very proud just to know her.

And it’s my pleasure and distinct honor to induct The Pretenders into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame."

Chrissie Hynde: "The things I’ll do for a handsome man. I know that The Pretenders have looked like a tribute band for the last 20 years. And actually they are a tribute band. And we’re paying tribute to James Honeyman-Scott and Pete Farndon, without whom we wouldn’t be here. And on the other hand, without us, they might have been here, but that’s the way it works in rock 'n' roll."

After the ceremony, Hynde was asked: "What was it like playing with Neil?"

"Fucking great!", replied Chrissie.


Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock
August 18, 1969On January 15, 1992, Neil Young inducted Jimi Hendrix into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. In his induction speech for Jimi, Neil said:

Young: Guitar -- you can play it or transcend it. Jimi showed me that. He was at one with his instrument. I just looked at it, heard it, and felt it and wanted to do it.

Hendrix threw a Molotov cocktail onto rock & roll."

Later that night, Young would pay tribute to Hendrix's guitar legacy by performing "Purple Haze" with Keith Richards.



Led Zeppelin and Neil Young - "When The Levee's Gonna Break" @ Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on January 13, 1995 A bit of history was made on the evening that Neil Young was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on January 13, 1995. After the induction ceremony, Young joined Led Zeppelin onstage for an all out guitar showdown with Jimmy Page. Performing a 10 minute "When The Levee's Gonna Break", Page and Young traded licks in what turned out to be a remarkable moment in TV rock. Even jaded guitar masters were slack jawed. Robert Plant segues into the Buffalo Springfield classic "For What It's Worth" at one point (6:35). Not to be outdone, Robert Plant picked up a guitar and began to jam with the guitar greats and seemed to be having the time of his life hopping and twirling about. Towards the end at about 7:30, after seemingly endless jamming and soloing between the two guitar legends, a clearly exhausted Jimmy Page drops his hands from his guitar as if to concede defeat by Young. At the conclusion of the song, Page and Plant hugged Young as they left the stage. Just before the camera cuts, one can see Page patting Neil's amplifier as if to say, "You've got a hell of a sound from your equipment." Later in 1995, Neil Young wrote the song "Downtown" (on the "Mirror Ball" album) about that historic night in New York City. From the lyrics "Downtown":

Jimi's playin' in the back room Led Zeppelin on stage There's a mirror ball twirlin' And a note from Page Like a water-washed diamond In a river of sin Goin' down like a whirlpool When you get sucked in Downtown Let's go downtown

In Jimmy McDonough's biography of Neil Young "Shakey", Neil said of Page's work: "I'm a hack compared to him. He can really play." No word yet on what Robert Plant and Jimmy Page thought of the night.

Led Zeppelin & Neil Young at Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 1995

Neil Young & Crazy Horse w Pearl Jam - "Act of Love" & Fuckin' Up - Rock & Roll Hall of Fame - 1995

Everly Brothers Inducted into R&R HoF by Neil Young - 1988

Chuck Berry, Keith Richards, Jerry Lee Lewis, Neil Young – "Roll Over Beethoven" - 1986

"Rust Guitar" Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - Cleveland, Ohio
We made it to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland earlier this summer and finally got to see the famous "Rust Guitar". Quite a beauty. It literally drips rust particles. Too cool. "Rust Guitar" with Ohio License PlateNeil Young's display contains Neil's fringed jacket and The Buffalo Springfield nameplate. Also, a telegram that he received from Paul and Linda McCartney in 1979. It read:

Neil, Linda and I have been listening to Live Rust over and over, side four kicks ass. Lotta Love, Paul

Rock Hall photos by thrasher & thrashette
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland is definitely worth a visit if you're ever in the area. More on Neil Young and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

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