Guigsy and Whitey, as they’re known to fans, both played in Oasis at the peak of their Nineties popularity, and neither was initially listed as an inductee
When the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame unveiled the members of Oasis joining the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2026, two names were oddly absent: bass player Paul “Guigsy” McGuigan and drummer Alan “Whitey” White.
They both had very strong claims. Guigsy is the original Oasis bassist, whose tenure spanned the band’s formation in 1991 through 1999. That’s the group’s entire golden age. Whitey wasn’t there at the start, but he joined in time to play on 1995’s (What’s the Story) Morning Glory, and remained in the group until 2004. He’s the drummer on four of their seven albums, including their biggest one.
Earlier this week, we flagged this in an article that contains eight burning questions about the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2026. “If [Tony] McCarroll is getting in for playing drums with the band from 1991 to 1995, Guigsy should be inducted for playing bass with them from 1991 to 1999,” we wrote. “It isn’t complicated. The Rock Hall just messed this one up. They need to fix it. #JusticeForGuigsy.”
Our #JusticeForGuigsy campaign worked faster than we could have imagined, since his name now appears on the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s website as an inductee. We didn’t launch a #JusticeForWhitey movement, but apparently, we didn’t need to. He’s now listed as well.
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It’s unclear what exactly transpired behind the scenes, and these could have been mere oversights that were quickly corrected. There also could have been an intervention from the Oasis camp. Either way, these are the right moves. And we now anxiously await the ceremony on Nov. 14, where we’ll see who from the band is actually going to show up. Guigsy is extremely reclusive; the Gallaghers and the rest of the current lineup quite possibly have no interest in participating in any of this. We would just see Whitey and McCarroll at the podium. They can perform a “Champaign Supernova” drum-off.
(If we’re now in the business of correcting Hall of Fame mistakes, Ronnie James Dio should be in with Black Sabbath, Dave Abbruzzese should be in with Pearl Jam, and Mark Evans should be in with AC/DC. It’s never too late to do the right thing.)
