Keith Urban‘s appearance at the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Saturday night (Oct. 19) was a jam session — with a backstory.
Urban was there to honor inductee Peter Frampton, one of several musical luminaries joining the Hall of Fame this year. Urban grabbed his guitar and hopped onstage with Frampton to jam out to “Do You Feel Like We Do,” a mid-1970s hit for the English singer-songwriter that’s been a staple of his live show for decades.
The rock legend’s relationship with Urban spans back decades. The first time they sat down together to write, back in the ’90s, the venue was a far cry from the hallowed stage at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: It was Urban’s dingy early-career Nashville home.
“I was living in an absolutely awful, crap house in a pretty gloomy part of town at the time,” Urban recounted to Billboard surrounding this weekend’s Hall of Fame ceremony.
“And my manager called and said, ‘Hey, do you wanna write with Peter Frampton?’ I’m like, ‘Holy s–t, yeah! Where are we gonna write?'” Urban went on to say. “He goes, ‘He’s gonna come to your house.’ I go, ‘No, no, no. He’s not gonna come to my house.’ But sure enough, he came over to my dwelling and we spent the day just playing music and writing.”
No songs were born out of that day — Urban says he “wasn’t in a good headspace” at the time — but it did serve as a kick-off to a relationship that would stand the test of time, and ultimately lead the two men to share the stage at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
“I was glad we got a good, solid friendship out of it,” Urban sums up.
Read More: Remember When Keith Urban and Peter Frampton Jammed on a Beatles Classic?
Urban and Frampton have turned up together onstage occasionally throughout the years. In 2014, Frampton was a special guest during Urban’s Bridgestone Arena show in Nashville, and the pair played an unforgettable cover rendition of the Beatles’ “Get Back” — a performance that reminded fans everywhere how truly incredible both musicians are as guitarists.
Urban was one of several country stars to appear in tribute to Hall of Fame honorees in 2024. Kenny Chesney and Mac McAnally paid homage to Jimmy Buffett, who posthumously received the Musical Excellence Award at the show.
Jelly Roll also made an appearance, singing Ozzy Osbourne’s “Mama, I’m Coming Home” in a performance backed by legendary rock and metal musicians.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony streamed on Disney+ and is available to watch next-day on Hulu. The show will air as an induction ceremony special on ABC at a later date.
15 Country Artists Who Deserve to Be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
With Dolly Parton’s 2022 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame — and, even more recently, Willie Nelson’s nomination for the 2023 class — it’s clearer than ever that country artists have a place in the Cleveland-based institution’s hallowed halls. But the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has always shown love to country performers, to a certain extent: Johnny Cash, Chet Akins, Brenda Lee, the Everly Brothers and Hank Williams are all past inductees.
Based on the criteria the Hall has set forth, that nominees should be acts who have had “a profound impact on youth culture,” there are still many more country artists who deserve their spot in the Hall. Flip through the gallery below to see Taste of Country’s top picks for who the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame should induct next.