Walk of Fame

Inducted: 2023

Bound by blood and a mutual love of American roots music, The Bacon Brothers, Michael and Kevin Bacon, have spent the past quarter-century in a creative whirl, funneling their shared DNA into a genre-bending sound. They call that sound “forosoco” — a blend of folk, rock, soul, and country influences, delivered by two songwriters who were born to collaborate — and it’s taken the siblings across the world, from shows in Japan to performances at American landmarks like Carnegie Hall and the Grand Ole Opry. They’ve been featured by the BBC, Associated Press, Sirius XM, Paste Magazine and The Huffington Post, have performed at the Washington, D.C. Correspondents Jam, and have hosted the very prestigious charity event Gods Love We Deliver.

The Bacon Brothers turn a new page with their eleventh release, Erato, whose five songs showcase the duo at their diverse peak. It’s an EP of dynamic contrasts: quiet moments and big payoffs, organic instrumentation and electronic textures, self-penned songs and high-profile collaborations. For Michael and Kevin Bacon, it’s also the continuation of a story that began long ago in Philadelphia, where the two siblings were raised on a soundtrack of 1970s singer/songwriters, Philly soul singers, and classic rock bands.

“We’re still exploring the sound we began making 25 years ago; we’ve just gotten a lot better at it,” says Michael, whose success as an Emmy-winning composer mirrors his brother’s own accolades as an A-list Hollywood actor. “Music is a life’s work. It’s a universe of things yet to know. It’s exciting to be doing stuff we couldn’t have done 20 years ago — to know that we’ve come so far, yet still have so much left in the tank.”

“We’re a songwriting band, and the songs lead the way,” Kevin explains. “We’re not beholden to a specific sound. We just write the songs and let them point us in the right direction. That’s how we’ve done it since the very beginning.”

“We’re always trying to break out of our specific habits and try something new,” Kevin says. “We’re two songwriters who have a lot of different influences, and we’ve learned to embrace that reality. As long as it comes from us, it sounds like us.”

“If you’re an athlete or a dancer, you usually have to launch a new career by the time you’re 40,” Michael adds. “We’re lucky. We’re still moving forward and getting better, and that’s where we like to be.”