The Songwriters Hall of Fame announced its class of 2018: Alan Jackson, Bill Anderson, Steve Dorff, Kool & The Gang (Robert “Kool” Bell, Ronald Bell, George Brown and James “JT” Taylor), Jermaine Dupri, John Mellencamp and Allee Willis.
Three of this year’s inductees—Alan Jackson, Bill Anderson and Steve Dorff—have had a significant impact on country music.
Alan Jackson’s inclusion in the Songwriters Hall of Fame will follow his recent induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2017. Alan is in the elite company of Paul McCartney and John Lennon among songwriters who have written more than 20 songs that they’ve recorded and taken to the top of the charts. Alan’s works include “Chattahoochee,” “Midnight in Montgomery,” “Remember When,” “Livin’ On Love,” “Drive,” “Chasin’ That Neon Rainbow,” “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)” and more.
Whisperin’ Bill Anderson, a 2001 Country Music Hall of Fame inductee, penned a number of hits over his 60-year career, including “City Lights,” “Tips of My Fingers,” “Once a Day,” “Saginaw, Michigan,” “That’s What It’s Like To Be Lonesome,” “I Missed Me,” “Cold Hard Facts of Life,” “Mama Sang a Song,” “Whiskey Lullaby,” “Give It Away” and more.
Steve Dorff’s songs have been recorded by Kenny Rogers, George Strait, Garth Brooks, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson and more. A few of Dorff’s songwriting credits included Kenny Rogers’ “Through the Years,” George Strait’s “I Cross My Heart” and Eddie Rabbitt’s “Every Which Way But Loose.”
The group will be inducted on June 14 at the Induction & Awards Gala in New York City, joining previously honored songwriters such as Smokey Robinson, Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Jon Bon Jovi, Elton John, James Taylor, Bruce Springsteen, Phil Collins, Kris Kristofferson, Dolly Parton, Garth Brooks, Stevie Wonder, Tom Petty, Toby Keith and many more.
To qualify for induction, a songwriter must be a published writer for a minimum of 20 years with a notable catalog of hit songs.
