Bad Company, one of rock’s supergroups, pushes the doors open at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

By MARK KENNEDY
Updated 7:25 AM PST, November 5, 2025

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**NEW YORK (AP)** — Bad Company singer-songwriter Paul Rodgers treasures one of his last phone calls with guitarist Mick Ralphs. It was to deliver the news that, at long last, they’d been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

“I said to him, ‘Do you remember when we were looking for a band name and we called each other with silly names?’ And then I just called him up one day and I said, ’Bad Company’ and he dropped the phone and he said, ‘Oh yeah, that’s it. That’s the name,’” says Rodgers.

“I said, ‘From then, it’s a long way, but it seems like we just blinked our eyes a couple of times and here we are at the Hall of Fame.’ So at least I was able to tell him that.”

Ralphs died in June, just weeks after learning the induction news. Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke are the last surviving original members of the British supergroup that crafted such arena-rock staples as “Feel Like Makin’ Love,” “Can’t Get Enough” and “Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy.”

They will be part of the celebrations Saturday at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, which will stream live on Disney+. ABC will air a prime-time special on January 1, with availability on Hulu the next day.

“The fans have just been so great throughout the years. We feel like we’re celebrated, but it’s just not been stamped officially. That’s the only difference,” says Rodgers.

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### Who Else Made It?

Bad Company will join rock legend Chubby Checker, late soul singer Joe Cocker, pop icon Cyndi Lauper, hip-hop pioneers Outkast, rock duo The White Stripes, and grunge masters Soundgarden in the class of 2025.

The late record producer Thom Bell, pianist Nicky Hopkins, and bassist Carol Kaye will each receive the Musical Excellence Award.

Attending stars will include Beck, Brandi Carlile, David Letterman, Flea, Iggy Pop, J. I. D, Killer Mike, Maxwell, Sleepy Brown, Taylor Momsen, Teddy Swims, Avril Lavigne, Bryan Adams, Donald Glover, En Vogue, Feist, Janelle Monáe, Jim Carrey, Joe Perry, Mick Fleetwood, Mike McCready, Nancy Wilson, and Nathaniel Rateliff.

Rodgers announced this month that he would beg off performing at the Rock Hall “to prioritize my health,” but said Kirke will be there along with “some outstanding musicians.”

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### Gritty, Bluesy Rock

Formed in 1973 in London, Bad Company brought together Rodgers and Kirke from the band Free, Ralphs from Mott the Hoople, and bassist Boz Burrell fresh out of King Crimson. The group was managed by the legendary Peter Grant and signed to Led Zeppelin’s Swan Song label.

“We had everything we needed,” says Rodgers. “You can’t really have a better start than that for a fledgling band. We had the music. We had Atlantic Records behind us. It was a magic roller coaster ride, actually.”

Kirke added that Bad Company appeared on a music scene dominated by glam and glitter acts like David Bowie, Queen, T. Rex, and Gary Glitter and instead went back to basics.

“When we got together, I think the communal goal was we just wanted to do something that was stripped-down, right to the point, gritty and a little cheeky, a bit of fun,” he says.

Right out of the gate, the band had killer songs ready. Ralphs brought “Can’t Get Enough,” “Movin’ On,” and “Ready for Love.” Rodgers had “Rock Steady,” and with Ralphs, “Seagull.” Rodgers and Kirke co-wrote the song “Bad Company,” with the lyrics “Bad company/’Til the day I die.”

The band’s self-titled 1974 debut album hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and went five-times platinum. The band made six albums before disbanding following 1982’s *Rough Diamonds*. Bad Company later reformed with lineup changes and reunion tours. Original bassist Burrell died of cancer in 2006.

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### Legacy and Influence

Kirke says Bad Company influenced many bands that followed, such as Foreigner, Iron Maiden, and Def Leppard. However, he notes that Bad Company was influenced in turn by the Beatles and soul and blues artists.

“We just passed it on,” he says.

For the Hall of Fame tribute, Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott and Phil Collen deliver a rendition of “Seagull,” Rodgers teams up with Halestorm for “Shooting Star,” The Struts perform “Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy,” Slash and Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators cover “Feel Like Makin’ Love,” and members of Blackberry Smoke tackle “Run with the Pack.”

“What it’s really about is one generation inspiring the next generation and that’s really what Otis Redding did for me,” says Rodgers, honored to join Redding in the Hall of Fame.

“Music was my calling not to receive accolades but to express myself, my thoughts and my opinions about love and life through song and hopefully send out a positive vibration from my heart to others.”

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**MARK KENNEDY**
Kennedy is a theater, TV, music, food, and obituary writer and editor for The Associated Press, as well as a critic for theater, movies, and music. He is based in New York City.

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