The 14 recordings inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame this year are wide-ranging in every way. Two of the inducted albums – 2Pac’s All Eyez on Me and Janet Jackson’s Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814 – topped the Billboard 200. Others didn’t chart at all.
Two of the inducted recordings were awarded Grammys when they were current. Radiohead’s OK Computer won best alternative music performance; Lucinda Williams’ Car Wheels on a Gravel Road won best contemporary folk music album. Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814 didn’t win as an album, but the accompanying music video won best music video – longform. Others weren’t even nominated.
The oldest recording to be honored this year is Bertha “Chippie” Hill’s “Trouble in Mind” from 1926. Four of the inducted recordings were released in the 1990s: Selena’s Amor Prohibido, 2Pac’s All Eyez on Me, Radiohead’s OK Computer and Williams’ Car Wheels.
Three of the artists being honored this year died before reaching 30. Selena and 2Pac were both shot to death, at 23 and 25, respectively. Nick Drake died at age of 26 due to an overdose of antidepressants. At the other extreme, children’s music great Ella Jenkins made it to 100.
The Grammy Hall of Fame was established by the Recording Academy’s national trustees in 1973. The original idea was to honor recordings that were released before the Grammys were first presented in 1959. It is now open to any recording that is at least 25 years old. (This year, only three of the 14 inducted recordings were released prior to the inception of the Grammy Awards.) The inducted recordings are selected annually by a special member committee, with final ratification by the Recording Academy’s national board of trustees. Counting the 14 new titles, the Grammy Hall of Fame totals 1,179 inducted recordings.
This year’s additions include nine albums and five songs that exhibit “qualitative or historical significance.” The inducted recordings will be honored at the Grammy Museum and Recording Academy’s Grammy Hall of Fame Gala on May 8 at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. Eligible recipients will receive a certificate from the Recording Academy.
“It’s a privilege to recognize these influential recordings as the 2026 Grammy Hall of Fame inductees,” Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, said in a statement. “Each selection reflects the creativity, craft and cultural impact that recorded music can carry across decades. We’re honored to help preserve these works and celebrate the artists and communities behind them, so their legacies continue to inspire generations to come.”
Michael Sticka, president/CEO of the Grammy Museum, added: “The Grammy Hall of Fame is a vital bridge between music’s past and present—honoring recordings that changed the way we listen, create and connect.”
Here’s the complete list of 2026 additions to the Grammy Hall of Fame, listed alphabetically by artist:
Alice Coltrane, Journey in Satchidananda
Release Date: February 1971
Label: Impulse!
Producers: Alice Coltrane, Ed Michel
Billboard 200 peak: Didn’t chart
Notes: Journey in Satchidananda was the fourth studio album by American jazz pianist and harpist Alice Coltrane. Coltrane was joined on the album by saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, bassists Cecil McBee and Charlie Haden and drummer Rashied Ali. Coltrane was married to jazz saxophonist and composer John Coltrane from 1965 until his death in 1967. (John Coltrane has 11 recordings in the Grammy Hall of Fame.) Alice Coltrane died in 2007 at age 69.
Nick Drake, Pink Moon
Release Date: Feb. 25, 1972
Label: Island
Producers: John Wood
Billboard 200 peak: Didn’t chart
Notes: Pink Moon was the English musician’s third and final studio album. It was the only one of Drake’s studio albums to be released in North America during his lifetime. Pink Moon differs from Drake’s previous albums in that it was recorded without a backing band. Drake was found dead in November 1974 at the age of 26 due to an overdose of antidepressants.
Eric B. & Rakim, “Paid in Full”
Release Date: 1987
Label: 4th and B’way
Producers: Eric B. & Rakim
Hot 100 peak: Didn’t chart. Reached No. 65 on Hot Black Singles, as the chart was then called.
Notes: Written and produced by duo members Eric Barrier and Rakim Allah, the song was released as the fifth single from the duo’s debut studio album of the same name, following “Eric B. Is President,” “I Ain’t No Joke,” “I Know You Got Soul” and “Move the Crowd.” The song was boosted by a popular remix by English electronic dance music duo Coldcut.
Funkadelic, Maggot Brain
Release Date: July 12, 1971
Label: Westbound
Producers: George Clinton
Billboard 200 peak: No. 108
Notes: Maggot Brain was the funk rock band’s third studio album. This was the last album recorded by the original Funkadelic lineup. The album spawned the singles “You and Your Folks, Me and My Folks,” “Can You Get to That” and “Hit It and Quit It.” George Clinton and Parliament/Funkadelic received a lifetime achievement award from the Recording Academy in 2019. Parliament’s “Flashlight” was voted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2018.
Heart, Dreamboat Annie
Release Date: Feb. 14, 1976
Label: Mushroom
Producers: Mike Flicker
Billboard 200 peak: No. 7
Notes: Dreamboat Annie was Heart’s debut studio album. At the time, the band was based in Vancouver, British Columbia; the album was recorded in Vancouver and first released in Canada by the local label Mushroom Records in September 1975. It was released in the U.S. five months later, through the U.S. subsidiary of Mushroom Records in Los Angeles. The album spawned the singles “How Deep It Goes,” “Magic Man,” “Crazy on You” and “Dreamboat Annie.” Ann Wilson and Nancy Wilson of Heart received lifetime achievement awards from the Recording Academy in 2023.
Bertha “Chippie” Hill, “Trouble in Mind”
Release Date: 1926
Label: Okeh
Producers: Richard M. Jones
Hot 100 peak: Didn’t chart on pre-Hot 100 pop and R&B charts.
Notes: Hill was a blues and vaudeville singer and dancer. She first recorded in November 1925 for Okeh Records, backed by cornet player Louis Armstrong and pianist Richard M. Jones. She died in 1950 at age 45, hit by a car in Harlem. “Trouble in Mind” has also been recorded by Georgia White, Dinah Washington, Nina Simone and team of Leon Helm and Mavis Staples.
Janet Jackson, Rhythm Nation 1814
Release Date: Sept. 19, 1989
Label: A&M
Producers: Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Janet Jackson, Jellybean Johnson
Billboard 200 peak: No. 1 (four weeks)
Notes: This was Jackson’s fourth studio album. Although A&M executives wanted material similar to that on her previous album, Control (1986), Jackson insisted on creating a concept album addressing social issues. The accompanying video won a Grammy for best music video, long form, but the album and its many hit singles won no Grammys, despite receiving six nominations across two years. In what must have been a huge disappointment for all involved, the album was passed over for a nod for album of the year, a nod that Control had garnered.
The album spawned seven top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 – “Miss You Much,” “Rhythm Nation,” “Escapade,” “Alright,” “Come Back to Me,” “Black Cat” and “Love Will Never Do (Without You).” With this induction, Jackson is upholding a family tradition. Brother Michael has two albums in the Grammy Hall of Fame (Off the Wall and Thriller). The Jackson 5 have three singles in the Grammy Hall (“I Want You Back,” “ ABC,” “I’ll Be There”).
Ella Jenkins, “You’ll Sing a Song and I’ll Sing a Song”
Release Date: 1966
Label: Folkways
Producers: Ella Jenkins, Bernadette Richter
Hot 100 peak: Didn’t chart
Notes: This was the title song and opening track of Jenkins’ 1966 album. Ella Jenkins sang and played harmonica, ukulele and guitar on the album, which also featured the Urban Gateways Children’s Chorus. Jenkins received a lifetime achievement award from the Recording Academy in 2004. She died in 2024 at age 100.
Radiohead, OK Computer
Release Date: May 21, 1997
Label: Capitol
Producers: Nigel Godrich, Radiohead
Billboard 200 peak: No. 21
Notes: OK Computer was the English rock band’s third studio album. The album’s abstract lyrics, densely layered sound and eclectic influences laid the groundwork for Radiohead’s later work. OK Computer won a Grammy for best alternative music performance and was nominated for album of the year. It spawned the singles “Paranoid Android,” “Karma Police” and “No Surprises.”
The Rouse Brothers, “Orange Blossom Special”
Release Date: 1939
Label: Bluebird
Producers: unknown
Hot 100 peak: Didn’t chart on pre-Hot 100 pop or country charts.
Notes: Ervin T. Rouse wrote this future bluegrass standard in 1938 and recorded it with his brother Gordon in 1939. (Ervin played fiddle and sang; Gordon played guitar.) Johnny Cash had the highest-charting version of this song (No. 3 on Hot Country Songs in 1965). Charlie McCoy in 1973 and Johnny Darrell in 1974 also had chart hits with it on Hot Country Songs. Ervin T. Rouse died in 1981 at age 63.
Selena, Amor Prohibido
Release Date: March 22, 1994
Label: EMI Latin
Producers: A.B. Quintanilla (Selena’s brother)
Billboard 200 peak: No. 29
Notes: Amor Prohibido was Selena’s fourth studio album. The album blends diverse musical styles from ranchera to hip-hop. It spawned the singles “Amor Prohibido,” “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom,” “No Me Queda Más” and “Fotos y Recuerdos.” The album received a Grammy nod for best Mexican-American performance. Selena was shot to death at age 23 in 1995. She received a posthumous lifetime achievement award from the Recording Academy in 2021.
The Soul Stirrers, “Jesus Gave Me Water”
Release Date: 1950
Label: Specialty
Producers: Art Rupe
Hot 100 peak: Didn’t chart on pre-Hot 100 pop or R&B charts.
Notes: “Jesus Gave Me Water” came from the first studio session of a young Chicago gospel singer named Sam Cook, seven years before he added an “e” to his last name and became a crossover pop/R&B star and enduring music legend. Four of Cooke’s solo hits are in the Grammy Hall of Fame – “You Send Me,” “Wonderful World,” “Bring It on Home to Me” and the posthumous hit “A Change Is Gonna Come.” Cooke was shot to death in 1964 at age 33 and received a lifetime achievement award from the Recording Academy in 1999.
2Pac, All Eyez on Me
Release Date: Feb. 13, 1996
Label: Death Row/Interscope
Producers: 2Pac, Bobcat, Dat Nigga Daz, DeVante Swing, DJ Pooh, DJ Quik, Doug Rasheed, Dr. Dre, Johnny “J,” Mike Mosley, QDIII, Rick Rock
Billboard 200 peak: No. 1 (two weeks)
Notes: All Eyez on Me was 2Pac’s fourth studio album and the last one to be released during his lifetime. The album features guest appearances from Dr. Dre, Snoop Doggy Dogg, Redman, Method Man, Nate Dogg, Kurupt, Daz Dillinger, E-40, K-Ci & JoJo, and the Outlawz, among others. The album received a Grammy nod for best rap album, while two of its tracks – “California Love” (featuring Dr. Dre and Roger Troutman) and “How Do U Want It” (featuring KC and JoJo) were nominated for best rap performance by a duo or group. Other singles from the album were “2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted” and “I Ain’t Mad at Cha.” 2 Pac was shot to death in 1996 at age 25.
Lucinda Williams, Car Wheels on a Gravel Road
Release Date: June 30, 1998
Label: Mercury
Producers: Roy Bittan, Steve Earle, Ray Kennedy, Lucinda Williams
Billboard 200 peak: No. 65
Notes: This was Williams’ fifth studio album. The album, which features guest appearances by Steve Earle and Emmylou Harris, won a Grammy for best contemporary folk album. It spawned the singles “Right in Time” and “Can’t Let Go.” The latter track was nominated for a Grammy for best female rock vocal performance.
