Phil Collins, Iron Maiden, Billy Idol, Queen Latifah, Oasis, Sade and Joy Division/New Order will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, along with first-time nominees Wu-Tang Clan and the late Luther Vandross.
The list was revealed on Monday night’s airing of “American Idol.” Artists must have released their first commercial recording at least 25 years before they’re eligible for induction. Nominees were voted on by more than 1,200 artists, historians and music industry professionals.
Soft rocker Collins, who already is in the hall as a member of Genesis, has had such solo hits as “In the Air Tonight” and “One More Night,” and has earned eight Grammys, including album of the year in 1985 for “No Jacket Required.” Collins got in the first time he appeared on the ballot. Collins is already in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Genesis, who was inducted in 2010.
Soul-jazz vocalist Sade, also nominated in 2024, had such soft rock hits as “Smooth Operator” and “The Sweetest Taboo.” The Wu-Tang Clan have been hailed as rap innovators since their game-changing 1993 debut album “Enter the Wu-Tang.”
Vandross, who sold more than 25 million albums and had the hits “Here and Now” and “Any Love,” died in 2005 and inspired Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s “Luther.”
There's also a strong Brit influence to this year's class beyond Collins.
Iron Maiden, nominated twice before, helped power the new wave of British heavy metal with iconic albums like “The Number of the Beast,” and are an extremely influential band in the explosion of the genre in the 1980s. They become a rare heavy metal band to enter the Hall of Fame which has generally stayed away from the heaviest forms of rock. They join Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and Metallica as the only true pioneering metal bands to enter the Hall, with a few hard rock groups like Ozzy Osbourne, Deep Purple, and Van Halen in as well.
The hall will open its arms to the sounds of Manchester, England, inducting post-punk pioneers Joy Division and New Order — which shared most of the same members. Original Joy Division singer Ian Curtis suffered from severe epilepsy and depression and died by suicide on the eve of Joy Division's first North American tour in 1980. But the rest of the group came together to reform as New Order. That group pioneered the fusion of post-punk with electronic dance music, creating a blueprint for alternative dance and synth-pop throughout the 80s and 90s, and their hit song "Blue Monday" is widely recognized as the best-selling 12-inch single of all time.
Also entering the hall are Britpop’s recently reunited Oasis, made up of Noel and Liam Gallagher.
Idol, also English, has brought a punky sneer to pop with songs like “White Wedding” and “Rebel Yell.”
Singer Bruce Dickinson of new Hall of Fame inductees Iron Maiden, performing at Ozzfest 2005.
(Photo by Karl Walter/Getty Images)
The induction will be held Nov. 14 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. A TV presentation will air in December on ABC and Disney+. Next year, the ceremony will return to the hall’s home of Cleveland.
Those nominated this year but who came up short for the class of 2026 include Mariah Carey, Lauryn Hill, INXS, Melissa Etheridge, Jeff Buckley, Pink, New Edition and Shakira.
In addition to the performer category, inductees entering the hall can arrive under three special committee categories: early influence, musical excellence and the Ahmet Ertegun Non-Performer Award.
The early influence award this year will honor Queen Latifah, Cuban singer Celia Cruz, Nigerian musician Fela Kuti, rapper MC Lyte and country rocker Gram Parsons. The musical excellence will honor songwriter Linda Creed and producers Arif Mardin, Jimmy Miller and Rick Rubin.
More than 50 years after his death, Ed Sullivan, the legendary host of his self-titled appointment-viewing TV show, will go into the hall with the Ahmet Ertegun Non-Performer Award. It’s a recognition of how important his Sunday night stage became as a launchpad for nearly every musical icon of the 1950s and ‘60s and of how his show helped break racial barriers in American entertainment.
Last year, Cyndi Lauper, Outkast, Bad Company, Chubby Checker, Soundgarden, Joe Cocker, Salt-N-Pepa, The White Stripes, Carol Kaye, Nicky Hopkins, Lenny Waronker, Thom Bell and Warren Zevon all were inducted.
