Official Party-Starters
The O'Jays
After an interminably long, very un-rock & roll beginning to the ceremony, including dry introductory ramblings by Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner and Atlantic Records chief emeritus Ahmet Ertegun, the show was saved by live music. The first inductees, the O'Jays, ran through a medley of three of their biggest hits (''Backstabbers,'' ''For the Love of Money,'' and ''Love Train'') and finally got the blood flowing and booties shaking. Declared frontman Eddie Levert, ''This is the sh--, y'all!'' No arguments there.