Grammy Hall of Fame adds 14 new recordings: Here is what got honored

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The Recording Academy is adding 14 recordings to the Grammy Hall of Fame. These songs and albums offer a fantastic overview of music history from the last 100 years, and also highlight how technology has helped music reach audiences worldwide.

The Grammy Hall of Fame, created in 1973, honors music recordings that are both artistically important and historically significant. Its collection includes hundreds of singles and albums, from classic records like The Beatles’ Abbey Road to influential works such as Fela Kuti & Africa ‘70’s Zombie.

The Gramophone Hall of Fame (GHOF) features music from almost every style imaginable, ranging from a very early 1860s recording of the song “Au clair de la lune” to Santana’s 1999 album, Supernatural. The main requirement for inclusion is simply that a recording be considered noteworthy and at least 25 years old.

So what was selected for inclusion this year?

New entries in the Grammy Hall of Fame

The first recordings inducted into the Gramophone Hall of Fame (GHOF) were announced in 1974. Five singles were initially recognized, with the oldest being the Paul Whiteman Orchestra’s 1927 recording of George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue.” A later recording of the same piece, performed by Oscar Levant in 1945, was added to the Hall of Fame in 1990.

Several other songs were also inducted, including Coleman Hawkins’ “Body and Soul,” Nat “King” Cole’s “The Christmas Song,” and Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas.” While Cole and Crosby would add more hits to the Hall of Fame later on, no one surpassed the most celebrated song of all.

Louis Armstrong’s 1928 recording of “West End Blues” with His Hot Five was the fifth recording inducted. Armstrong himself – whether leading a band, performing as a soloist, or as a featured guest – would be honored an amazing 18 additional times.

Although there wasn’t a direct entry for Louis Armstrong this year (we’ll explain shortly), jazz was still recognized with the inclusion of Alice Coltrane’s 1971 album, Journey in Satchidananda. This was one of nine albums newly inducted into the Hall.

These albums are incredibly diverse, spanning from Janet Jackson’s hugely popular and multi-platinum-selling Rhythm Nation 1814 (1989) to the quietly beloved and now-classic Pink Moon by Nick Drake (1972), which came out a few years before his untimely death at age 26.

George Clinton’s groundbreaking funk album, Maggot Brain from 1971, has been inducted into the Hall of Fame. Released under the name Funkadelic – a politically charged project from Clinton’s early career – the album includes the important track “You and Your Folks, Me and My Folks.”

Heart’s first album, Dreamboat Annie (1975), kicked off the career of one of the most successful rock bands fronted by women ever. Also joining the list are influential albums like Selena’s Amor Prohibido (1994), which broadened the boundaries of Tejano music and played a key role in the development of Latin and World music in the United States.

Lucinda Williams’ album Car Wheels on a Gravel Road is a truly exceptional blend of country and rock. Though she’d been performing for years, the album, released in 1998, really launched her into the spotlight and cemented her place as a consistently great artist.

Radiohead’s last two albums are particularly popular with listeners who grew up after the height of classic rock. Their 1997 release, OK Computer, was a reaction against the already fading Britpop and grunge scenes in both the US and the UK.

Though not immediately popular with everyone, Radiohead’s OK Computer, similar to The Velvet Underground & Nico (inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2008), ended up having a huge impact on the music we listen to today, far beyond its initial sales figures.

This year, Hip Hop receives recognition with two selections. The iconic album All Eyez on Me by Tupac Shakur (known as 2Pac), released shortly before his passing, is included. Additionally, Eric B. & Rakim’s 1987 hit single “Paid in Full” is honored, making Hip Hop the only genre with more than one entry this year.

The collection is completed by four more early recordings: Ella Jenkins’ children’s song “You’ll Sing a Song and I’ll Sing a Song” from 1966, the original 1939 recording of the bluegrass classic “Orange Blossom Special” by The Rouse Brothers, “Jesus Gave Me Water” by the Soul Stirrers featuring Sam Cooke from 1950, and Chippie Hill’s rendition of “Trouble in Mind.”

Mamie Hill was a groundbreaking blues singer who first recorded her signature song, “Trouble in Mind,” in 1926 at the young age of 21. The recording featured the legendary Louis Armstrong playing the cornet.

Give a listen to any or all of this year’s inductees. It will be well worth the time.

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2026-02-15 14:00