OMG! Is that Iron Maiden, Oasis, and Joy Division/New Order in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? YES!
It’s a rite of spring: Debates and complaints about which artists make it into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Usually, there’s a lot of outrage over what the Committee decides. This year, not so much.
I didn’t have high hopes for the class of 2026, especially when New Edition(!!!) was not only nominated but won the fan vote. Turns out that I was worried for nothing.
The Class of 2026 is:
- Iron Maiden (ABOUT BLOODY TIME! Here’s their statement.)
- Joy Division/New Order (THEY GOT IT RIGHT! Peter Hook had something to say.)
- Oasis (Yay! And despite what they may have said about The Hall, the Gallaghers seem chuffed.)
- Wu-Tang Clan (Fantastic, in my view)
- Phil Collins (Great call)
- Billy Idol (Ditto. He says he’s “knocked out.”)
- Sade (Uh…)
- Luther Vandross (Fine. Whatever. They got more right than wrong this year.
There are some other categories, too, including something called Early Influence:
- Celia Cruz (From Cuba; one of the most popular Latin performers of the 20th century)
- Fela Kuti (African legend!)
- Queen Latifah (Early influence? Damn, the woman is only 56 and continues to kill it.)
- MC Lyte (Fun fact: The first female rapper to release a full solo album back in 1988)
- Gram Parsons (Member of The Byrds and pioneer in the country rock, alt-folk, and Americana scene.)
Then there’s the Musical Excellence category. This is for non-performing artists.
- Linda Creed (Revered soul performer; producer, songwriter, lyricist, and backup singer)
- Arif Mardin (Turkish producer and a major part of Atlantic Records for decades)
- Jimmy Miller (Legendary record producer who worked with The Rolling Stones during their greatest years)
- Rick Rubin (Well, we know Rick, right?
And finally, the Ahmet Ertegun Award, which is like the Builder’s Category with the Hockey Hall of Fame
- Ed Sullivan (Absolutely no argument)
I’m pleased with all this. You?
