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ELO was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2017, but drummer and co-founder Bev Bevan missed the ceremony because he was already committed to a sold-out UK tour with comedian Jasper Carrott. Bevan said he would have welcomed seeing Jeff Lynne and the other former bandmates again. That statement explains his absence and his expressed wish to meet them; it does not, by itself, settle what lay behind the reported rift with Lynne.
What Bevan said about missing ELO’s induction
In a statement reproduced by Scott Munro in Louder on March 28, 2017, Bevan said he could not attend because he was touring in the UK with Jasper Carrott. The dates had been sold out for some time, and the induction announcement arrived too late for him to change them.
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Bevan added that meeting Roy Wood, Lynne and Richard Tandy again “would have been fantastic.” It is a clear expression of what he would have liked to do, but it should not be stretched into proof that the former bandmates had reconciled—or that they were estranged at that point.
Who was inducted, and who performed?
The Hall’s official ELO inductee profile names Bev Bevan, Jeff Lynne, Richard Tandy and Roy Wood. ELO entered the Hall in the Performer category in 2017, with Dhani Harrison presenting the induction, according to the official class page.
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Formal induction and participation in the ceremony performance were not the same thing. ELO performed “Roll Over Beethoven,” “Evil Woman” and “Mr. Blue Sky” on April 7, 2017, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Bevan was honored as an inductee, but was not onstage with Lynne’s touring lineup; the performance archive is documented by the specialist Jeff Lynne Song Database.
What the record establishes about Bevan and Lynne
The Rolling Stone interview named in the headline is Andy Greene’s December 23, 2016, conversation with Bevan. Its text is not available in the materials supporting this account, so its wording and specific claims about the reported rift cannot be verified here. The title alone is not enough to establish what Bevan said, when any disagreement began, or what either man’s motives were.
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The reliable distinction is between the reported subject of the interview and the statements that can be checked. Bevan’s March 2017 comment about hoping to see Lynne again is documented; it does not independently explain the history of their relationship. Readers should treat any fuller account of the rift as unconfirmed unless it is grounded in the interview itself or another attributable statement from Bevan or Lynne.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why Bevan wanted broader recognition for ELO members
In the same 2017 statement, Bevan called for recognition of other musicians who contributed to ELO’s sound, naming Mik Kaminski, Hugh McDowell, Melvyn Gale and the late Kelly Groucutt. That was Bevan’s view about who deserved recognition; it should not be confused with a claim about the Hall’s eligibility rules or how it selected the named inductees.
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ELO formed in Birmingham in 1970, with Lynne, Wood and Bevan among its founders, according to the Associated Press’s 2025 account of the band’s background. The Hall’s own induction essay characterizes ELO’s approach as combining melodic pop songwriting with symphonic instruments and grand orchestration. That is the institution’s description of the group’s sound.
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