On This Day: Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, and More Become First Inductees Into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Inside the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City, on January 23, 1986, the first class of inductees into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame were honored. Inductees included Elvis Presley, James Brown, Little Richard, the Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Ray Charles, Chuck Berry, Sam Cooke, Fats Domino, and Jerry Lee Lewis. 

Early Influences inductions were also given to Jimmie Rodgers, Jimmy Yancey, and Robert Johnson. Alan Freed and Sam Phillips were inducted as Non-Performers, and John Hammond received the Lifetime Achievement Award.

During the induction, Paul McCartney spoke about the birth of rock and roll in the 1950s and its impact on him and music with so many of its pioneers being inducted. “It was America reawakening the world ’cause we were into sort of other stuff then, and suddenly Elvis, Little Richard came screaming out of across the Atlantic, and it was just so exciting for us all,” said McCartney. “That is a very exciting time, so to remember it was very exciting, but also being a teenager at that time was a very exciting, interesting time.”

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Throughout the ceremony, guests came on, sharing a diverse run of inductions. John Lennon‘s sons Julian and Sean helped honor their father’s hero, Elvis Presley, while James Burton, Presley’s longtime lead guitarist and bandleader added more words. “He had perfect pitch,” said Burton. “I mean the guy could be clear across the stage and go into a song he probably hadn’t sung in years, it was there. It was such a natural talent. It was a blessing from God.”

Mick Jagger also talked about Buddy Holly’s influence on the musicians that came out of the British Invasion. “Every English person you talk to, from my generation, at least, will tell you that Buddy Holly was a big influence as a songwriter,” said Jagger. “And he wrote all these songs in a very short period of time, and they’re all very simple. And he was very big in England. I think he toured only once; I saw him on stage.”

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Jagger’s Rolling Stones‘ bandmate Keith Richards was also on hand to induct one of his guitar heroes, Chuck Berry. “It’s very difficult for me to talk about Chuck Berry because I lifted every lick he ever played,” said Richards, smiling. “Where’s the statue?” added Richards after he pulled off his black suit jacket to reveal a bright leopard-print jacket underneath he black suit jacket I’d love to give it to you. This is a gentleman that started it all.”

In 1960, Graham Nash first met the Everly Brothers when he was a teenager and remembered how affable they were to him and his future bandmate in The Hollies, Allan Clarke. “The Everly Brothers came to Manchester, and me and Allan Clarke, who later formed the Hollies with me, decided that we were going to meet the Everly Brothers,” remembered Nash during his induction speech. “And that was a dream, I mean, who does that, right? But we waited. The last bus left, we knew we would have to walk nine miles back home in the pissing rain — it was a drag — except, we were gonna meet our idols.”

Nash continued “So, around 1:30 in the morning they come, they’re a little drunk, they come ’round the corner and we go, “Oh, they’re here, God, they’re walking towards us, oh my goodness,’ right? Don and Phil Everly talked to me and Allan Clarke for what seemed like half an hour, just encouraging us.”

When Billy Joel spoke of Ray Charles, he said that he gave his daughter Alexa the middle name Ray because of him. “Sometimes I’m trying to sound like Ray Charles,” shared Joel. “The funny thing is, I found out Robert Plant sings the way he did because he was trying to sing like Ray Charles and that’s as close as he could get.”

The ceremony concluded with an all-star jam with Billy Joel, ZZ Top, John Fogerty, and Steve Winwood, who were backed by Paul Shaffer and the Late Night With David Letterman‘s house band, who went through a medley of classics, including Lewis’ “Great Balls Of Fire” and “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On,”  Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Proud Mary,” Berry’s “Roll Over Beethoven,” “Little Queenie,” and “Johnny B. Goode,” the Spencer Davis Group’s “Gimme Some Lovin’,” Chubby Checker’s “The Twist, and more.

Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images