8 Highlights From 2026 Grammy Hall of Fame Gala: Janet Jackson, Heart, Lucinda Williams & More

Janet Jackson elected not to perform, but she showed up to accept the award, along with her co-producer Jimmy Jam. “I’m so grateful and honored that Rhythm Nation is being recognized tonight in this wonderful, wonderful way,” Jackson said. “It’s beautiful to relive the memories attached to this project that’s so, so precious to me tonight.

“Rhythm Nation still resonates on a deep and profound level. It’s an ongoing force that fights bigotry and promotes understanding. It cannot be stopped. It’s simply too strong, too positive. Rhythm Nation is a movement of people of all ages and backgrounds, seeking to give and receive love free of judgment. As we celebrate tonight, let’s remember that it transcends all borders, nationalities and faiths.

“I hope you hear my heart’s desire when we first created this suite of songs. More than ever, my hope is that we might live in a world free of fear and despair. The prayer driving this remains exactly the same — that peace prevail. Peace the world over, peace among nations, peace in our neighborhoods, peace in our homes. May the music of Rhythm Nation continue to bring us together in peace, and may that peace allow us to celebrate this precious gift of life that God has given us all.”

Jam, who co-produced the album with Terry Lewis and Jackson, said “It’s an honor to be here tonight, particularly as we recognize an album it means so much to us.

“When my partner, Terry Lewis, and I started working on Rhythm Nation with Janet, we weren’t trying to make a political statement. We were simply responding to a world around us. We were watching the news and seeing all the pain and injustice and the tragedy, and we asked ourselves, ‘What could we do?’ We felt a responsibility to use our voices. So this album, it was a big commercial success, but even better than that, it changed lives, and so did Janet. So much of what we see in music today, especially when it comes to female empowerment, traces back to her influence.

“I always tell people, you don’t have to worry about ever interviewing Janet because everything that you want to know about her is on each one of those albums. The whole idea of, you know, being vulnerable on albums, don’t worry about having to be perfect on albums, and just express yourself. I think that’s the thing that makes those albums so special. And I’ve heard stories of young people actually going back to school because of that album [Rhythm Nation]. And nearly 40 years later, the message still resonates. It’s a reminder that music can heal, unite and inspire us to change. But also, unfortunately, there’s still a lot of work to still be done. So, I want to say thank you to the Recording Academy for this award, but I really want to say thank you to Janet for trusting us to bring your vision to life.”

Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart have probably performed “Magic Man,” “Dreamboat Annie” and “Crazy on You” at every concert they’ve given since their debut album, Dreamboat Annie, was released in August 1975 (and six months later in the U.S.). But they still managed to sing the songs with power and conviction at the Grammy Hall of Fame event.

Ann thanked Ken Ehrlich, who produced the event; Don Passman, their lawyer; and Mike Flicker, who produced the album. Nancy added thanks to many of the musicians on the album, including Howard Leese and Roger Fisher.

“These are the original gypsy tribe that started the whole thing. So, you are brothers. [Thank you] for your great energy, your resilience, your humor and your camaraderie. We did this together, and the beautiful poetry and music that we made together still resonates to this day; to this evening, so thank you.”

Lucinda Williams performed two songs from her 1998 album, Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, which is credited with creating the Americana genre. She performed “Can’t Let Go” and the album’s title song.

The album won a Grammy for best contemporary folk album — because the Grammys didn’t have an Americana album at the time. Host Anthony Mason noted that without Williams, we might never have heard of such artists as Jason Isbell, Margo Price and Brandi Carlile.

Accepting the award, Williams said, “They said my music fell in the cracks between country and rock, which later became known as Americana. Don’t give up if your music falls betwen the cracks. That’s where it’s supposed to be. That’s a good place.”

She concluded, “it just it feels really good to be recognized for what you do and not how many records you sell.”

Norah Jones was the second recipient of the Ray Charles Architect of Sound Award, following Jon Batiste last year. Jones worked with the music legend. They won two Grammys for their 2004 collab “Here We Go Again” — record of the year and best pop collaborations with vocals.

Jones performed two Charles songs at the event — “Seven Spanish Angels” (which he recorded in tandem with Willie Nelson) and “Hallelujah, I Love Her So.”

“When I met Ray, I burst into tears,” Jones said. “This means so much. This is very sweet, and it’s a great honor, and I thank you all so much for thinking of me for it. My mom listened to Ray Charles in high school. She went to see him in a high school gymnasium. So, it holds a very special place in my heart. His music is everything to me, and I wouldn’t be anything without listening to him.”

Isabel Marie performed Selena’s “No Me Queda Más,” a standout ballad from the Tejano superstar’s inducted 1994 album, Amor Prohibido.

Suzette Quintanilla-Arriaga, Selena’s older sister, accepted the award on Selena’s behalf.“I just want to express on behalf of Latinos our immense gratitude for the Grammy Hall of Fame acknowledging Amor Prohibido.”

After thanking her brother A.B. Quintanilla, who produced the album, and Pete Astudillo and Ricky Vela, who wrote many of the songs, she praised Selena, whose career was tragically cut short when she was killed in 1995 at age 23.

“I also want to show love to what Selena represents, still to this day, so many years later, even though she’s physically gone. So a shout out to my sister, Selena, who will forever be remembered.”

Fyütch and Aura V performed Ella Jenkins’ “You’ll Sing a Song and I’ll Sing a Song.”The performance started with a clip of Jenkins singing the song on Mister Rogers Neighborhood, and segued to the father-daughter duo, singing it live. Fyütch and Aura Vwon a Grammy in February for their album Harmony, which was voted best children’s music album.

They started singing the song in the same nursery-rhyme style as Jenkins’ recording before Aura V, who is just 8 years old, said “Can we speed it up? I think it needs a little bop to it.” She was right. The song culminated in a hip-hop style that brought the 1966 song into 2026.

Aaron Bay-Schuck, co-chairman & CEO of Warner Records Group, spoke eloquently about taking over one of the industry’s most respected labels.

“When we took over the leadership of Warner Records in 2018 we knew we needed to reposition the company for the future, but we wanted first to approach that by acknowledging the past,” he said. “After all, this is the home to Prince, Madonna, Jimi Hendrix, Fleetwood Mac, Tom Petty, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Neil Young and so many more. These superstars were fearless, unapologetically themselves. They took risks. They dared to be different, and they stood for something.”

Bay-Schuck continued, “Whatever shape this new era of Warner Records was going to take, we knew one thing had to remain true. In a time where data and algorithms were sending people in the direction of quick wins and fleeting moments, we were going to demonstrate that talent, quality and vision still mattered the most, that the patience to wait for greatness, rather than settling for good, was the right strategy, and that artist development should still be a top priority, and a value that we as a major label must provide.”

Tom Corson, co-chairman and COO of Warner Records Group, also spoke at the event.

Teddy Swims and Josh Groban sang two songs each at the event. Swims performed “Mister Know It All” and his Billboard Hot 100-topping breakthrough smash “Lose Control.” Groban performed two songs from his album Cinematic, which was released that same day (May 8).

For more about the tribute to Warner Records, go here.