Recommendations of the Editorial team
The nominations for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2026 stand firm. The list includes Phil Collins, Lauryn Hill, Mariah Carey, Oasis, Pink, the Black Crowes, Jeff Buckley, Melissa Etheridge, Billy Idol, INXS, Iron Maiden, Joy Division/New Order, New Edition, Sade, Shakira, Luther Vandross and Wu-Tang Clan.
Those inducted will be announced in April. Along with the artists receiving the Musical Influence Award, Musical Excellence Award and Ahmet Ertegun Non-Performer Award. The annual ceremony takes place in the fall.
“This diverse list of talented nominees honors the ever-changing faces and sounds of rock & roll and its enduring influence on youth culture,” said John Sykes, chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation. “Induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is music’s highest honor. We look forward to celebrating the Class of 2026 this fall.”
Announced in April
To qualify for this year’s voting, each nominee’s first single or album had to have been released in 2001 or earlier. Ten of the 17 nominees (Buckley, Collins, Etheridge, Hill, INXS, New Edition, Pink, Shakira, Vandross, Wu-Tang Clan) are on the ballot for the first time. They were all eligible for election in previous years.
Repeated nominations and criticism
It is the third nomination for Carey, Iron Maiden and Joy Division/New Order and the second for the Black Crowes, Oasis, Sade and Idol.
If Iron Maiden are included, there’s a pretty good chance they won’t show up. “I honestly think the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is an utter and complete pile of nonsense,” Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson said in 2018. “It’s run by a bunch of self-righteous fucking Americans. The ones who wouldn’t recognize rock ‘n’ roll even if it slapped them in the face. They should stop taking Prozac. And start drinking fucking beer.”
Clear words from Oasis
Oasis’ Liam Gallagher has expressed similar views. “As much as I love Mariah Carey and all that, I want to say something. Do me a favor and fuck off,” he told The Sunday Times in 2024. “It’s like putting me in the Rap Hall of Fame. I don’t want to be part of something that’s mentally disturbed. Plus, I’ve done more for rock ‘n’ roll than half of those clowns on the board. So it’s all a bunch of nonsense.”
But when a fan asked him on (If he makes this move, he will join a long line of acts — including Cher, Rush and Def Leppard — who significantly changed their minds about the Hall of Fame after they were actually inducted.)
Possible special appearances
The induction ceremony would be an opportunity for Collins to perform live. Also for the Black Crowes to share the stage with estranged drummer Steve Gorman. And for Joy Division/New Order, performing with ex-bassist Peter Hook for the first time since his departure in 2007.
“It’s going to be a tough awards show when we get there, but like my wife said, we have to look past these things. Be nice and polite and assume the best,” Hook told Billboard in 2023. “Perhaps this is the olive branch we need to end the injustices that ultimately happened to New Order. It’s a very strange situation. But we’re not the first group to have ostracized each other, and we won’t be the last.”
