San Diego Music Hall of Fame reveals 2026 inductees, including Mojo Nixon, Big Mountain

The late rockabilly artist Mojo Nixon and the reggae band Big Mountain are among the artists newly announced as inductees as part of the San Diego Music Hall of Fame’s class of 2026.

Other performers scheduled to be inducted in the Oct. 16 ceremony include jazz, punk rock and blues artists, signifying the musical diversity of the San Diego music scene.

“It’s a wonderful, eclectic group and I am really excited about this year’s show,” Hall of Fame founder Jefferson Jay said.

The full list of inductees, according to Jay, is:

• Mojo Nixon, an eccentric rockabilly artist who’s best known for his song “Elvis is Everywhere,” which was a staple on MTV in the late 1980s. Nixon, who died in 2024 at 66,, is also known for collaborating with National City native musician Skid Roper.

• Big Mountain, the reggae band that was formed in San Diego in the mid-1980s. They’re best known for their cover of Peter Frampton’s “Baby, I Love Your Way,” which reached No. 6 on the Billboard songs chart in 1994.

• Claudia Russell, aka Jazz Kitty, a longtime KSDS 88.3 radio DJ known for her weekly program “Bohemia After Dark,” as well as for her championing of San Diego jazz and the city’s music community.

• The Penetrators, a pioneering San Diego band that helped establish the city’s early punk scene in the late 1970s. The band, which disbanded in the mid-1980s, began reuniting periodically for live performances a few years later.

• Larry Grano, a drummer, singer and San Diego music mainstay. His career has included performing in the tribute bands Rockola and Steely Damned as well as being the lead singer for the Soul/R&B band, the Soul Persuaders.

• Lady Dottie & The Diamonds, an award-winning San Diego band that combined blues, soul and rock music during their electric live shows, led by vocalist Dorothy Mae “Lady Dottie” Whitsett.

• Oliver Luck, a veteran trombonist, musician and longtime educator whose career touched generations of musicians and students. Luck, a World War II veteran, was a professional musician before and after the war, and performed with Count Basie.

Several live performances are set for the induction ceremony, including from members of the bands Big Mountain, the Penetrators and Nixon-affiliated band the Beat Farmers, Lady Dottie and the Diamonds, Oliver Luck & Richard James, Gato Papacitos and more.

“Our lineup of performers is amazing,” Jay said.

The ceremony is scheduled for 7 p.m. Oct. 16 at Vision Center for Spiritual Healing, 4780 Mission Gorge Place. It will be preceded by dinner at 6 p.m. Tickets start at $61.60 and are available online.