Mon, 12 Oct, 2026, 10:47 pm
Reported by timesofsandiego.com
Two big annual events celebrate the talent and diversity of San Diego’s music scene in different ways. Springtime finds the San Diego Music Awards at Humphrey’s, honoring the year’s top musicians in a variety of categories. And fall brings the San Diego Music Hall of Fame, which recognizes the lifetime accomplishments of key members of the city’s music community.
The hall is the brainchild of musician and organizer Jefferson Jay, who launched the honor in 2018. A new class of inductees has been added each year since then (except for a pandemic break in 2020), with seven more set to be honored for Friday’s induction ceremony at Vision: A Center for Spiritual Healing (7 p.m., $61-109).
The 2026 class includes reggae stars Big Mountain, R&B stalwarts Lady Dottie & the Diamonds, versatile drummer Larry Grano, jazz trombonist and educator Dr. Oliver Luck, jazz radio personality Claudia Russell, pioneering punk band the Penetrators, and the late, legendary rockin’ raconteur Mojo Nixon.
Performers at the ceremony will include members of Big Mountain, the Penetrators and Beat Farmers, plus Lady Dottie & the Diamonds, Dr. Oliver Luck with Richard James, Back to the Garden, Sue Palmer, Electric Waste Band, Hugh Gaskins, Ashley E. Norton and Gato Papacitos.
