Last spring, I indulged in a series here on the blog called Fantasy Ballots, where I imagined what the next five years of Hall of Fame induction classes would look like for both the Country and Rock Halls of Fame in a just and perfect world. Now, as the title of that series suggests, this exercise was as futile and fantastical as it was fun (it’s one of my favorite pieces I’ve ever penned for the The 706). The chances of everything I proposed in those columns becoming reality is next to nil, and would require an incredible amount of perspective, and in the case of the Country Hall especially, procedural change amongst industry gate-keepers. Nevertheless, now that this year’s slate of inductees for both Halls has been made officially, I felt it only natural that we spend some time reflecting and analyzing the final honorees.
The Country class was revealed first during an announcement ceremony at the fabled rotunda on March 21st. Expectedly, but disappointingly nonetheless, the number of inductees was once again limited to just three undeniably deserving honorees. Modern superstar Tim McGraw enters via the Modern Era category, bluegrass pioneers The Stanley Brothers finally end their ridiculous decades-long shut-out via the Veterans Era category, and Paul Overstreet enters via the rotating Songwriter category. First off, I have absolutely no objections to any of these selections. McGraw has been a box-office attraction since the mid-90s and more importantly has assembled one of the finest album discographies of any other contemporary country artist. The Stanley Brothers, Ralph and Carter, were among the primary foundation builders of bluegrass as a genre of music. They were already overdue for induction in the 90s, and the fact that another quarter-century passed after Ralph’s renaissance during the O’Brother Where Art Thou craze before they were inducted is both blasphemous and indicative of the Hall’s problematic induction process. Paul Overstreet’s songwriting resume is nothing short of astounding, highlighted by modern genre standards like “Forever and Ever, Amen”, “On the Other Hand”, “When You Say Nothing At All”, and “Love Can Build A Bridge”. He would’ve made my Fantasy Ballot if I had not been more focused on songwriters whose recorded output were also Hall-worthy, though Overstreet recorded plenty of his own music as well, including his hit collaboration with Tanya Tucker and Paul Davis, “I Won’t Take Less Than Your Love”, which is an understated gem of 80s country.
The biggest problem with the Country Music Hall of Fame remains its refusal to work on its backlog. McGraw is among my favorite country artists of all time, and the only issue I take with his induction is the chronology. Though honestly, I would have put McGraw in before Kenny Chesney and Toby Keith, but not before Dwight Yoakam or Clint Black, who were heavily championed for in this slot. With the successive selection of late 90s and Y2K icons like Keith, Chesney, and McGraw as the current Hall trend, it makes the induction of names like Trisha Yearwood, Travis Tritt, Shania Twain, Martina McBride, and Alison Krauss very likely in the upcoming years, with the next wave of acts like Brad Paisley, Keith Urban, Miranda Lambert, and Carrie Underwood waiting in the wings next. Again, all of these are worthy candidates, but as the Hall moves onto them, it closes the window on Modern Era eligibility for the likes of Yoakam, Black, Rosanne Cash, and Pam Tillis, pushing them to the Veterans Era, where the backlog of overdue artists is already massive.
Stop the snowball already and focus on class sizes similar to that of the Rock Hall, at least for a few years’ stretch!
Speaking of the Rock Hall, their 2026 class was finalized and announced this past Monday and by way of its four category reach, eighteen new acts will see their names forever enshrined in the Hall’s museum in Cleveland, Ohio. Among those leading this year’s class is Brit-rock revolutionaries Oasis as well as 80s dominators Billy Idol and Phil Collins, whose individual nod now makes him a two-time inductee, having previously been included in the 2010 induction for his work in Genesis. Rounding out the main class roster we find heavy metal powerhouses Iron Maiden, post-punk giants Joy Division/New Order, and the soul stylings of Sade as well as R&B giant Luther Vandross and the innovative Hip-Hop collective of Wu-Tang Clan. Wow, the Brits almost ran the entire table this year!
Meanwhile, the Early Influence and Musical Excellence categories will honor Celia Cruz, Queen Latifah, Gram Parsons, Fela Kuti, MC Lyte, Rick Rubin, Arif Mardin, Jimmy Miller, and Linda Creed. Yes, Gram Parsons will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame before he ever gets his due from the Country Hall, which is another criminal outcome of their backlog, but a welcome and refreshing surprise from the Rock’s wider, and sometimes heavily criticized, scope. I’m not going to argue with anything that gets Gram his recognition, nor do I feel that any of these inclusions do anything to tarnish the exclusivity that a Hall of Fame should undoubtedly possess.
Finally, Ed Sullivan will rightfully be inducted as the recipient of the Ahmet Ertegun Award. Sullivan’s role in breaking The Beatles to a worldwide audience is worthy for induction all on its own, but the impact of his show obviously touched the careers of countless musical acts during rock’s golden era of the 1960s, making him an unshakeable innovator in the annals of both television and music.
As for those artists left in the dark once again this year on the Rock Hall’s ballot, which is always made public and does indeed incorporate a fan-voting element? Still waiting in the wings we have The Black Crowes, Jeff Buckley, Mariah Carey, Melissa Etheridge, INXS, Lauryn Hill, New Edition, Pink, and Shakira.
What are your thoughts on this year’s Rock and Country inductees? Who would make it on your own Fantasy Ballot?
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