Songwriters Hall of Fame
The Songwriters Hall of Fame is a New York City- based organization honoring deserved songwriters in popular music .
History and objectives
The Songwriters Hall of Fame was established in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer and music publishers Abe Olman and Howie Richmond to honor outstanding composers and lyricists of popular music and to preserve and develop their work and legacy for future generations.
For this purpose, the organization compiles the biographies and catalog raisonnés of its members and also systematically collects their bequests with the aim of making these materials accessible to the public in a museum and archive building. The project is financed exclusively on a donation basis; so far (as of June 2008) such a building is still pending, while the official website of the organization is supposed to function as a virtual museum for the time being.
Founding President Mercer was followed in 1973 by Sammy Cahn , who founded the National Academy of Popular Music to support the project. After Cahn's death, Frank Sinatra headed the organization as "Chairman emeritus" from 1993 to 1998 . Today the organization is led by an eight-member board of directors and a 22-member board of directors. The current CEO of the Songwriters Hall of Fame is Hal David, President Linda Moran.
Annual awards
The Songwriters Hall of Fame, in collaboration with the National Academy of Popular Music, presents several different awards each year, the most important of which is the election of new members to the Hall of Fame. Some of the other prizes are also awarded to non-members. The winners will be announced in February of the current year; the ceremony will take place in June at a gala event in New York.
Songwriters Hall of Fame Membership
Individual songwriters, songwriting teams and sometimes bands are recorded.
Johnny Mercer Award
This award is only given to artists who have already been inducted into the Hall of Fame, but who have also created a work of special quality in the tradition of Johnny Mercer.
Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award
This award is given to artists for their life's work.
Abe Olman Publisher Award
This award is given to music producers who have looked after particularly outstanding pieces of music in their function.
Hal David Starlight Award
This prize is given to young artists who have already made a name for themselves in popular music.
Howie Richmond Hitmaker Award
This award is given to singers or personalities from the music industry who have been responsible for particularly successful hits over a long period of time.
Towering Song Award
This award is given to the authors of a song who made musical history generally over an extended period of time and influenced musical culture in the United States.
Members of the Songwriters Hall of Fame
As of 2019 (the year of admission to the Hall of Fame is given in brackets)