When Bob Ezrin was announced as this year's inductee to the Music Hall of Fame you may not have recognized his name, but his music would have struck a very familiar note.

That's because he's been the producer behind some of the greatest rock artists of the past 40 years including Alice Cooper, Kiss, Aerosmith, Peter Gabriel and Pink Floyd.

And while some music fans were surprised to learn that Ezrin was Canadian, he says he's long since come to terms with being mistaken for an American.

"I took for granted that the Canadians didn't really think I was Canadian because I've never been nominated for a Juno," Ezrin told the Canadian Press.

"When they said the Canadians wanted to honour me that was even bigger than being honoured by my adopted country, the United States. It really means a lot to me to know that even after 20 years there are people who value the work that I did and the contribution that I made to the industry."

During his long career, the Connecticut resident has put in a lot of studio time, but he doesn't regret one moment.

"I'm so lucky to be doing this for a living. You know, I can't consider it work. I consider it play," he told CTV's Canada AM.

"I am in a way, you know, at play in the fields of the Lord, these are my fields of the Lord, and I get to play in them every day."

Ezrin began his career at Toronto's Nimbus 9 Productions in 1970, working for producer Jack Richardson. A year later he produced Alice Cooper's Love It To Death.

"Bob Ezrin invented Alice Cooper," said the rocker, who was on hand to see Ezrin honoured at Saturday night's insiders-only Junos gala.

"He took a pretty good psychedelic band and invented the Alice sound, and he's been paying for it ever since."

Over the next 30 years, Ezrin added producing gigs with Lou Reed, Roberta Flack, Murray McLauchlan, Lee Aaron and Rod Stewart to his growing resume.

And last year, he was behind the board when Jane's Addiction recorded their first new album in more than 10 years.

But this producer doesn't just work with rock stars. After a chance meeting, he's become an enthusiastic supporter of the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences Music Education Program, sharing his expertise with high school students.

"I was here (Lawrence Park High School) for one of my godson's graduations, the commencement last fall, and they played a couple of numbers and just blew me away."

For the students, Ezrin's rock legacy and dedication to their band has more than rocked their world.

"He has just done so many incredible things, some of my favourite bands, so to have him come in here and to work with us is incredible," one student told CTV News. "I can't even believe it, it's like a dream."

Despite everything that Ezrin has contributed, and continues to give to music, when he was offered the Hall of Fame honour he honestly felt he wasn't worthy and only agreed to accept it on one condition.

"I accepted it on the condition that I was allowed to earn it so I would use this moment in my life as a platform for promoting education in Canadian schools," he told Canada AM's Seamus O'Regan.

"I think the three Rs are great. These are the tools we give, the hammers, the saw, the rulers, but once they get out of there they need to have the imagination, the passion, the focus, the dedication and the discipline to be able to use those tools so that they can grow up to support us in our old age.

"When you look at these kids from Lawrence Park and the focus they have when they play these instruments, and you know that when they go home in the afternoon, they practice and work on the thing that they're most passionate about. They're not sitting in front of a TV. They're not out getting into trouble. They're not smoking dope. They are focussed on creating something. Isn't that the kind of kid we want to have grow up and run this country?

When asked to choose a highlight from his career Ezrin says, "the highlight is being allowed to play for a living. You know, we don't go to work music. We go to play music. We're so lucky."

When asked what he thinks about the Canadian music scene today, Ezrin says Canada is incredibly "alive on a creative level."

"Canada took an Academy Award, Canada is winning Grammies like crazy. I think we have a disproportionate number of creative and talented people and because we have a small market, it is our need to export what we have. So we have a huge influence on the rest of the world."

Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Domenic Troiano, Geddy Lee, Lou Reed and Peter Gabriel are among a number of artists who recorded video messages congratulating Ezrin.

The Canadian Music Hall of Fame was established in 1978. Its members include Glenn Gould, Joni Mitchell, Anne Murray, Oscar Peterson and the Band.