June 27, 2024, marked the 40th anniversary of the release of Prince‘s iconic film Purple Rain, just two days after the release of its accompanying album. To commemorate the four decades since its release Prince was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF) in a special ceremony held in his hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
In 2013 Prince Rogers (Prince) was originally elected for induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame but could not attend because of a conflicting schedule. The SHOF policy holds that a songwriter must personally attend the annual induction and awards gala to be officially inducted. In 2023 Sade Adu, known as Sade, and Snoop Dogg were also elected for induction but had to relinquish their honor since neither could not attend the ceremony in New York City in June.
“He reached out at the end of 2015 and said how important the award was to him and that the June 2016 ceremony could work,” said Linda Moran, president and CEO of the Songwriters Hall of Fame in a statement on Prince’s previous induction. “We planned that it would be unannounced and a surprise, but unfortunately Prince passed two months beforehand in April [2016]. It has been a long road, but we are thrilled that one of the world’s most prolific and phenomenal songwriters is finally a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame.”
Videos by American Songwriter
[RELATED: 5 Reasons Prince Was Overdue Induction in the Songwriters Hall of Fame]
To celebrate Prince’s induction, fans gathered on June 27 at the Minneapolis Target Center as fans gathered to celebrate Prince’s Purple Rain, and watched the film, before a special induction ceremony by the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
During the ceremony, a longtime colleague of Prince, Gilbert Davison, presented the honor to Prince’s sister Sharon L. Nelson, who said she remembered her brother walking around writing lyrics on a yellow notepad.
“You will always remember his songs,” said Nelson during her acceptance speech for her brother. “This is the award he wanted more than any other in life—to be known as a great songwriter.”
Throughout his career, which started with his 1978 debut For You, Prince wrote every song in his catalog and had 19 songs in the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100, along with five No. 1 hits: “Let’s Go Crazy,” “When Doves Cry,” “Kiss,” “Batdance,” and “Cream.”
He also wrote a separate catalog of hits for other artists, including Stevie Nicks, Patti LaBelle, Sheena Easton, Kenny Rogers, Madonna, the Bangles, Celine Dion, and Kate Bush, and had a number of hits reemerge when covered by Sinéad O’Connor, Chaka Khan, Tom Jones, the Pointer Sisters, Cyndi Lauper, and Alicia Keyes.
In early 2024, the late country singer and songwriter Cindy Walker, who co-wrote the 1955 hit “You Don’t Know Me” with Eddy Arnold, along with Bing Crosby‘s 1941 hit “Lone Star Trail” and a collection of other hits throughout her 60-year career, and was posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Walker, who died in 2006 at 88, was honored for her contributions to music during a special ceremony on Friday, April 19 in Nashville at the Columbia Studio A.
Moving ahead, the Songwriters Hall of Fame plans to honor more deceased songwriters, who are typically not inducted during the annual SHOF gala. “The ceremony at Columbia Studio A was warm, intimate, and respectful,” said co-host Fletcher Foster, SHOF Board Member, in a statement, of Walker’s induction. “SHOF president and CEO Linda Moran says this now sets the stage for future posthumous inductions.”
In 2024, R.E.M., Steely Dan, and Timbaland were among the class of new inductees into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and were honored during the 53rd Annual Induction and Awards Gala at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City on June 13, 2024.
Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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