Aretha Franklin won countless awards in her lifetime. In 1987, she became the first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. She later received a lifetime achievement award from the Recording Academy and the Kennedy Center Honors, among many others.
Now, eight years after her death at age 76, Franklin will receive another honor when she is inducted into The Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame on March 24.
A total of 12 music greats are being inducted. The honorees have won a combined 30 Grammy Awards — Franklin’s 18 Grammys bumped up that total — and countless other honors. Inductees and their family members will be invited to a special ceremony at the Boch Center Shubert Theatre in Boston. The public can learn more about each nominee through a new exhibit, Legends of Folk, Americana Roots Music, 2025 Class, now on display at the Boch Center Wang Theatre.
Five of the inductees are still living – Jackson Browne, 77; Neil Young, 80; Tom Rush, 84; Judy Collins, 86; and Tom Paxton, 88. The other seven have passed – Mississippi John Hurt in 1966, Sister Rosetta Tharpe in 1973, Muddy Waters in 1983, John Hammond in 1987, Alan Lomax in 2002, Leonard Cohen in 2016 and Franklin in 2018.
“These inductees represent the heart and soul of Folk, Americana, and Roots music,” J. Casey Soward, president & CEO of the Boch Center, home of the Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame, said in a statement. “They gave voice to ordinary people and helped shape the soundtrack of this country; its struggles, its hopes, and its beauty. Through this induction and our Legends exhibit, we’re honoring the songs, stories, and spirit that continue to move and unite us.”
To honor the inductees, the Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame is launching a permanent Legacy exhibit in the Boch Center Wang Theatre. The exhibit will feature iconic items from each of the inductees, including the guitar Stephen Stills used to compose “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes” and then gifted to Collins, and handwritten lyrics Paxton wrote for Hurt. It is on display now and available for viewing during all Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame tours and before each concert.
The Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame is a cultural and educational initiative of the Boch Center, curated by the Museum Collective.
The 2026 Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame inductees are:
Living Artist
A living artist is a contemporary performer whose initial impact on the genre was at least 25 years before the year of induction.
Jackson Browne
Judy Collins
Tom Paxton
Tom Rush
Neil Young
Legacy Artist
A legacy artist is a performer whose initial impact on the genre was at least 45 years prior to the year of induction.
Leonard Cohen
Aretha Franklin
Mississippi John Hurt
Sister Rosetta Tharpe
Muddy Waters
Industry/Non-Performer
Honors those whose creative or technical contributions shaped the sound and legacy of American music.
John Hammond
Alan Lomax
