Grammy Hall of Fame Returns Following 2-Year Hiatus With Some Big Changes

The Grammy Hall of Fame is set to return this year following a two-year hiatus in which the Academy reconsidered the Hall, which was formed in 1973 but has in recent years been overshadowed by the Library of Congress’ much newer National Recording Registry (which dates back to 2002).

The Recording Academy is making two major changes to the Hall of Fame. For one thing, it is going to be much more selective. For many years, approximately 25 recordings were inducted each year, making induction less special than the Academy originally intended. (In the early years, there were just five inductions each year.) As a result, there are currently 1,152 recordings in the Grammy Hall of Fame. This year, the Hall will induct just 10 recordings – four albums and six singles.

The Academy is also announcing the recipients with much more fanfare than in past years, where the announcement was little more than a press release. The Grammy Museum’s Grammy Hall of Fame Gala will be the first of what it envisions as an annual event. The inaugural gala and concert will be held on May 21 at the NOVO Theater in downtown Los Angeles. It will be preceded by a red carpet and VIP reception on the Ray Charles Terrace at the Grammy Museum.

The event will be produced by Ken Ehrlich, who served as producer or executive producer of the Grammy Awards for 40 years, along with Chantel Sausedo and Ron Basile. Producer and keyboardist Greg Phillinganes will serve as musical director. Phillinganes has won two Primetime Emmys for outstanding music direction, both for work on Ehrlich productions which saluted Joni Mitchell and Stevie Wonder, respectively – Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song: Joni Mitchell (2023) and Stevie Wonder: Songs in the Key of Life – An All-Star Grammy Salute (2015).

The Grammy Hall of Fame was established in 1973 to honor recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance that were released prior to the advent of the Grammy Awards in 1958. The rules were soon changed to allow any recordings that are at least 25 years old. Inductees are selected annually by a committee of professionals drawn from all branches of the recording arts with final ratification by the Recording Academy’s national board of trustees.

This year’s 10 inductees, and information about tickets and performers at the concert, will be announced at a later date.

Here’s the full list of past inductees into the Grammy Hall of Fame.