FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New York, NY – November 6, 2019 – The Songwriters Hall of Fame has announced its slate of nominees to be voted upon for induction at its 51st Annual Induction & Awards Gala on June 11, 2020, in New York City.
The Songwriters Hall of Fame is dedicated to recognizing the work and lives of those composers and lyricists who create music around the world. A songwriter with a notable catalog of songs qualifies for induction 20 years after the first significant commercial release of a song. Eligible voting members will have until midnight on December 16, 2019 to turn in ballotswith their choices of three nominees from a songwriter and three from a performing songwriter category.
Bios and photos of the 2020 nominees can be found on the songhall.org website, and the nominees are:
(*Note that the five songs listed after each nominee are merely a representative sample of their extensive catalogs)
Songwriters
Lynn Ahrens / Stephen Flaherty – Scores for: * Ragtime * Once On This Island * Anastasia * Seussical * Rocky
Tommy Boyce (d) / Bobby Hart – * Come A Little Bit Closer * I’m Not Your Steppin’ Stone * I Wonder What’s She’s Doing Tonight? * Last Train To Clarksville * Valleri
L. Russell Brown/Irwin Levine (d) – * Tie A Yellow Ribbon * Knock Three Times * I’m Gonna Boogie Tonight * Say Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose * I Woke Up In Love This Morning
Sonny Curtis – * Theme from The Mary Tyler Moore Show; Love Is all Around * I Fought The Law * Walk Right Back * More Than I Can Say * I’m No Stranger To The Rain
Kye Fleming / Dennis Morgan – * Sleeping Single In A Double Bed * I Was Country When Country Wasn’t Cool * Nobody * I Wouldn’t Have Missed It For The World * Smokey Mountain Rain
Jerry Fuller – * Young Girl * Travelin’ Man * Lady Willpower * Show And Tell * Over You
Tony Macaulay – * Baby Now That I’ve Found You * Build Me Up Buttercup * Don’t Give Up On Us * Last Night I Couldn’t Get To Sleep At All * Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)
Bob McDill – * Amanda * Baby’s Got Her Blue Jeans On * Gone Country * It Must Be Love * Song Of The South
Chad Hugo / Pharrell Williams, p/k/a The Neptunes – * Hot In Herre * Beautiful * Hollaback * Rock Your Body * Give It To Me (I Just Wanna Love You)
Roger Nichols – * We’ve Only Just Begun * Rainy Days And Mondays * I Won’t Last A Day Without You * The Times of Your Life * Out In The Country
Rick Nowels – * Heaven Is A Place On Earth * White Flag * Summertime Sadness * You Get What You Give * The Power Of Goodbye
William “Mickey” Stevenson – * Beechwood 4-5789 * Dancing In The Street * Devil With The Blue Dress * It Takes Two * Pride And Joy
Performing Songwriters
Mariah Carey – * Vision Of Love * One Sweet Day * Hero * Always Be My Baby * All I Want For Christmas Is You
Gloria Estefan – * Broadway Musical On Your Feet! * Anything For You * Words Get In The Way * Rhythm Is Gonna Get You * Don’t Wanna Lose You Now
David Gates (Bread) – * Baby I’m-a Want You * Diary * Everything I Own * If * Make It With You
Vince Gill – * Go Rest High On That Mountain * When I Call Your Name * Don’t Let Our Love Start Slippin’ Away * I Still Believe In You * If You Ever Have Forever In Mind
Ernie Isley / Marvin Isley (d) / O’Kelly Isley (d) / Ronald Isley / Rudolph Isley (d) / Chris Jasper, p/k/a The Isley Brothers – * Fight The Power * It’s Your Thing * Nobody But Me * Shout * That Lady
Jonathan Cain / Steve Perry / Neal Schon, p/k/a Journey – * Don’t Stop Believin’ * Who’s Crying Now * Open Arms * Separate Ways * Faithfully
Annie Lennox / Dave Stewart – * Here Comes The Rain Again * Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) * Would I Lie To You * Missionary Man * Sisters Are Doin’ It For Themselves
Mike Love – * California Girls * Good Vibrations * Help Me Rhonda * I Get Around * Fun, Fun, Fun
Steve Miller – * Abracadabra * Fly Like An Eagle * Living In The USA * Take The Money And Run * The Joker
André “André 3000” Benjamin / Antwan “Big Boi” Patton, p/k/a Outkast – * Hey Ya! * So Fresh, So Clean * The Way You Move * Ms. Jackson * B.O.B.
Bill Berry / Peter Buck / Mike Mills / Michael Stipe, p/k/a R.E.M. – * Losing My Religion * It’s The End Of The World As We Know It * Stand * Everybody Hurts * Man On The Moon
Patti Smith – * Free Money * Dancing Barefoot * Frederick * Blakean Year * People Have The Power
About The Songwriters Hall of Fame:
The Songwriters Hall of Fame celebrates and honors the contributions of songwriters of all genres of music, educates the public with regard to their achievements and produces a spectrum of professional programs devoted to the development of new songwriting talent through songwriting craft forums, scholarships, digital initiatives and Master Sessions on both coasts. Educational activities are held at The GRAMMY Museum, which hosts the permanent Songwriters Hall of Fame Gallery, and at the University of Southern California/Thornton School of Music, with additional events and programs at Belmont University’s Mike Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business, the University of North Carolina and NYC’s Stuyvesant High School. Out of the tens of thousands of songwriters of our era, there are approximately 450 inductees who make up the impressive roster enshrined in the Hall of Fame.A songwriter with a notable catalog of songs qualifies for induction 20 years after the first significant commercial release of a song. The list of inductees include Kenneth Gamble & Leon Huff, Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil, Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller, Eddie Holland, Lamont Dozier & Brian Holland, Smokey Robinson, Paul Williams, Hal David & Burt Bacharach, Billy Steinberg & Tom Kelly, Bob Dylan, Isaac Hayes & David Porter, Carole King, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Neil Diamond, Lionel Richie, Carole Bayer Sager, Jon Bon Jovi & Richie Sambora, Elton John & Bernie Taupin, Brian Wilson, James Taylor, Don Schlitz, Bruce Springsteen, Phil Collins, Alan & Marilyn Bergman, Felice & Boudleaux Bryant, Loretta Lynn, Jimmy Webb, Van Morrison, Kris Kristofferson, Dolly Parton, Garth Brooks, Diane Warren, Stevie Wonder, Steven Tyler & Joe Perry, Mac Davis, Leonard Cohen, Ray Davies, Merle Haggard, Cyndi Lauper, Desmond Child, Mick Jones & Lou Gramm, Elvis Costello, Marvin Gaye, Nile Rodgers & Bernard Edwards, Bill Withers, Jay Z, Tom Petty, Toby Keith, Max Martin, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Berry Gordy, Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, Robert Lamm & James Pankow, Bill Anderson, Steve Dorff, Jermaine Dupri, Alan Jackson, Kool & The Gang, John Mellencamp, Allee Willis, Yusuf/Cat Stevens, Missy Elliott, John Prine, Dallas Austin, Tom T. Hall and Jack Tempchin, among many others.
Full biographies and a complete list of inductees are available on the Songwriters Hall of Fame website at songhall.org. Joining online is quick and easy: songhall.org/join.