The UK Music Hall of Fame was an awards ceremony to honour musicians, of any nationality, for their lifetime contributions to music in the United Kingdom. The hall of fame started in 2004 with the induction of five founder members and five more members selected by a public televote, two from each of the last five decades. In subsequent years, a panel of more than 60 journalists and music industry executives decided the people and groups to be inducted.
The ceremony was last held in 2006, and has since been cancelled.
2004 inductees
There were five founding members, one from each decade from the 1950s to 1990s:
- Elvis Presley
- The Beatles
- Bob Marley
- Madonna
- U2
In addition, the public were asked to select one further act from each decade, from five lists of ten nominees. The five members chosen by the public in October 2004 were:
- Cliff Richard and The Shadows
- The Rolling Stones
- Queen
- Michael Jackson
- Robbie Williams
The full list of nominees were:
- 1950s - Billie Holiday, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, Cliff Richard and The Shadows, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Johnny Cash, Little Richard, Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis
- 1960s - The Beach Boys, Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, Diana Ross and The Supremes, Rolling Stones, James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, The Kinks, Simon and Garfunkel, The Velvet Underground
- 1970s - Pink Floyd, ABBA, Bee Gees, The Clash, David Bowie, Elton John, Led Zeppelin, Queen, Sex Pistols, Stevie Wonder
- 1980s - Bruce Springsteen, Beastie Boys, George Michael, Guns N' Roses, Joy Division, Michael Jackson, Prince, Public Enemy, R.E.M., The Smiths
- 1990s - Blur, Dr. Dre, Missy Elliott, Nirvana, Oasis, The Prodigy, Radiohead, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Robbie Williams, Spice Girls
2005 inductees
The 2005 inductees were selected by a panel of 60 people from the music industry:
- Pink Floyd (inducted by Pete Townshend of The Who)
- Eurythmics (inducted by Bob Geldof, performed)
- Aretha Franklin
- Jimi Hendrix (inducted by Mitch Mitchell, and Slash of Velvet Revolver)
- Bob Dylan (inducted by Woody Harrelson)
- Joy Division/New Order (inducted by actor John Simm, performed "Regret" and "Love Will Tear Us Apart")
- The Who (inducted by Ray Davies of The Kinks)
- The Kinks (inducted by footballer Geoff Hurst)
- Black Sabbath (inducted by Brian May of Queen, performed)
- Ozzy Osbourne solo (inducted by Angus Young of AC/DC)
The late DJ John Peel was also made an honorary member (inducted by Damon Albarn of Blur).
The programme was televised in the UK. It was later shown on VH1 in the United States, without the Joy Division/New Order segments. The full version was subsequently shown on VH1 Classic.
2006 inductees
The 2006 inductees were:
- James Brown (inducted by Jazzie B, performed "I Got You (I Feel Good)")
- Led Zeppelin (inducted by Roger Taylor of Queen, Wolfmother performed "Communication Breakdown" as tribute)
- Rod Stewart (inducted by James Morrison who performed "The First Cut Is the Deepest" / "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy")
- Brian Wilson (inducted by David Gilmour of Pink Floyd, performed "God Only Knows" and "Good Vibrations")
- Bon Jovi (inducted by David A. Stewart and Kara DioGuardi, performed "Livin' on a Prayer", "Wanted Dead or Alive" and "It's My Life")
- Prince (inducted by Beyoncé)
- Dusty Springfield (inducted by Joss Stone who performed "Son of a Preacher Man")
Cancellation
There were no inductees in 2007. It was announced in September 2008 that Channel 4 had axed the ceremony, partly due to lack of funding, and also because a two-year gap since the last show was "too long".
