Kansas singer-songwriter misses out on Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Leavenworth native Melissa Etheridge fell short of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year, but there is hope for the future.
Monday evening on “American Idol,” the Cleveland-based Hall of Fame announced eight performers who will be inducted Nov. 14 in Los Angeles. After being nominated for the first time since becoming eligible in 2014, Etheridge was among nine nominees who failed to make the cut.
It’s worth noting, however, that three 2026 inductees — Oasis, Iron Maiden and Joy Division/New Order — got into the hall on their third nominations. Phil Collins, Billy Idol, Sade, Luther Vandross and Wu-Tang Clan are the other inductees.
Billboard considered Etheridge, 64, among the leading snubs this year, saying, “Etheridge’s relative consistency perhaps makes her easy to take for granted.”
She certainly has Hall of Fame credentials, with 15 Grammy nominations and wins for best female rock performance for “Come to My Window” and “Ain’t it Heavy.” She also has claimed an Academy Award for best original song for “I Need to Wake Up” from “An Inconvenient Truth,” five platinum albums and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The Hall of Fame, in fact, did nothing to combat its history of shortchanging female performers. In addition to naming only one woman (Sade) in this year’s class, it snubbed Mariah Carey for the third consecutive year.
Also among the 17 nominees this year who didn’t make the final cut were Pink and Shakira, both of whom finished ahead of all the other inductees except Collins in the official fan voting, which is counted as one of 1,200 votes that determine inductees. Carey and Lauryn Hill finished ahead of several of the inductees in that vote, as did Etheridge.
Etheridge told The Star last summer that the Hall of Fame “isn’t a reason I make music, but I would not be telling the truth if I didn’t say it’s certainly a nice honor.”
Five performers, including Queen Latifah, will enter the Hall of Fame as recipients of the Early Influence Award, and four with the Musical Excellence Award. Also, legendary TV host Ed Sullivan was named the Ahmet Ertegun Award winner.
