The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced the nominees for potential 2026 induction a week ago, and unlike last year, when Phish went from start to finish leading the fan vote, a more worthy artist has started well this year. Phil Collins is currently the leader in the clubhouse.
Collins seemingly should have been up for induction before, but hasn't been. He needs to be a first-ballot inductee. He was ultra-popular, of course, but his value goes well beyond how many singles and albums he sold. His style of drums and the way those drums were recorded changed how many rock bands created their sound.
He also made his bones in one of the least popular subgenres of rock: He was part of prog-rockers Genesis. Did Genesis change their sound a bit to sell more units? Sure, but at the beginning, they were nowhere near poppy.
Phil Collins leads the 2026 fan vote for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame after one week
The most surprising aspect of the early fan vote is that R&B boy band New Edition is number two. Are they a rock group? Nope, and they aren't truly worthy of induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, but they obviously still have a strong fanbase. Either that, or a lot of people are going online and having a bit of a laugh with the Rock Hall vote.
The top 10 fan vote after one week looks like this:
- Phil Collins - 234,159
- New Edition - 195,722
- P!NK - 176,247
- Luther Vondross - 171,670
- Billy Idol - 154,922
- Sade - 150,275
- INXS - 149,239
- Mariah Carey - 135,551
- Wu-Tang Clan - 132,274
- Lauryn Hill - 119,570
Iron Maiden is sitting at 11th (do better, rock fans!), which is ridiculous. Collins is certainly deserving of being atop the fan vote so far, but Maiden needs to be near the top, too. They are inarguably one of the most influential rock performers on the ballot this year.
Jeff Buckley is currently pulling up the rear. As great an artist as he was, he had only one album. He died before being able to produce a lot more music, so holding the one-album fact against him might not be fair. It is still a fact, though.
Three bands that do deserve induction are near the bottom of the vote so far. Oasis, the Black Crowes, and Joy Division/New Order. For Oasis, their fans are likely aware that the band doesn't care about the Rock Hall, and maybe the fans don't want to vote for them because of that.
The Black Crowes and Joy Division/New Order might fall in the same bucket. Their fans just want to listen to the great music that's been made. Going online and voting, which you can do at the website for the museum, might be seen as a waste of their time.