Songwriter Hall Of Fame Nominees Selected

Ten songwriters and five songwriter/artists were nominated for induction into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame yesterday, which is widely recognized as one of the nation’s highest songwriting honors. Each year, the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Foundation, Inc., a non-profit foundation dedicated to “honoring and preserving the songwriting legacy uniquely associated with the Nashville music community,” selects two songwriters and one songwriter/artist for induction from a group of nominees.

Ten songwriters and five songwriter/artists were nominated for induction into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame yesterday, which is widely recognized as one of the nation’s highest songwriting honors. Each year, the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Foundation, Inc., a non-profit foundation dedicated to “honoring and preserving the songwriting legacy uniquely associated with the Nashville music community,” selects two songwriters and one songwriter/artist for induction from a group of nominees. This year’s Induction Ceremony will be held on Sunday, October 26, at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel.

“Each of the nominees has honed the songwriting craft to perfection, and the songs they’ve given us are absolute treasures,” said Roger Murrah, a 2005 inductee and the current chair of the Foundation. The ballot seeks to recognize songwriters whose first significant works achieved commercial success and/or artistic recognition at least 20 years ago and have “positively impacted and been closely associated with the Nashville music community and deemed to be outstanding and significant.”

The ballot is recommended to the Board of Directors by the Hall of Fame Nominating Committee, composed of members and Music Row historians. Votes are cast by Hall of Fame members and Professional Songwriter members of the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI), as well as the boards of NSAI and the foundation itself.

Established in 1970, the Hall of Fame boasts 168 members, including songwriting legends such as Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Don & Phil Everly, Bill Monroe, Roy Orbison, Hank Williams, Sr. and Jr., to name a few.

Songwriter nominees (and their works):

Matraca Berg (“Strawberry Wine” by Deana Carter)
Paul Craft (“Hank Williams, You Wrote My Life” by Moe Bandy)
Kye Fleming (“I Was Country When Country Wasn’t Cool” by Barbara Mandrell)
Larry Henley (“The Wind Beneath My Wings” by Bette Midler)
the late John Jarrard (“Blue Clear Sky” by George Strait)
Bob Morrison (“You Decorated My Life” by Kenny Rogers)
Mark D. Sanders (“I Hope You Dance” by Lee Ann Womack)
Tom Shapiro (“Ain’t Nothing ‘Bout You” by Brooks & Dunn)
John Scott Sherrill (“Would You Go With Me” by Josh Turner) 
Sharon Vaughn (“My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys” by Willie Nelson)

Songwriter/Artist nominees (and their works):

The late Paul Davis (“I Go Crazy”)
Larry Gatlin (“All the Gold in California”)
John Hiatt (“Ridin’ With the King”)
the late Johnny Horton (“Honky Tonk Man”)
Tony Joe White (“Rainy Night in Georgia”)