# Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2026 nominees **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** talk-variety-show, music\ **Created:** [February 25, 2026, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-2026-nominees/1027963 "2026-02-25T18:08:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2026, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-2026-nominees/1027963/44 "2026-04-14T01:31:53Z")
This year’s inductees are: Main Ballot - Phil Collins - Billy Idol - Iron Maiden - Joy Division/New Order - Sade - Oasis - Luther Vandross - Wu-Tang Clan Early Influencers - Celia Cruz - Fela Kuti - Queen Latifah - MC Lyte - Gram Parsons Musical Excellence - Linda Creed (songwriter) - Arif Mardin (producer) - Jimmy Miller (producer) - Rick Rubin (producer Ahmet Ertegun Award - Ed Sullivan ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2026, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-2026-nominees/1027963/45 "2026-04-14T01:35:46Z")
Jesus, that’s a lot of inductees. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2026, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-2026-nominees/1027963/46 "2026-04-14T01:36:55Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Jesus, that’s a lot of inductees Yeah. Eight from the main ballot (which typically is around 7 or so), but ten from the “committees.” ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2026, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-2026-nominees/1027963/47 "2026-04-14T01:43:12Z")
Queen Latifah is an “early influence”? She was born in 1970! ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2026, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-2026-nominees/1027963/48 "2026-04-14T02:03:22Z")
The “Early Influences” group was originally meant to recognize performers “whose music predated rock and roll but had an impact on the evolution of rock and roll and inspired rock’s leading artists.” They apparently renamed that category “Musical Influences” a few years ago (to recognize influencers on more modern genres, I guess), but the list I provided above – which I took directly from an email from the Hall which they had sent to me – had that group still labeled “Early Influences.” ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2026, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-2026-nominees/1027963/49 "2026-04-14T02:05:30Z")
Queen Latifah has won a Grammy, but I never realized she was ever a musician until just now. I’ve always thought of her as a very talented actress. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2026, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-2026-nominees/1027963/50 "2026-04-14T02:07:17Z")
> [@ekedolphin](#): > > Queen Latifah has won a Grammy, but I never realized she was ever a musician until just now. She was one of the first major female rap/hip-hop artists, and was big as a musician in the late '80s and '90s, but mostly moved into acting by the mid 2000s. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2026, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-2026-nominees/1027963/51 "2026-04-14T02:11:41Z")
I think I first became cognizant of Queen Latifah when she played alongside Denzel Washington in _The Bone Collector_ in 1999. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2026, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-2026-nominees/1027963/52 "2026-04-14T14:36:05Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Ahmet Ertegun Award > > - Ed Sullivan Ed Sullivan was rock and roll? Whatever, that’s a big pair of shews to fill. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2026, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-2026-nominees/1027963/53 "2026-04-14T14:38:55Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Ed Sullivan was rock and roll? Certainly as much as MTV. He also introduced more white households to the music of African Americans than anybody else in the 1960s. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2026, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-2026-nominees/1027963/54 "2026-04-14T15:13:55Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Ed Sullivan was rock and roll? > [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Certainly as much as MTV. This. He definitely was _not_ rock and roll, but he was a major influencer. He regularly showcased rock and popular music acts on his program, and it was, of course, where many Americans heard and saw the Beatles for the first time. ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2026, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-2026-nominees/1027963/55 "2026-04-14T15:29:00Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > The “Early Influences” group was originally meant to recognize performers “whose music predated rock and roll but had an impact on the evolution of rock and roll and inspired rock’s leading artists.” > > They apparently renamed that category “Musical Influences” a few years ago (to recognize influencers on more modern genres, I guess), but the list I provided above – which I took directly from an email from the Hall which they had sent to me – had that group still labeled “Early Influences.” Seems like at this point it’s like the Old-Timer’s Committee for the baseball HOF; a way for members of the “committee” to sneak in their personal favorites who can’t get enough votes to get in the regular way. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2026, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-2026-nominees/1027963/56 "2026-04-14T15:30:51Z")
> [@Thing.Fish](#): > > Seems like at this point it’s like the Old-Timer’s Committee for the baseball HOF That seems to be an accurate assessment. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2026, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-2026-nominees/1027963/57 "2026-04-14T19:45:45Z")
It’s getting to be a big Hall. Next year, Quarterflash, Nu Shooz and Kajagoogoo will be inducted. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-2026-nominees/1027963.md?page=2)