Rock Hall class revealed
Billboard published the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2026 today, announcing this year’s inductees to the organization’s lineup. The same Billboard package runs a follow-up interview with at least one inductee reflecting on the honor. (billboard.com)
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026 includes Oasis, Wu-Tang Clan, Phil Collins and Iron Maiden, with the inductees announced April 13 on *American Idol*. (billboard.com) Eight artists made it in as performers: Phil Collins, Billy Idol, Iron Maiden, Joy Division/New Order, Oasis, Sade, Luther Vandross and Wu-Tang Clan. The Hall also named five early influence honorees, four musical excellence honorees and one Ahmet Ertegun Award recipient. (rockhall.com) The early influence award went to Celia Cruz, Fela Kuti, Queen Latifah, MC Lyte and Gram Parsons. Musical excellence honorees are Linda Creed, Arif Mardin, Jimmy Miller and Rick Rubin, and Ed Sullivan will receive the Ahmet Ertegun Award. (rockhall.com) The 2026 induction ceremony is set for November 14 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. An edited broadcast will air in December on American Broadcasting Company and Disney+, and the ceremony is scheduled to return to Cleveland in 2027. (prnewswire.com) This year’s class came from a nominee list released on February 25 that included 17 acts, 10 of them first-time nominees. The final performer slate mixes arena rock, British alternative rock, rhythm and blues, hip-hop and post-punk, which matches the Hall’s broad definition of “rock and roll.” (billboard.com) The announcement also extends a recent pattern of using network television to reveal the class. Billboard reported that the 2026 inductees were unveiled on *American Idol* again this year. (billboard.com) Reaction came quickly from inductees and their camps. Liam Gallagher posted, “anything is possible if you have a dream,” then joked that his mother told him to “go to the awards and behave,” after years of dismissing the Hall. (billboard.com) Billy Idol told Billboard the honor landed differently on his second nomination. “I can’t put it into words,” he said after learning he was part of the 2026 class. (billboard.com) The full class totals 18 honorees across all categories, and the performer list alone includes several acts that fans and critics had argued were overdue. The next public marker is November 14, when the Hall turns this year’s ballot into a stage show in Los Angeles. (wkyc.com)
