Rock & Roll Hall of Fame CEO defends Iron Maiden exclusion

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Markus Lanz Talkshow in Hamburg
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Rock & Roll Hall of Fame CEO Greg Harris has defended Iron Maiden's omission from the 2021 list of inductees.

While the rockers had been included in the Rock Hall's Class Of 2021 in February (21), when the official list was announced, they were notably absent - with stars including Foo Fighters, Tina Turner and JAY-Z among those set to be honored.

And amid backlash from fans of the group, Harris spoke to the WBAB radio station, insisting nobody is questioning the band's impact on the music industry.

"There's no doubt that Iron Maiden are an impactful, influential band, and that's why they were nominated this year, along with 15 other artists and acts, and when the votes came in, these six were the leaders," he said. "So we're not questioning, are they an important band, are they impactful and influential.

"Of those that have been nominated throughout history, over 80 per cent of them have been eventually inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. So everybody has their favorites; everybody has different artists that impacted them or impacted other artists. So, if you look at this list, you can make that case for all of these folks, just like people make that case for Iron Maiden."

Harris was also asked about suggestions that the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame should be renamed - to become the Music Hall of Fame.

"I think to get to the core of it, people like the stuff that's closest to them, and I think they need to expand their thinking of rock and roll," he replied. "It's a big tent and everybody fits under it. It's an attitude, it's a spirit, and that's rock and roll."