Madonna inducted

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

11 March 08 - Madonna was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last night (10 March) during its 23rd ceremony at New York's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.

Rocker John Mellencamp, singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen, British Invasion pioneers the Dave Clark Five and instrumental rock legends the Ventures were among the other inductees.

Madonna, who is now 49, was inducted by pop star Justin Timberlake, who collaborated with Madonna on half of her upcoming album Hard Candy . Speaking on stage he said:

"She's done it by working harder and being smarter than everybody else. As she made MTV the place to be seen, she racked up the greatest track record in music history -- 47 top 40 hits. She became the biggest name on the planet the old-fashioned way, she earned it."

"Nobody has gotten into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame looking this damn fine," he said. "You're no old museum piece."

"It's a great honour"
Madonna

Madonna was at the special ceremony and appearing on stage announced to the crowds that her career had been charmed:
 
"I felt like I had been possessed by some magic and luckily for me I have been miraculously and continuously possessed by some kind of magic," Madonna said at the ceremony.
"It is a great honour to receive this award, and I'm grateful and appreciate for the acknowledgement that this implies," said Madonna.

Madonna is one of the best-selling pop artists ever, with more than 200 million albums sold worldwide.

Performers become eligible 25 years after their first commercial recordings.


Adrian Larkin