Spring, 2008

By Hal David
Chairman/CEO

The mission of the Songwriters Hall of Fame is to celebrate and promote the role of the songwriters, composers and lyricists who create popular music for the world, while nurturing the songwriters of tomorrow.

At our Annual Awards gala, we honor legendary songwriters for their lifetime of musical achievements, and this will be a stellar year. From seminal rock to cross-over country, from pop anthems to Oscar-winning musicals, this year’s inductees truly have contributed to the soundtrack of our lives. I am very pleased to announce that the inductees who will be inaugurated into our Hall of Fame this June 19th will be Desmond Child, Albert Hammond, Alan Menken, Loretta Lynn and John Sebastian. This is the beginning of a prestigious line-up that will also include several special awardees we will have the pleasure of announcing shortly. We are immensely gratified with the growing impact of our event, which is now one of the industry’s high points of the year, and we are looking forward to another memorable evening where we honor the accomplishments of our 2008 inductees.

“Insightful and memorable” were just some of the words used to describe the premiere of our groundbreaking series Words About Music profiling the work of Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik, creators of the Grammy and Tony Award-winning musical Spring Awakening, at the Symphony Space. (See separate story)

Our songhall.org website has focused on laying the groundwork for educational initiatives to assist our members in all aspects of the art and business of songwriting. It combines 21st century resources for both legendary songwriters already in the Hall of Fame with new support for those building their careers. I hope you will visit the site today to take advantage of all of these innovative features.

We are looking forward to the excitement of our Annual Awards gala on June 19th and congratulations to our 2008 inductees!