The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame made good choices in 2026. Oasis and Iron Maiden finally were chosen for induction, while New Edition, even though it won the fan vote, wasn't. NE made fine music and was an entertaining group, but they aren't a rock band.
However, other musical artists who deserve induction are still not in. Maybe the Hall is realizing its past mistakes and beginning to remedy the situation. The decision-makers at least put Oasis in this year. The artists below deserve the same honor.
Many other artists need to be inducted, too, ones not on the following list. Motörhead should be inducted, of course. So should the Black Crowes.
Four musical artists that are being left out in the cold by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Thin Lizzy
Here is a test. Ask your Alexa to play Thin Lizzy and then just try to turn it off. The songs are brilliant, and much more than "The Boys Are Back in Town." That overplayed song might have lost some of its luster because of that, but the more you listen to the entire catalog, the more you can re-appreciate that massive hit.
The Irish icons have only been nominated once (2020) and are unlikely to ever get in. Perhaps their fade away was too precipitous. Their 10-year run is worthy of induction, however.
Sting
Sting is a bit like Phil Collins was this year. One might ask how Collins wasn't already in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame? Genesis had been inducted, and so had Collins' bandmate from that elite group, Peter Gabriel. In Sting's case, the Police were inducted in 2013.
The trick is that Sting's solo career has lasted far longer than his band's did. He's produced some incredibly popular songs, of course, but he has also grown as an artist, challenging himself and those who would make music with him. Maybe he became too jazzy. Excellence is excellent, though, and somehow Sting has been nominated only once (2015).
John Prine
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has different ways in which an artists can be inducted, and one of those is Musical Excellence. Prine is worthy of being inducted as a Performer, but that appears to be an impossible path for him. The other way is more likely.
He has been an elite, and mostly underrated, songwriter, and many of those songs have ended up in other hands. On his own, he has a rich catalog that deserves better than to be nominated for the Rock Hall only once (2019).
The Smiths
One of the 1980s' most iconic bands, the Smiths have been nominated twice (2015 and 2016), but not yet inducted. Maybe many people don't like outspoken frontman Morrissey very much, and that is hurting the band's chances. Moz has certainly been outspoken about his negative feelings toward the Hall.
Still, while their singles and albums were elite and definitely among the best of their era, the Smiths' influence on others, such as Oasis, should not go unnoticed. Musical Excellence or Performer, one way or another, the band needs to be inducted, whether Morrissey likes it or not.
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