The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame has announced its 2011 nominees, and the roster is extraordinary. (Full disclosure: I’m a member of the Hall’s board.)
Here’s the announcement that was released today:
Five highly successful artists and ten songwriters whose work has been recorded by some of the biggest names in popular and country music have been nominated for one of the nation’s highest songwriting honors – induction into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson, Amy Grant, Townes Van Zandt and Larry Gatlin are the 2011 nominees in the Songwriter/Artist category. John Bettis, Robert Byrne, J.J. Cale, Jan Crutchfield., Mark James, Dan Penn, Gretchen Peters, Tom Schuyler, Allan Shamblin and John Scott Sherill are the Songwriter category nominees.
“This is an amazing group of songwriters and songwriter/artists,” said John Van Mol, chair of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Foundation (NaSHOF), which owns and administers the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. “Every one of them is extremely worthy of induction, and it is our honor to place each of their names in nomination.”
Van Mol said the ballot seeks to recognize songwriters whose first significant works achieved commercial success and/or artistic recognition at least 20 years ago and who have “positively impacted and been closely associated with the Nashville Music Community and deemed to be outstanding and significant.” This year’s inductees will be announced in the coming weeks before the dinner, he added.
The 10 Songwriter Category nominees reflect multiple genres and eras:
John Bettis (“Slow Hand” by Conway Twitty/The Pointer Sisters * “Top Of The World”
by The Carpenters/Lynn Anderson)
Robert Byrne [1954-2005] (“Two Dozen Roses” by Shenandoah * “Rose Bouquet” by Phil Vassar)
J.J. Cale (“Cocaine” by Eric Clapton * “Call Me The Breeze” by Lynyrd Skynyrd)
Jan Crutchfield (“Statue Of A Fool” by Jack Greene/Brian Collins/Ricky Van Shelton * “Dream On Little Dreamer” by Perry Como)
Mark James (“Suspicious Minds” by Elvis Presley * “Always On My Mind” by Willie Nelson)
Dan Penn (“I’m Your Puppet” by James & Bobby Purify * “The Dark End Of The Street” by James Carr/Archie Campbell & Lorene Mann)
Gretchen Peters (“Independence Day” by Martina McBride * “The Chill Of An Early Fall” by George Strait)
Thom Schuyler (“16th Avenue” by Lacy J. Dalton * “Love Will Turn You Around” by Kenny Rogers)
Allen Shamblin (“I Can’t Make You Love Me” by Bonnie Raitt * “The House That Built Me” (Miranda Lambert)
John Scott Sherrill (“Nothin’ But The Wheel” by Patty Loveless * “Would You Go With Me” by Josh Turner)
The five nominees in the Songwriter/Artist category enjoyed some of their greatest successes with their own compositions:
Garth Brooks (“If Tomorrow Never Comes” * “Unanswered Prayers” * “The Thunder Rolls”)
Larry Gatlin (“Broken Lady” * “Statues Without Hearts” * “All The Gold In California”)
Amy Grant (“Baby Baby” * “Every Heartbeat” * “Tennessee Christmas”)
Alan Jackson (“Don’t Rock The Jukebox” * “Chattahoochee” * “Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning)”)
Townes Van Zandt [1944-1997] (“If I Needed You” * “Pancho And Lefty” * “White Freight Liner Blues”)
Two Songwriters and one Songwriter/Artist will be inducted at the NaSHOF’s annual Hall of Fame Dinner and Induction Ceremony to be held Sunday, Oct. 16, at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel. Tickets for the event will go on sale in late August.
For more information on each nominee, please visit: http://www.nashvillesongwritersfoundation.com/2011/15-nominated-for-nashville-songwriters-hall-of-fame.aspx
About the 2011 Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Ballot
The ballot was recommended to the board by the NaSHOF’s Hall of Fame Nominating Committee, which is comprised of Hall of Fame 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 the NaSHOF and NSAI.
About the 2011 Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Dinner & Induction Ceremony
One of the music industry’s foremost events of the year, the Hall of Fame Dinner features tributes and performances of inductees’ songs by special guest artists. In recent years artists such as Garth Brooks, Jimmy Buffett, the Del McCoury Band, Emmylou Harris, Toby Keith, Kris Kristofferson, Barbara Mandrell, Michael McDonald, Ronnie Milsap, Bonnie Raitt, Blake Shelton, George Strait, Marty Stuart, Taylor Swift, Keith Urban, Steve Wariner, Gretchen Wilson and Trisha Yearwood have performed at or participated in the event. Also that same evening, NaSHOF’s sister organization, the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI), presents its annual awards for the year’s best Song, Songwriter and Songwriter/Artist, as well as the Top 10 “Songs I Wish I Had Written,” as determined by its professional songwriters.
About the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Foundation
Established in 1970, the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Foundation, Inc. is a non-profit foundation dedicated to honoring and preserving the songwriting legacy uniquely associated with the Nashville Music Community. The Hall boasts 179 members, including songwriting luminaries such as Bill Anderson, Bobby Braddock, Felice & Boudleaux Bryant, Johnny Cash, Vince Gill, Tom T. Hall, Harlan Howard, Kris Kristofferson, Loretta Lynn, Bob McDill, Roger Miller, Bill Monroe, Roy Orbison, Dolly Parton, Dottie Rambo, Don Schlitz, Cindy Walker, Marijohn Wilkin, Hank Williams Sr. and Hank Williams Jr.