Boston R&B icons New Edition nominated for Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Boston-founded R&B group New Edition is among 17 nominees for the 2026 class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Nominees were released on Wednesday from genres that include rap, R&B, Britpop, metal, pop and more. 

In addition to New Edition, the nominees include Phil Collins, Mariah Carey, Lauryn Hill, INXS, Iron Maiden, Luther Vandross, Shakira, Melissa Etheridge, Jeff Buckley, Pink, Sade, the Wu-Tang Clan, the Black Crowes, Oasis, Joy Division/New Order and Billy Idol

New Edition is made up of Ronnie DeVoe, Bobby Brown, Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, Ralph Tresvant, and Johnny Gill.

The band was founded in Roxbury, where five members are from, in 1978 and quickly became one of the most influential R&B groups in music. They topped the charts with songs like Candy Girl, Cool It Now, and Can You Stand the Rain.

In September, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu honored the musicians by renaming a portion of the street where most of them were born and raised. The Roxbury street was officially renamed "New Edition Way."

Fans attended the ceremony, with one telling WBZ-TV that New Edition was "like the soundtrack of my youth."

Brown spoke during the festivities, thanking the crowd for years of support.

"New Edition Way is the way life is for us and has been for us for a long time," Brown said.

Enshrinees in this year's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class will be revealed sometime in April in three categories.