On this evening’s American Idol, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced the Class of 2026, and if you are wondering why they would announce it during American Idol, so are we.

Nevertheless, this is where the announcement came from, and let’s look at who comprises the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2026.

Inducted are:

Phil Collins:  Eligible since 2007, inducted on his first time on the ballot.  Already inducted as a member of Genesis, Collins enjoyed huge success as a solo artist with hits like “In the Air Tonight”, “I Missed Again”, “You Can’t Hurry Love”, “Against All Odds”, “Sussudio”, “Take Me Home”, and “A Groovy Kind of Love”.  Whether he was singing rock, pop, or blue-eyed soul, Collins was a permanent fixture on the music scene throughout the 1980s.  Collins has not been in the greatest health as of late, and it is good to see him earn this accolade.

Billy Idol:  Eligible since 2007, inducted on his second time on the ballot (was nominated in 2025).  Idol brought pop-punk to the forefront with songs like “White Wedding”, “Rebel Yell”, “Flesh for Fantasy”, and “Eyes Without a Face”.  While his career cooled off in the early 90s, his hits remained eternal.  Idol will be joined by his longtime guitarist, Steve Stevens, as an inductee.

Iron Maiden: Eligible since 2005, inducted on their third time on the ballot (was nominated in 2021 & 2023).  This was a long time coming for the heavy metal gods, but generally, they represent a genre that the Rock Hall generally looks down on.  The inducted members are Clive Burr, Paul Di’Anno, Bruce Dickinson, Janick Gers, Steve Harris, Nicko McBrain, Dave Murray, Adrian Smith, Dennis Stratton & Blaze Bayley.   Wait, Eddie wasn’t inducted?

Joy Division/New Order: Eligible since 2004, inducted on their third time on the ballot (was nominated in 2021 & 2023).  When Joy Division’s lead singer, Ian Curtis, passed away, the rest of the band formed New Order, who leaned further into synth.  Arguably, either incarnation could get in on the strength of “Love Will Tear Us Apart” and “Blue Monday” alone, and this is another case of why it took so long for them to get in.  The inducted members are Ian Curtis, Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook, Stephen Morris & Gillian Gilbert.

Oasis: Eligible since 2020, inducted on their third time on the ballot (was nominated in 2024 & 2025).  While Oasis did not have to wait as long as many of the other acts that entered, the leaders of the Brit-Pop movement had a case for immediate induction.  With international hits like “Supersonic”, “Champagne Supernova”, “Wonderwall”, and “Don’t Look Back”, Oasis at one time was the biggest band in the world.  The inducted members are Gem Archer, Paul Arthurs, Andy Bell, Liam Gallagher, Noel Gallagher & Tony McCarroll.

Sade: Eligible since 2010, inducted on her second time on the ballot (was nominated in 2024).  Sade put out some of the most beautiful Neo-soul music of the 1980s, but bluntly, we are surprised that she was the only female act on the ballot to be voted in.  Her signature hits, “Smooth Operator”, “The Sweetest Taboo”, “Paradise”, and “No Ordinary Love” were hits on multiple charts.  Paul Denman, Andrew Hale & Stuart Matthewman were also inducted.

Luther Vandross: Eligible since 2007, inducted on his first time on the ballot.  Vandross was the king of the Quiet Storm era, and his voice provided the backdrop for many sensual moments.  He had seven number ones in the R&B Chart (“Never Too Much”, “Stop to Love”, “There’s Nothing Better Than Love”, “Any Love”, “Here and Now”, “Power of Love/Love Power”, “The Best Things in Life Are Free”, and he was easily one of the most successful R&B acts of the 1980s and early 90’s.  Sadly, he passed away in 2005.

Wu-Tang Clan: Eligible since 2018, inducted on their first time on the ballot.  Like Oasis, this should have been a first-year inductee.  The Wu-Tang Clan is credited with reviving the East Coast hip-hop scene and is considered by many to be the greatest collective of hip-hop talent ever assembled.  Arguably, their debut album, “Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)” is one of the most important albums ever released.  Inducted are RZA, GZA, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa & Cappadonna.

The acts on the ballot that did not get in were:

The Black Crowes: Eligible since 2016, were also on the ballot in 2025.

Jeff Buckley: Eligible since 2019.

Mariah Carey: Eligible since 2016, was also on the ballot in 2024 & 2025.

Melissa Etheridge: Eligible since 2014.

Lauryn Hill: Eligible since 2023.

INXS: Eligible since 2006.

New Edition: Eligible since 2009.

Pink: Eligible since 2025.

Shakira: Eligible since 2016.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame also inducted four new members in the Early Influence Category with Celia Cruz, Fela Kuti, Queen Latifah, MC Lyte and Gram Parsons.  Kuti and Parsons are previous nominees.

The Hall also awarded Linda Creed, Arif Mardin, Jimmy Miller and Rick Rubin with the Musical Excellence Award.

Legendary talk show host Ed Sullivan enters the hall via the annual Ahmet Ertegun Award.

In June, we will revise the Notinhalloffame Rock and Roll list to reflect your votes, comments, and add in the acts who are eligible in 2027.

We here at Notinhalloffame would like to congratulate the incoming members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2026.

At 6:00 AM this morning (why do they always do it this way?), the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame dropped their nominees for the Class of 2026.  As always, they did so with less than 24 hours’ notice (again, why do they always do it this way?), but nevertheless, chaos, in all forms of Hall of Fame-based institutions, is what we do here.

This year’s 17 acts span musical genres and generations.

The nominees are:

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

We will be discussing these nominees in greater detail on our network of shows.

We here at Notinhalloffame would like to congratulate the musicians nominated.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has announced their 2024 Nominees, which if we had a million tries, we never would have guessed this group.  It is completely different than what we have seen in the past, and (taking this from a personal point of view as the Chairman of the Site) I don’t know whether this makes me happy or not.  There is a plethora of first-time nominees, many of whom have never been nominated, and it is nice to see different acts get a shot, but with this group, we have no artist whose peak began before the 70s that are here.  Is that window closed?  There are also no punk acts, and I can’t remember the last time that happened.

Also, is this a reaction to Jann Wenner’s New York Times comments that got him excommunicated from his own creation.

As Arsenio used to say, “Things that make you go…Hmmmm”

Let’s look at the 15 nominees.

A Tribe Called Quest:  Eligible since 2015, this might be the most predictable nominee as they were nominated the previous two years. 

Cher:  A few months ago, Cher was on the Kelly Clarkson Show ripping on the Rock Hall and stating that she would never accept induction.  So, what do they do?  They nominate her for the first time after being eligible since 1991.  Bluntly, what is more Rock and Roll than telling them off?

Dave Matthews Band:  The beloved jam band received their second nomination, with their first coming in 2020.

Eric B. & Rakim:  Somehow, this nomination was already leaked, which is the first to my recollection.  The hip hop duo has been eligible since 2012, the same year they received their first nomination.

Foreigner:  Arena Rock bands have a hard time gaining a nomination, but often when they get one, they get inducted.  This is their first nomination after being eligible since 2003.

Janes Addiction:  Receiving their second nomination (their first was in 2017), the body of work is not huge, but the legacy is. 

Kool and the Gang:  Finally!  It took 29 years for the group to get its first nomination, but sadly there are few of them left. 

Lenny Kravitz:  Kravitz is also another first-time nominee, and has been eligible since 2015.  He has a tough road ahead in this group.

Mariah Carey:  Does Whitney’s induction pave the way for Mariah?  It should, and if we look at commercial success, there is no better candidate than this.  Eligible since 2016, this is her first nomination.

Mary J. Blige:  Blige is now a two-time nominee (her first was 2021), but like the last time, she faces a very tough ballot for her.

Oasis:  The kings of Brit-Pop are finally here, and arguably they should have been on their first year of eligibility in 2020.  The Gallaghers giving a speech together?  As unlikely as that is, it would be money.

Ozzy Osbourne:  Already in with Black Sabbath, Ozzy receives his first solo nomination.  He has been eligible since 2006.

Peter Frampton:  Best known for his album, “Frampton Comes Alive”, Frampton receives his first nomination after 24 years of eligibility.

Sade:  Another first-time nominee, Sade has been eligible since 2010, but this is a very hard ballot for her with the high amount of women on the ballot, who all arguably have higher profiles.

Sinead O’Connor:  O’Connor passed away last year and was never nominated when she was alive.  Her first year of eligibility was 2013.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate the artists who have made it as Finalists for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The Hall of Fame season continues in full gear as the Songwriters Hall of Fame has announced their seven member Class of 2023.

Here are the inductees:

Glen Ballard:  Ballard is best known for his collaboration with Alanis Morissette, and he co-wrote all the hits from her monster 1994 album, “Jagged Little Pill”.  He also wrote Michael Jackson’s hit, “Man in the Mirror”, “The Space Between” (Dave Matthews) and “Hold On” (Wilson Phillips).

Gloria Estefan:  Estefan penned many of her hits, including “Don’t Wanna Lose You”, “Rhythm Is Gonna Get You” and “Let’s Get Loud”.

Jeff Lynne:  Lynne was the mastermind behind E.L.O., the band that generated hit songs like 

Teddy Riley:  Riley wrote many New Jack Swing standards, such as “My Prerogative” (Bobby Brown) and “Make It Last Forever” (Keith Sweat),

Liz Rose:  Rose is best known for collaborating with Taylor Swift early in her career.

Sade:  Sade wrote her biggest hits, including “Smooth Operator”, “No Ordinary Love” and “The Sweetest Taboo”.

Snoop Dogg:  Snoop is one of the most successful and well-known hip-hop artists of all-time, with his hits, “Drop It Like It’s Hot”, “Nuthin’ But A Thang”, “Gin & Juice” and “Next Episode”. 

Additional special awards honorees will be announced at a later date.

Those who were nominated but were not chosen were:

Bryan Adams

Lynn Ahrens/Stephen Flaherty

Blondie (Clem Burke, Debbie Harry & Chris Stein)

Dean Dillon

The Doobie Brothers (Tom Johnston, Michael McDonald & Patrick Simmons)

Vince Gill

Franne Golde

Bobby Hart/Tommy Boyce

Heart (Ann Wilson & Nancy Wilson)

Sandy Linzer/Denny Randell

Roger Nichols

Dan Penn/Spooner Oldham

Dean Pitchford

Patti Smith

Tom Snow

Steve Winwood

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate the impending members of the Songwriters Hall of Fame.