The Songwriters Hall of Fame had their ceremony last night and although the arguable headliner, Ray Davies, was not present due to the death of his sister, it was a well received affair. Davies was the frontman and songwriter of the popular British band, The Kinks. The band themselves have long since been inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, though it can be argued that this is an overdue induction as Davies was not a songwriter who penned the standard rock tune. He could appeal to the working class, the avant garde and those who just wanted a cheery pop song. Jon Bon Jovi sang a medley of Kinks hits to close out the show.
Donovan, who also was selected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, was also formally inducted to the Songwriters Hall of Fame. The Scotsman was a major force on the Folk scene that was labelled as a genius by some and eccentric by others; of which they might both be right. No matter what, he was unique and he is a man of which time has shined a very positive light. He performed last night with Roseanne Cash.
Another man from the United Kingdom, Graham Gouldman, joined them as an inductee. He penned three well known songs that have persevered from the late 60’s, including two made famous by the Yardbirds (Heart Full of Soul & For Your Love) and Bus Stop which was recorded by the Hollies. He was a performer himself and was part of 10cc, which themselves had a decent run. A Great Big World performed 10cc’s hit “I’m Not in Love” at the ceremony.
The fourth inductee is Mark James, from the United States. He wrote “Hooked on a Feeling” which was performed by his friend, B.J. Thomas and “Suspicious Minds” which was arguably Elvis’ last great hit. In our opinion, his greatest songwriting performance was “Always On My Mind” which was executed so well by Willie Nelson, that he often erroneously receives credit for writing it. Martina McBride was on hand to perform “Suspicious Minds”.
Jim Weatherly, also an American was also honored last night. Like everyone else selected this year, he wrote many hits but was known mostly for his work writing the majority of the songs for Gladys Knight and the Pips, including “Midnight Train to Georgia” which was performed by American Idol winner, Candice Glover.
The top award of the night, the Johnny Mercer Award was given to the famed songwriting duo of Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff who are widely given credit to the rise of “Philly Soul”. The Award is given only to past inductees of the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame, which they entered in 1995. The duo has also been chosen for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. R&B singer Miguel performed “Me and Mrs. Jones”.
Imagine Dragons were on hand as their frontman received the Hal Davis Starlight Award, which is given annually to the young songwriter who has already made an impact on the music industry.
We would like to congratulate this year’s class, and we are very curious to see how this Hall of Fame grows in the future.
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