R.E.M., Steely Dan, and Timbaland are among the class of new inductees into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2024. CBS senior cultural correspondent Anthony Mason revealed the 2024 inductees on CBS Mornings on Wednesday, January 17. The Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees will be honored during the 53rd Annual Induction and Awards Gala at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City on June 13, 2024.
The 2024 honorees in the Performers category include R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and Bill Berry, Steely Dan’s Donald Fagen, and Walter Becker, along with Non-Performer inductees Hillary Lindsey, Timbaland (Timothy Mosley), and Dean Pitchford.
“I’ve said it before, but the music industry does not exist without songwriters delivering great songs first,” said Nile Rodgers, chairman of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, in a statement. “Without them, there is no recorded music, no concert business, no merch—nothing. It all starts with the song and the songwriter. We are therefore very proud that we are continually recognizing some of the culturally most important songwriters of all time and that the 2024 slate represents not just iconic songs but also diversity and unity across genres, ethnicity, and gender, songwriters who have enriched our lives, and literally enriched music and the lives of billions of listeners all over the world.”
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R.E.M. released 15 albums together from 1983 debut Murmur through their 15th and final Collapse Into Now in 2012 before disbanding in 2011. “Music is beyond rational thinking,” said Michael Stipe. “It doesn’t have to make sense but there’s something there.”
Lindsey, who along with songwriters Lori McKenna and Liz Rose formed the Love Junkies and co-wrote Little Big Town‘s 2014 hit “Girl Crush,” has also written for Lady Gaga, Carrie Underwood, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Martina McBride, Shakira, and Bon Jovi, among others. “There are so many days I don’t think I’ll write a good song,” said Lindsey, “yet I show up.”
Timbaland has written and produced hits for everyone from Michael Jackson, Madonna, Missy Elliott, Justin Timberlake, Rihanna, Alicia Keys, Kanye West, OneRepublic, Björk, and more. Fellow honoree Pitchford co-wrote the 1984 hit “Footloose” with Kenny Loggins and Whitney Houston’s 1990 No. 1 “All the Man That I Need” along with more hits for Cher (“After All”), Deniece Williams (“Let’s Hear It for the Boy”), and Bonnie Tyler (“Holding Out for a Hero”), among other hits.
This year, nominees in the Performers category included Blondie, Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart, Kenny Loggins, Bryan Adams, The Doobie Brothers, Public Enemy, Tracy Chapman, and many others. Adams, Blondie, and R.E.M. were also nominated in 2023 but were not chosen.
In the Non-Performers category, 2024 nominees included L. Russell Brown (“Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree”), Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter (“We Built This City”), Dean Dillon (“Tennessee Whiskey”), Tony Macaulay (“Build Me Up Buttercup”), Roger Nichols (“Rainy Days and Mondays”), Maurice Starr (“Candy Girl”), and Narada Michael Walden (“How Will I Know”).
In 2023, inductees included Gloria Estefan, Jeff Lynne, Liz Rose, Glen Ballard, and Teddy Riley. Snoop Dogg (Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr.) and Sade (Sade Adu) were also inducted but could not attend for personal reasons and deferred their inductions.
Songwriters with a significant commercial release of a song at least 20 years ago from all across the globe are eligible for nomination. Nominees in the performing and non-performing categories have “demonstrated exceptional writing, storytelling, and a command of their craft that has significantly contributed to the world’s extensive songbook,” according to the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
The Songwriters Hall of Fame was founded in 1969 by Johnny Mercer, Abe Olman, and Howie Richmond to help showcase the artistry, behind the scenes. The current board of the Songwriters Hall of Fame includes chairman Nile Rodgers, and CEO Linda Moran, along with senior vice presidents David Israelite, Elizabeth Matthews, and Mike O’Neill.
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