- Kate Bush (b. July 30, 1958) is a singer and songwriter.
- She topped the UK Singles chart in 1978 with “Wuthering Heights,” and had a string of hits in the 1980s.
- Kate experienced a resurgence in 2022 when Stranger Things used her song, “Running Up That Hill.”
- In 2023, she was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
After experiencing a popularity resurgence the likes that have never seen, Kate Bush can now call herself a Hall of Famer. On May 3, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced the class of 2023, which included Kate, Sheryl Crow, Missy Elliott, George Michael, Willie Nelson, The Spinners, and Rage Against The Machine. Hip-hop pioneer DJ Kool Herc and guitar god Link Wray were given the Musical Influence Award. The year’s Musical Excellence Award went to Chaka Khan, songwriter Al Kooper, and Elton John‘s long-term collaborator, Bernie Taupin. Soul Train‘s Don Cornelius was named the recipient of the Ahmet Ertegun Award.
“This year’s incredible group of Inductees reflects the diverse artists and sounds that define rock and roll,” said John Sykes, Chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation. “We are honored that this November’s Induction Ceremony in New York will coincide with two milestones in music culture; the 90th birthday of Willie Nelson and the 50th Anniversary of the birth of Hip Hop.”
Kate Bush was previously nominated in 2018, 2021, and 2022. This induction follows a return to the mainstream, thanks to Stranger Things 4. Kate’s “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” is featured heavily in the fourth season, and it definitely got stuck in a few people’s heads. The 1985 single climbed to the number one slot on the iTunes charts and topped the charts again in her native U.K. In the U.S. the song reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. The popularity was due to so many fans either finding it for the first time or re-discovering the classic.
Ahead of the ceremony — taking place on Nov. 3, 2023, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY — find out everything you need to know about her here!
Kate Dropped Her Debut Album In 1978.
While “Running Up That Hill” didn’t come out until 1985, Kate started her career much earlier! When Kate was a teen, her family helped her produce a demo, which got into the hands of Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour, who helped her get a record deal. “He was really responsible for me getting my recording contract with EMI in the first place,” Kate said in the past, via Far Out Magazine. Kate made her debut in 1978 with The Kick Inside, which included the classic “Wuthering Heights,” and she quickly followed it up with Lionheart, later that same year.
Now over 40 years later, Kate has 10 albums under her belt, with her most recent being 2011’s 50 Words For Snow. Similar to her debut, her most recent two albums were both released in 2011, with her dropping Director’s Cut earlier in the year.
She’s Performed With Fellow Music Legends.
While Kate famously began her career with David Gilmour, she’s had plenty of other classic rock icons that she’s gotten a chance to play with. Her 1993 album The Red Shoes featured contributions from rock royalty like Prince, Jeff Beck, and Eric Clapton. Elton John also provided guest vocals for 2011’s “Snowed In At Wheeler Street.” Of course, David has also lent his guitar skills for her 1989 songs “Love and Anger” and “Rocket’s Tail.”
Her Husband Plays Guitar With Her.
In 1992, Kate married Dan McIntosh, and it’s clear the two have a creative bond as well as a romantic one. Dan made his earliest contributions to Kate’s 1993 album The Red Shoes, and he’s played guitar on each of Kate’s albums since then. He was also a member of the 70s group Bandit.
“Running Up That Hill” Was On The Billboard Charts For 20 Weeks In 1985.
While “Running Up That Hill” has found a new audience and a resurgence in popularity due to Stranger Things, it was also a massive hit when it was first released. The song peaked at number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts in 1985. It stayed on the charts from early September of that year, until the end of November. The song was also Kate’s highest-charting track on the Hot 100 charts.
She Took A 35-Year Hiatus From Touring.
While it’s commonplace for artists to hit the road after each album release, Kate has notoriously avoided live performances for much of her career. After her first two albums came out in 1978, she embarked on a series of dates throughout Europe called “The Tour of Life” in 1979. After that, she stopped touring for a very long time, aside from occasional one-off appearances. She returned to the stage once more in 2014 for a residency at London’s Hammersmith Apollo, called “Before The Dawn.” She opened up about what it was like to get back out there in a 2016 interview with The Independent. “I was very nervous about going onstage and performing. But the response was just beyond anything I could have wished for, every night, the audiences were so excited and so responsive,” she said.
Other than being “nervous” for her comeback performance, Kate also explained that she had planned to tour more, but became much more involved in the visual aspects of a record. “The plan at the time was that I was going to do another two albums’ worth of fresh material, and then do another show. But of course, by the time I got to the end of what was The Dreaming album, it had gone off on a slight tilt, because I’d become so much more involved in the recording process,” she told The Independent. “So I started to veer away from the thing of being a live performing artist, to one of being a recording artist with attached visuals.”