Bad Company, one of rock's supergroups, pushes the doors open at the
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
[November 06, 2025]
By MARK KENNEDY
NEW YORK (AP) — Bad Company singer-songwriter Paul Rodgers treasures one
of his last phone calls with guitarist Mick Ralphs. It was to deliver
the news that, at long last, they'd been inducted into the Rock & Roll
Hall of Fame.
“I said to him, ‘Do you remember when we were looking for a band name
and we called each other with silly names?' And then I just called him
up one day and I said, ’Bad Company' and he dropped the phone and he
said, ‘Oh yeah, that’s it. That's the name,’” says Rodgers.
“I said, ‘From then, it’s a long way, but it seems like we just blinked
our eyes a couple of times and here we are at the Hall of Fame.’ So at
least I was able to tell him that.”
Ralphs died in June, just weeks after learning the induction news.
Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke are the last surviving original members
of the British supergroup that crafted such arena-rock staples as “Feel
Like Makin’ Love,” “Can’t Get Enough” and “Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy.” They
will be part of the celebrations Saturday at the Peacock Theater in Los
Angeles, which will stream live on Disney+. ABC will air a prime-time
special on Jan. 1, available on Hulu the next day.
“The fans have just been so great throughout the years. We feel like
we’re celebrated, but it’s just not been stamped officially. That’s the
only difference,” says Rodgers.
Who else made it?
Bad Company will join rock legend Chubby Checker, late soul singer Joe
Cocker, pop icon Cyndi Lauper, hip-hop pioneers Outkast, rock duo the
White Stripes and grunge masters Soundgarden in the class of ’25.
Salt-N-Pepa, the first female rap act to achieve platinum status, and
the late singer-songwriter Warren Zevon will get in via the Musical
Influence Award. The late record producer Thom Bell, pianist Nicky
Hopkins and bassist Carol Kaye will each get the Musical Excellence
Award.
Chappell Roan and The Killers will be special guests, as will Elton
John, Olivia Rodrigo, Doja Cat, Questlove, Twenty One Pilots, Missy
Elliott, Raye, Beck, Brandi Carlile, David Letterman, Flea, Iggy Pop,
J.I.D, Killer Mike, Maxwell, Sleepy Brown, Taylor Momsen and Teddy
Swims.
More stars attending will include Avril Lavigne, Bryan Adams, Donald
Glover, En Vogue, Feist, Janelle Monáe, Jim Carrey, Joe Perry, Mick
Fleetwood, Mike McCready, Nancy Wilson and Nathaniel Rateliff.
Rodgers this month begged off performing at the Rock Hall “to prioritize
my health,” but he said Kirke will be there and “some outstanding
musicians.”
Gritty, bluesy rock
Formed in 1973 in London, Bad Company brought together Rodgers and Kirke
from the band Free, Ralphs from Mott the Hoople and bassist Boz Burrell
fresh out of King Crimson. The group was managed by the legendary Peter
Grant and signed to Led Zeppelin’s Swan Song label.
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Howard Leese, from left, Paul Rodgers, and Mick Ralphs, of the
classic rock band Bad Company, perform in Bethlehem, Pa., on July
29, 2013. (Photo by Owen Sweeney/Invision/AP, File)
 “We had everything we needed,” says
Rodgers. “You can’t really have a better start than that for a
fledgling band. We had the music. We had Atlantic Records behind us.
It was a magic roller coaster ride, actually.”
Kirke said Bad Company appeared on a music scene that was then
dominated by a lot of glam and glitter — think David Bowie, Queen,
T. Rex and Gary Glitter — and went back to basics.
“When we got together, I think the communal goal was we just wanted
to do something that was stripped-down, right to the point, gritty
and a little cheeky, a bit of fun,” he says.
Right out of the gate, the band had killer songs in their pockets.
Ralphs had “Can’t Get Enough,” “Movin’ On” and “Ready for Love”
ready. Rodgers had “Rock Steady” and, with Ralphs, “Seagull.” And
Rodgers and Kirke wrote the song “Bad Company,” with the lyrics “Bad
company/’Til the day I die.” The band's self-titled 1974 debut album
hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200, going five-times platinum.
The band made six albums before disbanding following 1982’s “Rough
Diamonds.” Bad Company later reformed with lineup changes and
reunion tours. Original bassist Burrell died of cancer in 2006.
Kirke says Bad Company influenced many bands that followed, like
Foreigner, Iron Maiden and Def Leppard. But he notes that Bad
Company was influenced, in turn, by the Beatles and soul and blues
artists.
“We just passed it on,” he says.
Tribute album
The induction ceremony comes a few weeks after the release of a
tribute album — “Can’t Get Enough: A Tribute to Bad Company” via
Primary Wave Music, a 10-track set that proves the band's influence.
Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott and Phil Collen offer a rendition of
“Seagull,” Rodgers teams up with Halestorm for “Shooting Star,” The
Struts knock out “Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy,” Slash and Myles Kennedy
and the Conspirators crush “Feel Like Makin’ Love” and members of
Blackberry Smoke tackle “Run with the Pack.”
“What it’s really about is one generation inspiring the next
generation and that’s really what Otis Redding did for me,” says
Rodgers, honored that he gets to join Redding in the Hall of Fame.
“Music was my calling — not to receive accolades — but to express
myself, my thoughts and my opinions about love and life through song
and hopefully send out a positive vibration from my heart to
others.”
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