They ruled the 鈥�80s pop charts, and now they鈥檙e being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Phil Collins and Luther Vandross have been eligible for the Rock Hall for 20 years, and Sade for almost as long. They鈥檙e all in the class of 2026 alongside British post-punk legends Joy Division and their sequel/spin-off group, New Order. The list was announced Monday during 鈥淎merican Idol.鈥�
Several British acts made the cut this year, including Iron Maiden and Billy Idol - both active since the 1970s. Rounding out this year鈥檚 class are Oasis, in the midst of a long-anticipated reunion, and Wu-Tang Clan, the hip-hop collective that鈥檚 been the subject of several documentaries in the past decade.
This year's other nominees will have to wait until next year: the Black Crowes, Jeff Buckley, Mariah Carey, Melissa Etheridge, Lauryn Hill, INXS, P!NK and Shakira.
Acts can be nominated 25 years after the release of their first record and are chosen by a panel of 1,200 musicians and industry experts. An online fan vote closed April 3 and received a total of 9.4 million votes. Collins ranked second, behind '80s R&B group New Edition, who just finished a winter tour but will not be inducted. A similar situation occurred in 2025, as Bad Company finished second and entered the Hall, while Phish topped the poll and did not.
Additional categories
Monday鈥檚 announcement was accompanied by 10 people chosen in the non-performing, influence and behind-the-scenes categories.
For 23 years, Ed Sullivan鈥檚 Sunday night variety show hosted everyone from the Beatles to Stevie Wonder to Elvis Presley to the Supremes. All of those acts are in the Rock Hall, and this year, Sullivan will receive the Ahmet Ertegun Award.
He鈥檚 joined, in the Musical Excellence category, by four of the most successful record producers of the 1970s and 鈥�80s. Linda Creed died in 1986, but not before creating a string of memorable Philly Soul and R&B classics such as 鈥淭he Greatest Love of All.鈥� Arif Mardin spent 30 years at Atlantic Records, producing or arranging hits for the Bee Gees, Roberta Flack, Hall & Oates and numerous others. Jimmy Miller produced a string of classic albums for the Rolling Stones, including 鈥淓xile On Main Street,鈥� and Traffic. Rick Rubin, co-founder of Def Jam Recordings, played a key role in launching the careers of the Beastie Boys, LL Cool J and Run-DMC. He also produced Johnny Cash鈥檚 鈥淎merican Recordings鈥� series in the 1990s.
Early influence
The five acts in the Early Influence category embody what the museum鈥檚 CEO, Greg Harris, has called 鈥渢he collision of rhythm & blues, country and gospel.鈥� Gram Parsons injected country into the music of the Byrds and the Rolling Stones before his death in 1973. Nigerian activist Fela Kuti combined funk, jazz and Caribbean music to create Afrobeat. Celia Cruz, the Cuban 鈥淨ueen of Salsa,鈥� was ranked as one of the 20 greatest singers of all time by Rolling Stone magazine, and was honored in 2024 by appearing on a U.S. quarter. Hip-hop pioneers MC Lyte and Queen Latifah, both still active and recording, round out this year鈥檚 class.
Change of venues
Last fall, Axios reported that the 2026 ceremony would be in Cleveland as the museum completed a $135 million expansion. Instead, this year鈥檚 ceremony takes place Nov. 14 in Los Angeles. Since 2023, it has streamed live on Disney Plus. This year, the ceremony will be pre-taped and debut on the streaming service in December. Rock Hall officials have not responded to a request for comment on the change.
From 1986-2008, the ceremony was held at New York City鈥檚 Waldorf Astoria Hotel, with two exceptions. The Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles hosted the 1993 inductions. In 1997, after much lobbying by Northeast Ohio leaders, the ceremony moved to the Renaissance Hotel in Cleveland.
After that 鈥� from 2009 until the COVID-19 pandemic 鈥� the ceremonies generally took place in April on a rotation of one year at Cleveland鈥檚 Public Hall followed by two years in New York City. Exceptions were 2013, when the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles hosted, and 2020, when the ceremony went virtual.
Starting in 2021, the event moved to the fall with a rotation of Cleveland, then Los Angeles and New York. Rock Hall Foundation Chairman John Sykes had previously suggested that London and Nashville could be added to the rotation.
