The inductees for the Songwriters Hall of Fame class of 2017 are in, and this year’s inductees include of some the industry’s heavyweights!
This morning (Feb. 22), on CBS’s “This Morning,” legendary funk musician Nile Rodgers made the announcement.
Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, Berry Gordy, Shawn “Jay Z” Carter, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Robert Lamm, James Pankow and Peter Cetera of “Chicago,” and Max Martin are being inducted into the prestigious class this year.
Jay-Z will be the first rapper to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, known for his witty and clever wordplay.
Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds is behind many of R&B’s hits, his own, and including Toni Braxton (“Breathe Again”), Brandy (“Sitting Up In My Room”), Boyz II Men (“I’ll Make Love to You”, which spent 14 weeks at No.1 in 1994,) and many more.
Berry Gordy launched and ran Motown Records, and was the writer for many of his label’s artists, including Jackie Wilson, Smokey Robinson, and four No.1 songs for The Jackson 5.
The Minneapolis songwriting duo Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis are behind some of the hits by Prince, Janet Jackson (eight No. 1 songs), New Edition, and more.
Max Martin’s pen extends into the pop world, having penned Britney Spears’ “Baby One More Time,” Backstreet Boys’ “I Want it That Way,” and as a co-writer for Katy Perry’s first No. 1 single, “I Kissed a Girl,” and Taylor Swift’s “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.”
Congrats to all the inductees!
