(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Justin Timberlake sang and strutted his way through his induction into the Memphis Music Hall of Fame on Saturday, doing vocal impersonations of soul singers Al Green and Otis Redding, performing on stage with Sam Moore of Sam & Dave, and joking with buddy Jimmy Fallon.
The pop singer and actor accepted the honour in front of about 2,100 people, who laughed throughout his acceptance speech. With a drink in tow, he told Fallon, who introduced him, that he was not funny. The pair marched together on stage as Timberlake led the audience in the fight song for the Memphis Tigers' football team, which upset Mississippi on Saturday.
Timberlake, a Memphis native, joked with friend DJ Paul of rap group Three 6 Mafia and sang bits of Green's Love and Happiness, Sam & Dave's Hold On, I'm Comin' and Redding's (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay during his speech. He even cursed a few times.
"This is the (expletive) coolest thing that has ever happened to me," said Timberlake, a former 'NSync member and solo artist who has won multiple Emmy and Grammy awards and appeared in several films.
Later, he added: "The Grammys are political. The Emmys are political. Memphis is not political. And don't get me started on Hollywood."
The event honoured musicians and performers with strong connections to Memphis, known as a cradle of blues, soul/R&B and rock n' roll. Also inducted were Sam & Dave, Elvis Presley guitarist Scotty Moore, Booker T. & the MG's drummer Al Jackson Jr., singer Alberta Hunter, blues pianist Memphis Slim and country singer Charlie Rich.
Eighty-year-old Sam Moore, one half of the duo Sam & Dave, performed to close the show. He was joined on stage by Timberlake, who danced during Soul Man and Hold On, I'm Comin'.
"I left my home in Memphis, headed for the lights of L.A.," Timberlake sang, changing some of the lyrics to fit his own success story.
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