The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation announced its full 2026 class on Monday, April 13, with 19 inductees spanning performer, early influence, musical excellence and Ahmet Ertegun Award categories.
New York artists Wu-Tang Clan and Luther Vandross headline the Empire State contingent. The ceremony takes place Saturday, Nov. 14 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles and will debut on ABC and Disney+ in December.
New York Inductees
Wu-Tang Clan, hailing from Staten Island, fundamentally redefined what a hip-hop collective could be. Founded by RZA, GZA and Ol’ Dirty Bastard, the Clan’s 1993 debut Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) is one of the most influential hip-hop albums ever made. The collective’s business model — allowing members to sign solo deals with competing labels — was revolutionary, spawning careers for Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa and Cappadonna while cementing the group as one of the most enduring forces in hip-hop history. Their Staten Island home, Shaolin, became as much a character in their music as any member.
Harlem-born R&B legend Luther Vandross got his start at the Apollo Theater, launching his career through the venue’s legendary Amateur Night before becoming one of the most decorated vocalists in American music history. From 1981 to 1996, he amassed 11 consecutive platinum albums and 26 Top Ten R&B singles, collaborating as a producer with Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston and Diana Ross. His 2003 album Dance With My Father debuted at Number One. Vandross passed away in 2005 at age 54. This year, Kendrick Lamar’s Number One hit “luther,” which sampled Vandross’ “If This World Were Mine,” earned the Grammy for Record of the Year.
Performer Category
Phil Collins first rose to fame as the drummer and vocalist of Genesis before launching one of the most commercially dominant solo careers of the 1980s, scoring hits including “In the Air Tonight,” “Sussudio” and “Another Day in Paradise.”
Billy Idol emerged from the London punk scene as frontman of Generation X before reinventing himself as a solo new wave icon, defined by a sneer, a bleached mohawk and anthems like “White Wedding” and “Rebel Yell.”
British heavy metal institution Iron Maiden have sold over 100 million albums worldwide since forming in London in 1975, pioneering the New Wave of British Heavy Metal and influencing generations of metal acts with their galloping rhythms and operatic storytelling.
Joy Division and New Order are inducted together, recognizing their shared DNA and combined influence on post-punk, new wave and electronic music. Formed in Manchester in the late 1970s, Joy Division created two landmark albums before vocalist Ian Curtis died in 1980. The surviving members regrouped as New Order, becoming pioneers of dance-inflected rock and electronic pop. Founding bassist Peter Hook plays Brooklyn Paramount on Sept. 5 on his current North American tour performing New Order’s Get Ready in full.
Oasis, the Manchester band fronted by brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher, defined mid-1990s Britpop with albums including Definitely Maybe and (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? before splitting acrimoniously in 2009. The band reunited in 2025 for a world tour.
Sade, the British-Nigerian singer and bandleader born Helen Adu, emerged in the early 1980s with a sound blending soul, jazz and quiet storm R&B that has influenced countless artists. Albums including Diamond Life and Soldier of Love have made her one of the best-selling artists of her era.
Early Influence Award
Fela Kuti, the Nigerian musician, activist and father of Afrobeat, created the genre by fusing funk, jazz, salsa, calypso and traditional Nigerian rhythms into a form that became one of the most influential musical movements of the 20th century. His 1976 album Zombie was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2025 and turns 50 this year. Kuti becomes the first African solo artist inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Celia Cruz, born in Havana and long based in New York City, was the undisputed Queen of Salsa, recording more than 70 albums and winning dozens of awards across a career that spanned six decades. She became a symbol of Cuban culture and Latino pride worldwide.
Queen Latifah, born Dana Owens in Newark, NJ, broke through in 1989 as one of the first female MCs to demand respect in a male-dominated genre. Her debut single “Ladies First” remains a landmark of feminist hip-hop, and she has since built a career spanning music, film and television.
MC Lyte, born Lana Moorer in Queens, NY, was one of the first female solo rappers to release a full-length album, with her 1988 debut Lyte as a Rock establishing her as a lyrical force. She is widely regarded as one of the architects of female hip-hop.
Gram Parsons, the Georgia-born musician who spent formative time in New York, is credited with pioneering country rock through his work with The Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers, and through his influence on Emmylou Harris and the Eagles.
Musical Excellence Award
Linda Creed, the Philadelphia-born songwriter, co-wrote some of the most beloved songs in soul and R&B history alongside Thom Bell, including “Betcha By Golly Wow,” “Could It Be I’m Falling in Love” and “The Greatest Love of All,” which she wrote before her death from breast cancer in 1986 at age 37.
Arif Mardin, the Turkish-American producer and arranger who spent decades at Atlantic Records in New York City, shaped the sound of artists including Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, Bette Midler, Norah Jones and the Bee Gees.
Jimmy Miller, the American producer best known for his work with the Rolling Stones, produced some of the band’s most celebrated albums including Beggars Banquet, Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers and Exile on Main St.
Rick Rubin, the New York-born producer who co-founded Def Jam Recordings in his New York University dorm room in 1984, has shaped the sound of hip-hop, rock, metal and country across four decades, producing landmark records for Run-DMC, Beastie Boys, Johnny Cash, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Kendrick Lamar.
Ahmet Ertegun Award
Ed Sullivan, the longtime New York newspaper columnist and television host, used his CBS variety program The Ed Sullivan Show to introduce American audiences to the Beatles, Elvis Presley, the Rolling Stones and countless others, making him one of the most consequential figures in the popularization of rock and roll.
Tickets and membership information are available at rockhall.com.
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