The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has announced 17 nominees for its class of 2026, with one of its most widely genre-spanning lists of contenders ever:
The Black Crowes
Jeff Buckley
Mariah Carey
Phil Collins
Melissa Etheridge
Lauryn Hill
Billy Idol
INXS
Iron Maiden
Joy Division/New Order
New Edition
Oasis
Pink
Sade
Shakira
Luther Vandross
Wu-Tang Clan
The 10 nominees appearing on the ballot for the first time are Jeff Buckley, Phil Collins, Melissa Etheridge, Lauryn Hill, INXS, New Edition, Pink, Shakira, Luther Vandross and Wu-Tang Clan.
The seven returning to the ballot after previous tries at getting elected are the Black Crowes, Mariah Carey, Billy Idol, Iron Maiden, Joy Division/New Order, Oasis and Sade.
Of those, five were on the ballot just last year and make an instant return: the Black Crowes, Carey, Idol, Joy Division/New Order and Oasis. The singer for the latter band, Liam Gallagher, disavowed the Rock Hall at the time, but the nominating committee did not hold that against him this year.
The vote will take place over the next two months, with those selected by voters revealed in April. At that time, further Inductees will also be named who are entering the Hall under three special committee categories: Musical Influence, Musical Excellence and the Ahmet Ertegun Non Performer Award.
More to come…