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Among the 2015 honorees joining Starr, inducted by onetime
band mate Paul McCartney, were singer Bill Withers, punk-pop
band Green Day and Lou Reed, the primary force behind the Velvet
Underground, who was among the most influential rock musicians
in history.
"After the things I've sat through tonight..." Starr joked as he
took the stage as the night's final inductee. "Blah, blah blah.
I've got some stories.
"Finally, I'm invited and I love it," he said.
The event, which sold out in minutes and is due to air on HBO on
May 30, marks the 20th anniversary of the Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame and Museum, where the ceremony is being held, and the 30th
induction ceremony.
Performers at the ceremony included Beck, Foo Fighters' front
man Dave Grohl and former Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom
Morello.
Inducting Withers, who gained fame with the melancholy hit "Ain't
No Sunshine" in 1971, was pianist and singer Stevie Wonder,
while John Legend played in his honor.
"Who else can say they came here with a legend and a wonder?"
Withers joked.
Pioneering female rock musician Patti Smith paid an emotional
tribute to her friend Lou Reed, who died in 2013 of liver
disease.
Also inducted was Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, by pop star Miley
Cyrus, who recounted smoking marijuana in a hotel bathroom with
Jett upon meeting her for the first time.
Blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan, who died in 1990, was
honored by guitarist and singer John Mayer.
For his part, Starr, 74, has released 18 solo studio albums
since the breakup of the Beatles, including his latest,
"Postcards From Paradise," earlier this month.
Starr has been a Hall member since 1988, as a part of the
Beatles.
Artists are eligible for induction 25 years after the release of
their first record. Green Day was inducted in its first year of
eligibility.
The ceremony is the fourth hosted by Cleveland, which most
recently had the honor in 2012, with the event usually being
held in Los Angeles or New York.
(Additional reporting by Aaron Josefczyk in Cleveland; Editing
by Jonathan Kaminsky, Victoria Cavaliere, Bernard Orr and
Clarence Fernandez)
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