Bernie Taupin acquired a Musical Excellence Award on the Rock & Roll Corridor of Fame induction ceremony Friday night time at Barclays Heart in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Rock and Roll Corridor of Fame cofounder Jann Wenner acquired a dig for his imprudent remarks on why sure folks had been included in his current e-book, The Masters.

Whereas selling his interview-collection e-book in September, Wenner stated that feminine musicians had been by no means “articulate sufficient on this mental degree” and that Black artists “simply didn’t articulate at that degree.” The resultant outrage noticed Wenner apologize, however he was subsequently dropped from the Rock and Roll Corridor of Fame Basis’s board of administrators.

On Friday, after Elton John gave a speech detailing his relationship with Taupin, his longtime collaborator, Taupin took to the stage. After itemizing his influences, speaking about his work with Elton John, and calling on the Corridor to induct Merle Haggard, Taupin turned his intention on Wenner.

“I suppose you could possibly say my being inducted is a paradox, maybe, however both method, I’m honored to be within the class of 2023 alongside a gaggle of such profoundly ‘articulate’ ladies and excellent ‘articulate’ Black artists together with all the different music masters right here tonight,” Taupin stated.

The opposite Musical Excellence Award winners had been Chaka Khan and Al Kooper. The Corridor of Fame inductees for 2023 had been Kate Bush, Missy Elliott, Willie Nelson, Rage In opposition to the Machine, Sheryl Crow, the Spinners, and George Michael. This yr’s Musical Affect Awards went to hip-hop legend DJ Kool Herc and the late Hyperlink Wray. Don Cornelius, the late creator of Soul Prepare, was posthumously honored with the Ahmet Ertegun Award.