Carrie Underwood, Chris Stapleton Perform At Rock Hall Induction

Country artists were represented at this year's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. It was a big night for lots of genres, including country.

One year after Dolly Parton's induction, this year it was Willie Nelson's turn. Dave Matthews started the segment of the show. He played a solo acoustic version of one of Willie's classics, "Funny How Time Slips Away." Matthews, like Willie, is on the board of Farm Aid, so the two have grown close over the years. Dave also made the speech about Willie. "I only got a few minutes, and I got a whole lotta s--- to say!" he announced. "To get some perspective, he wrote his first song in 1940." Matthews, who spoke for quite a while, noted that Willie has released over 70 albums.

He discussed working on Farm Aid together. Matthews said that Willie has never missed a Farm Aid, noting that "Greed never rests, so neither does Willie." And, he said, "Willie is an example of how the world could be if we could just straighten up and fly right."

During his quick speech, Willie talked about his supergroup the Highwaymen, noting that Johnny Cash is also in the Hall of Fame. But Willie urged the Hall of Fame to induct the other two members, Waylon Jennings and Kris Kristofferson. (Later in the night, Elton John's lyricist Bernie Taupin urged the Hall of Fame to include Merle Haggard as well.)

Willie performed with his band, including his sons Lukas and Micah and long time harmonica player Mickey Raphael. First, they were joined by Chris Stapleton. They performed "Whiskey River," with Nelson and Stapleton trading lead vocals and guitar solos. Sheryl Crow, who was inducted earlier in the night, then joined Willie for "Crazy," a song that he wrote, and which Patsy Cline had a massive hit with in 1961.

Dave Matthews, Chris Stapleton and Sheryl Crow then helped Willie with "On The Road Again."

There was also a tribute to Robbie Robertson of the Band, who passed away earlier this year. Chris Stapleton and Sheryl Crow, along with Brittany Howard of the rock band Alabama Shakes, and Elton John sang the Band's classic "The Weight."

Carrie Underwood was part of the tribute to the late George Michael. After R&B singer Miguel sang "Careless Whisper," and Adam Levine of Maroon 5 sang "Faith," Carrie Underwood took the stage to perform a very soulful version of "One More Try."

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony was broadcast live on Disney+ and it is available to stream on demand now. ABC will air a primetime special, "2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony," featuring performance highlights and standout moments on Monday, January 1, 2024 (8:00-11:00 p.m. EST). The special will be available the next day on Hulu and Disney+.

Let's be real: Willie Nelson is an American treasure. He's a guy who can go from hanging out in the White House (no matter who is living there at any given moment) one night to a honky tonk the next. He's collaborated with country's biggest stars, as well as rock, hip-hop, jazz and blues icons. He's more tha 70 albums into his solo career, he's just turned 90 and still shows no signs of slowing down. Not only does he still play amazing concerts, he still puts out great records, up to and including his latest couple of albums, I Don't Know A Thing About Love: The Songs Of Harlan Howard and Bluegrass.

How beloved is Willie? It's hard to quantify that. But at his 90th birthday concert celebrations in Los Angeles, he had a pretty much unprecedented guest list. (We say "celebrations" because the party took place over two nights). Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones, Neil Young, George Strait, Stephen Stills, Snoop Dogg, Sheryl Crow, Chris Stapleton, Miranda Lambert and Dave Matthews were some of the performers. A few months later, at the age of 90 years young, Willie became one of the few country artists inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

If you're a younger fan and trying to figure out what the big deal about the guy is, you can start here, with our list of his best songs (in our opinion). One of the fun things about being a Willie fan: he still releases albums and they're almost always good, and sometimes great.