Hall Of Fame Taps Rock Stars

For Gladys Knight, being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is the culmination of a dream. For seminal punker John Cale of the Velvet Underground, it means art sometimes transcends profits.

The two stars were honored in the hall’s 11th annual induction ceremony Wednesday night along with the Shirelles, Jefferson Airplane, Pink Floyd, David Bowie, masterful blues balladeer Little Willie John, folk singer Pete Seeger, and the late Tom Donahue, a San Francisco disc jockey.

“From the very beginning, we set goals for ourselves,” said Knight, who was inducted with the Pips. “We wanted a Grammy, we wanted a hit record, we wanted to play the Copa Cabana and we wanted to be in the Hall of Fame one day.”

Cale said the Underground’s induction “makes an astonishing point to young musicians all over the world. Sales are not the be-all and end-all of rock and roll. Inspiration and artistic freedom is the cornerstone of rock and roll.”

Cavett quits talk show

Dick Cavett has opted out of his talk show on cable TV’s CNBC.

Cavett, 59, did not elaborate on his decision against renewing the 6-year-old talk show and made no public statement Wednesday, according to his publicist, Glenn Schwartz.

Cavett, a “Tonight” show writerturned-stand-up comedian, got his first talk show in 1968.