Rock Hall of Fame: A night to honor musical legends

By Elysa Gardner, USA TODAY

Hail, hail, Rock and Roll Hall:�The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame held its 26th annual induction ceremony at New York's Waldorf-Astoria Monday night. This year's honorees: performers Alice Cooper, Neil Diamond, Dr. John, Darlene Love and Tom Waits; non-performers Jac Holzman and Art Rupe (respectively founders of Elektra and Specialty Records), and "sideman" (and accomplished singer/songwriter) Leon Russell.

• 

  By Dimitrios Kambouris, WireImage

  From the nightmare to the dream:Alice Cooper performs at Monday's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City.

By Dimitrios Kambouris, WireImage

From the nightmare to the dream:Alice Cooper performs at Monday's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City.

Before dinner:�A trim, smiling Michael Douglas (in remission for throat cancer) ? with wife Catherine Zeta-Jones at his side ? was there to see "my dear friend" Alice Cooper inducted. "And if you haven't seen Dr. John in a while," Douglas added, "he's playing great." For Leon Russell, the honor was "unexpected. Elton (John) set out to get me in," he said modestly. "That's probably why it happened."

Graduation day:�After 16 years of eligibility, Alice Cooper observed that getting into the hall was "like graduating. I feel like I'm getting a diploma ? becoming a real person, you know?"

Two legends:John Legend, who met Dr. John at a Hurricane Katrina benefit, eloquently documented John's half-century as a "musical ambassador" for New Orleans, including his work with The Meters and in collaborating with icons from John Lennon to Doc Pomus. Legend's conclusion? John "has never stopped flying the flag of funk." John noted that he and his colleagues "are blessed to do what we do," adding "everybody in my life was a blessing to me."

Drumroll, please:Lloyd Price read a letter by Rupe, whose age (93) prevented him from attending. The Doors' John Densmore brought a drum onstage and occasionally provided a drumroll as he saluted Holzman for championing artists from his band to Judy Collins, Queen, the Stooges, Carly Simon and Harry Chapin.

Feeling the Love:�Bette Midler joked that "at least now when you Google 'bette midler rock and roll hall of fame,' SOMETHING will come up." Then she thanked Love for "(changing) my view of the world" and called Love "the embodiment of teen spirit" in her era. A still-feisty Love graciously thanked a long string of musicians and industry insiders, including Phil Spector.

Inspired by:Rob Zombie credited Cooper with "inventing the rock show." The band Alice Cooper were the first live performers, kicking off its set with the adolescent anthem I'm Eighteen to approving hoots and hollers. The group kept rocking through Under My Wheels and was joined by Zombie and a choir of kids from the Ronald McDonald House for School's Out.

Tune in:�The ceremony airs Sunday on Fuse (9 p.m. ET/PT).

For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.

We've updated the Conversation Guidelines. Changes include a brief review of the moderation process and an explanation on how to use the "Report Abuse" button. Read more.

Hilarie Burton Mariah OBrien Tara Conner Ashanti Saira Mohan