This year two of our favorites are up for the “2026 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame;” Luther Vandross and New Edition.
The fan voting for the 2026 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame closes on April 3rd.
Both are in the leads with over 365,000 votes!
Fans can vote daily for up to seven nominees on the official Rock Hall website to influence the final induction class.
Artists or bands become eligible for nomination 25 years after releasing their first commercial recording.
Among this year’s 17 Nominees, 10 are appearing on the ballot for the first time: Luther Vandross, New Edition, Jeff Buckley, Phil Collins, Melissa Etheridge, Lauryn Hill, INXS, P!NK, Shakira, and Wu-Tang Clan.
Nominee ballots will be distributed to an international voting panel composed of over 1,200 artists, historians, and music industry professionals.
The selection criteria include an artist’s impact on music culture, influence on other musicians that have followed, as well as the scope and longevity of their career and body of work.
The 2026 Performer Inductees will be revealed in April, along with those Inductees entering the Hall under three special committee categories: Musical Influence, Musical Excellence and the Ahmet Ertegun Non Performer Award.
This year’s Induction Ceremony will take place in the fall, with exact dates and ticket sale details following soon.
(Luther Vandross at Holborn Studios, London, UK on 1 February 1987. Photo by David Corio/Redferns)
Luther Vandross was the defining voice of his generation. Responsible for the era’s most enduring love songs, he crafted our soundtrack and gave us words to express our love, our vulnerability, and our joy. With unparalleled vocals, raw emotion, and unmatched charm, Vandross captured the essence of love’s power like no one else. Few could match his creative prowess as a songwriter, producer, and arranger. Equally impressive, he was an unrivaled interpreter, with his “velvet voice” consistently breathing new life into classic songs. From 1981 to 1996, Vandross amassed a staggering 11 consecutive platinum albums and 26 Top Ten R&B singles, making him one of the most consistent hitmakers of all time.
Vandross got his start at Harlem’s legendary Apollo Theater. By the early 1970s, he was an in-demand backing vocalist, songwriter, and arranger – most notably as David Bowie’s collaborator on Young Americans, which included the co-written “Fascination,” based on a Vandross original. His 1981 debut album, Never Too Much, showcased his formula for superstardom – a balance of originals (“Never Too Much”) and definitive reinterpretations (Dionne Warwick’s “A House Is Not a Home”). Throughout the 1980s, Vandross crossed over to the pop charts (“Here and Now”), worked as a producer for Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, and Diana Ross, and continued polishing his skills as an incomparable interpreter (“Superstar,” “Endless Love”).
In 2003, he released Dance With My Father, debuting at Number One and earning Song of the Year for the autobiographical title track. Tragically, Luther Vandross passed away in 2005 at the age of 54 – a seismic loss. That same year saw the release of a Grammy-winning tribute album, featuring Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige, Usher, Stevie Wonder, and Alicia Keys, among others.
In 2026, Kendrick Lamar’s Number One hit “luther,” a love-letter homage which sampled Vandross’ “If This World Were Mine,” earned the Grammy for Record of the Year. As Vandross poignantly shared at his final Grammy appearance in 2004, “When I say goodbye, it’s never for long, because I believe in the Power of Love” – a promise of his permanent place in our hearts. Lovers around the world owe a debt to Luther Vandross.
Forever, for always, for Luther.
Selected discography: “Never Too Much,” “A House Is Not a Home,” Never Too Much (1981) • “If This World Were Mine” (with Cheryl Lynn) (1982) • “Bad Boy/Having a Party,” Forever, for Always, for Love (1982) • “Superstar/Until You Come Back To Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do),” Busy Body (1983) • “If Only for One Night” The Night I Fell in Love (1985) • “Stop to Love,” “So Amazing,” Give Me the Reason (1986) • “Any Love,” Any Love (1988) • “Here and Now” (1989) • “Power of Love/Love Power,” Power of Love (1991) • “Endless Love” (with Mariah Carey), Songs (1994) • “Dance With My Father,” Dance With My Father (2003)
The story of New Edition is one of reinvention, reunion, and resilience – uniting superstar individuality with unmatched group synergy. They fused the sounds of 1960s Motown and 1970s Philly Soul – and remixed it for the BET generation – creating the blueprint for countless artists, including New Kids on the Block, Boyz II Men, Backstreet Boys, and Destiny’s Child. Today, their influence is deeply woven into Black culture – their choreography is commonly taught in schools – and they are cherished as elder statesmen and architects of modern R&B.
New Edition formed in 1978 in Boston’s Roxbury neighborhood, when elementary school classmates Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, and Bobby Brown started singing in talent shows. They soon expanded to a quintet with the addition of Ralph Tresvant and Ronnie DeVoe. In 1982, their debut album, Candy Girl, yielded the catchy title track – which reached Number One on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop chart – and the heartfelt ballad “Is This the End” – which hit Number Eight. Their sophomore album, New Edition (1984), included additional R&B chart-toppers “Cool It Now” and “Mr. Telephone Man.” Subsequent albums introduced a more mature sound and saw the departure of Bobby Brown for a successful solo career. In 1988, New Edition welcomed powerhouse Johnny Gill and released their groundbreaking double-platinum album Heart Break. Produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, the album leaned heavily into New Jack Swing, blending smooth R&B with hip-hop production.
At the peak of their career, the group disbanded, with all members quickly achieving success separately with platinum releases by Gill and Tresvant as well as Bel Biv DeVoe’s quadruple-platinum Poison. Soon after, Bivens signed protégés Boyz II Men, who infamously named themselves after a New Edition song. But they weren’t done – in 1996, New Edition reunited and released Home Again, their first – and only – album to feature all six members. It became the best-selling album of their storied career. They earned accolades producing the BET miniseries The New Edition Story and are currently packing arenas on their New Edition Way tour.
New Edition revolutionized the modern R&B sound with their tight choreography, lush harmonies, coordinated fashion, and universal appeal – influencing artists from NSYNC to K-Pop. During a career spanning nearly five decades, they transitioned from youthful pop stars to sophisticated R&B trailblazers – at each step, deepening their cultural influence.
Selected discography: “Candy Girl,” “Is This the End,” “Popcorn Love,” Candy Girl (1983) • “Cool It Now,” “Mr. Telephone Man,” New Edition (1984) • “Count Me Out,” “A Little Bit of Love,” All for Love (1985) • “Earth Angel,” Under the Blue Moon (1986) • “If It Isn’t Love,” “You’re Not My Kind of Girl,” “Can You Stand the Rain,” “Boys to Men,” Heart Break (1988) • “Hit Me Off,” “I’m Still in Love with You,” Home Again (1996) • “Hot 2Nite,” One Love (2004)
Nominees: Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, Bobby Brown, Ronnie DeVoe, Johnny Gill, Ralph Tresvant
ReVisit our Luther Vandross and New Edition UB Features.
New Edition has more UB Features than any other artists. Plus UB Interviews with Bobby Brown and Ralph Tresvant.
