He gives the world hope: Willie Nelson inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Willie Nelson, revered country artist and patron saint of Austin, joined the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on Friday.

After accepting his trophy from Dave Matthews, Willie reflected on the "long ride" from his first job as a DJ to becoming a country music legend in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Willie recalled playing early songs by Elvis Presley.

"Now I remember writers calling that rockabilly rather than rock 'n' roll. And I never did pay much attention to categories, and I'm not sure the fans did either," he said.

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In his career he logged collaborations with Jerry Lee Lewis and his "buddy" Ray Charles. "And when Ray and I got together, we never asked each other what to do or whether to do a soul song or a rock song or a country song. We just sang the songs we love," he said.

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It was one of many occasions when Willie rejected rigid genre delineation.

"Everyone thought we were crazy — and we were — to do 'Stardust,' our album of standards, but it turned out pretty good," he said. Released in 1978, "Stardust" was certified quadruple platinum in 1990.

Noting that he and Johnny Cash, half of his band of outlaws, the Highwaymen, are now in the hall, he made a case for "Waylon (Jennings), who played with Buddy Holly, and Kris (Kristofferson), who sang so many hits," to be inducted, too. (Bernie Taupin also mentioned Jennings during his acceptance speech.)

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Surrounded by his family band and Chris Stapleton, Willie performed "Whiskey River." He let Stapleton do the heavy lifting on the vocals, singing the choruses and picking on his guitar Trigger like a champ. Then Sheryl Crow put in her best Patsy Cline on a duet with Willie on "Crazy."

During her own speech earlier in the evening Crow, who celebrated Willie Nelson's 90th birthday at the Hollywood Bowl earlier this year, said it was an honor to be inducted into the hall with "one of the people I admire most on this planet, Willie Nelson."

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Crow, Stapleton and Matthews all joined Willie and Family for a rollicking rendition of "On the Road Again" that drew a standing ovation that lasted for minutes.

Before Willie took the stage, Matthews sang an acoustic "Funny How Time Slips Away." Then a video tribute, which opened with a clip of Johnny Cash duetting with Willie on "Crazy," traced the Red-Headed Stranger's transition from his buttoned up Nashville years to his musical rebirth as an outlaw in Austin. It included everyone from Ray Charles to Chris Stapleton and Norah Jones singing his praises. It also chronicled Willie's advocacy for family farms and cannabis.

A visibly nervous Matthews, who stumbled through a brief history of career highlights and anecdotes as an introduction to the video, summed up his remarks with a list of troubles that make our modern world feel "upside down."

"It's enough for you to give up on the world," he said. "But it's people like Willie Nelson that made me hopeful for us all. Through his words and through his music. And through the example he sets."

The other artists inducted into the Hall of Fame this year were Kate Bush, Sheryl Crow, Missy Elliott, George Michael, Rage Against the Machine, the Spinners, DJ Kool Herc, Link Wray, Chaka Khan, Al Kooper, Bernie Taupin and Don Cornelius.