Nashville.com Visitors Guide To Nashville, TN
The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame (NaSHOF) has announced the 2024 nominees.
The new group will be among those honored at the 54th Anniversary Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Gala on Wednesday, November 6, 2024, at the Music City Center.
“We congratulate this year’s nominees in our contemporary categories. Their nominations are so well deserved,” says NaSHOF Executive Director Mark Ford. “We look forward in several weeks to announcing those who will be inducted this fall as members of our Class of 2024.”
2024 Nominees in the Contemporary Songwriters category are:
Al Anderson
Shawn Camp
Desmond Child
Jim Collins
Gordon Kennedy
Frank J. Myers
Annie Roboff
Liz Rose
2024 Nominees in the Contemporary Songwriter/Artists category are:
Steven Curtis Chapman
Brad Paisley
Phil Vassar
Lucinda Williams
All nominees experienced their first significant songs at least 20 years ago. A total of two songwriters and one songwriter/artist will be elected from the contemporary categories by members of the Hall of Fame along with other professional songwriters and artists from a variety of genres who are prominently identified with Nashville and who have written/co-written at least one original and significant Nashville song.
In addition, three more will be named to the Class of 2024. A separate body of veteran voters will elect a Veteran Songwriter, a Veteran Songwriter/Artist and a Legacy Songwriter (deceased), all of whom experienced their first significant songs at least 30 years ago. As part of that process, nominees in those categories are not announced.
ABOUT THE NASHVILLE SONGWRITERS HALL OF FAME 2024 NOMINEES:
Category 1 – SONGWRITERS
AL ANDERSON
“Big Al” Anderson was born in Windsor, CT. Raised by his piano teacher mother and a radio that would get WWVA in Wheeling, WV, late at night, he devoured all genres of music. He was a member of The Wildweeds in the late 1960s. From 1971 to 1993 he was lead guitarist in the Rock band NRBQ, also releasing several solo albums. He was recognized as one of the top 100 guitar players of the 20th Century by Musician magazine. In the 1990s, Al shifted his focus to Country music. In 1993 Al celebrated his first major hit as Carlene Carter took their co-written “Every Little Thing” to #3 Country. Among Al’s best-known songs are “Should’ve Asked Her Faster” by Ty England, “All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down” by The Mavericks w/ Flaco Jiménez, “Unbelievable” by Diamond Rio, “Powerful Thing” by Trisha Yearwood, “Big Deal” by LeAnn Rimes, “The Cowboy In Me” by Tim McGraw, “Trip Around The Sun” by Jimmy Buffett & Martina McBride (also #1 Bluegrass in 2024 for Bronwyn Keith-Hynes w/ Dierks Bentley), “Love’s Gonna Make It Alright” by George Strait, and “Loving You Easy” by The Zac Brown Band. Al was named 2000 BMI Country Songwriter of the Year.
SHAWN CAMP
Shawn Camp grew up on a farm outside of Perryville, AR. Shawn picked up a guitar at age five and by age 20 had moved to Nashville, where he found work in the late ’80s as a fiddle player in backing bands for The Osborne Brothers, Jerry Reed, Alan Jackson and Trisha Yearwood. After charting a pair of self-penned singles in 1993 as a Warner Bros. recording artist, Shawn turned his attention to writing songs for other artists — earning his first #1 hits in 1998 with “Two Piña Coladas” by Garth Brooks and “How Long Gone” by Brooks & Dunn. In 2006, he had Top 5 singles with “Nobody But Me” by Blake Shelton and “Would You Go With Me” by Josh Turner. Shawn also co-wrote Turner’s “Firecracker,” as well as “River Of Love” by George Strait and “Love Done Gone” by Billy Currington. Shawn’s songs have also been hits for Bluegrass artists such as Ricky Skaggs, The Lonesome River Band and Don Rigsby. Shawn’s “We Know Where He Is” by The Del McCoury Band was a 2007 GMA bluegrass song nominee and his “My Quiet Mind” by The Gibson Brothers was a 2018 SPBGMA bluegrass song nominee. In the Americana field, Shawn’s “My Love Will Not Change” by Aubrie Sellers w/ Steve Earle was an AMA song nominee in 2020.
DESMOND CHILD
Desmond Child was born in Gainesville, FL, but grew up in Miami. By the mid-1970s his obsession with music led him to New York City, where early co-writes with Paul Stanley of KISS yielded 1979’s “I Was Made For Loving You.” By 1986, Desmond’s co-writes with Bon Jovi provided the band with two of their biggest hits — “You Give Love A Bad Name” and “Livin’ On A Prayer.” Desmond continued his ’80s Rock/Pop success with songs such as “Dude Looks Like A Lady” by Aerosmith and “I Hate Myself For Loving You” by Joan Jett (tweaked in 2013 to become the NBC Sunday Night Football theme). Moving to Nashville in the early ’90s, Desmond celebrated more hits, including “Crazy” by Aerosmith, “Where Your Road Leads” by Trisha Yearwood & Garth Brooks, “Nobody Wants To Be Lonely” by Ricky Martin & Christina Aguilera, and “Waking Up In Vegas” by Katy Perry. “Livin’ La Vida Loca” by Ricky Martin was named 2000 ASCAP Pop Song of the Year and Billboard’s 1999 Latin Pop Track of the Year. Desmond is a 2008 inductee into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in New York and a 2022 inductee into the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame.
JIM COLLINS
Jim Collins grew up on a dairy farm in Nacogdoches, TX. Gifted his first guitar at age 10, he played his first professional gig at 12, later moving on to various Rock bands throughout high school. In the 1980s Jim began playing Country music and writing original songs. He played the Texas music scene until 1995, when he moved to Nashville. Within a few months he had a publishing deal and was an in-demand demo singer. His first cut came in 1997 and his first Top 10 two years later. By 2000 Jim had his first #1 song with “Yes!” by Chad Brock. Jim’s particular success with Kenny Chesney has yielded hits such as “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy” and “Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven,” as well as “The Good Stuff,” which was named the 2002 ACM Single of the Year and the 2003 ASCAP Country Song of the Year. Other hits written by Jim include “Then They Do” by Trace Adkins, “It Just Comes Natural” by George Strait, “Big Green Tractor” by Jason Aldean, “I Don’t Feel Like Loving You Today” by Gretchen Wilson (a 2006 Grammy nominee for best country song), “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not” by Thompson Square (a 2011 Grammy nominee for best country song) and “Damn Strait” by Scotty McCreery. Jim is a 2020 inductee into the Texas Heritage Songwriters Hall Of Fame.
GORDON KENNEDY
Born in Shreveport, LA, Gordon Kennedy moved with his family to Nashville at age one. He grew up spending time at recording sessions with his father, musician/producer Jerry Kennedy. Receiving a Fender Telecaster at age 15, Gordon played his first recording session and wrote his first song while in high school. In 1984 he joined the Christian Rock band White Heart, writing five of their Top 5 hits, including “Fly Eagle Fly” and “Eighth Wonder.” By the mid-90s, he was a co-writer on the international hit “Change The World” — first recorded in 1995 by Wynonna, then again by Eric Clapton for the 1996 film, Phenomenon. The song spent 13 weeks at #1 and earned the 1997 Grammy for Best Song (and also for Record of the Year). Among Gordon’s dozen-plus Garth Brooks cuts are “You Move Me,” “Love Will Always Win” (duet with Trisha Yearwood), “Lost In You” and “It Don’t Matter To The Sun” (the latter two by Brooks’ alter ego Chris Gaines). Gordon has Adult Contemporary singles by Bonnie Raitt (including the Top 15 “I Can’t Help You Now,”), as well as Bluegrass singles by Ricky Skaggs (“You Can’t Hurt Ham” and “Return To Sender,” a Grammy Gospel song nominee).
FRANK J. MYERS
Frank J. Myers grew up in Dayton, OH. His father taught him to play guitar, and by age 14, Frank had formed a band with his brother. After moving to Nashville in 1981, Frank was hired by Eddy Raven as a guitar player – later becoming Raven’s band leader and road manager. During that time, Frank co-wrote 10 Top 10 singles for Raven, including “Bayou Boys,” “I Got Mexico” and “Sometimes A Lady.” In 1982, Frank’s “You And I” became a hit for Eddie Rabbitt and Crystal Gayle. Other hits from Frank’s catalog include “My Front Porch Looking In” by Lonestar, “Come In Out Of The Pain” by Doug Stone and “Once Upon A Lifetime” by Alabama. The John Michael Montgomery version of “I Swear” earned a slew of awards — 1994 Grammy for Best Country Song, 1994 Academy of Country Music (ACM) Song and Single of the Year, 1994 Country Music Association (CMA) Single of the Year, 1994 NSAI Song of the Year, 1995 ASCAP Country Song of the Year — with the All 4 One version topping the Pop chart for 11 consecutive weeks. “I’m Already There” by Lonestar was the 2002 ASCAP Country Song of the Year and the 2002 BMI Country Song of the Year. “Tomorrow” by Chris Young was the 2011 SESAC Country Song of the Year.
ANNIE ROBOFF
Born in Greenburgh, NY, Annie Roboff began her music career writing songs for her bandmates in New York City a cappella group The Bondinis. When the group parted ways, Annie began writing/arranging sports themes for ABC. Soon she was creating music for TBS, CBS and ESPN (the original SportsCenter theme), as well as the Olympics and the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana. Relocating to Los Angeles, Annie shifted her focus to writing songs. Following several Pop and R&B cuts, she was signed to Almo/lrving Music in 1994. Later that year, after a writing trip to Nashville, she made the move to Music City and co-wrote her first hit, “Walking Away” by Diamond Rio. By 1998, Annie celebrated several more hits, including “Happy Girl” by Martina McBride, “There Goes My Baby” by Trisha Yearwood, “To Have You Back Again” by Patty Loveless, and the multi-genre smash “This Kiss” by Faith Hill which was honored as 1998 Academy of Country Music (ACM) Single of the Year, 1999 Country Music Association (CMA) Song of the Year and 1999 ASCAP Country Song of the Year. Other hits from Annie’s pen include “That’s The Way” by Jo Dee Messina, “If I Fall You’re Going Down With Me” by the Dixie Chicks, “Unbroken” by Tim McGraw and the Faith Hill hits “If My Heart Had Wings” and “One.”
LIZ ROSE
Dallas-born Liz Rose was raised in Irving, TX. A non-songwriter at that time, she moved with her songwriter husband to Nashville, where she found work as a songplugger. Encouraged by songwriters and other friends, Liz began writing songs at age 37, and by 2004 she had her first Top 20 single, “Songs About Rain,” by Gary Allan. By mid-decade, Liz’s co-writes with newcomer Taylor Swift yielded her debut hits “Tim McGraw” and “Teardrops On My Guitar,” which was named 2008 BMI Country Song of the Year. Their collaborations span nearly 20 cuts, including “You Belong With Me” (2010 BMI Country Song of the Year), “White Horse” (2010 Grammy for Best Country Song) and the 2022 Grammy-nominated “All Too Well (10-minute version from the short film).” Other hits from Liz’s catalog include “Cry Pretty” by Carrie Underwood and the 2019 Grammy-nominated “It All Comes Out In The Wash” by Miranda Lambert. “Crazy Girl” by Eli Young Band was named 2011 Academy of Country Music (ACM) Song of the Year. “Girl Crush” by Little Big Town earned the 2016 Grammy for Best Country Song, the 2015 Country Music Association (CMA) Song and Single of the Year, and the 2015 NSAI Song of the Year. Liz was the 2007 SESAC Country Songwriter of the Year. She is a 2018 inductee into the Texas Heritage Songwriters Hall of Fame and a 2023 inductee into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in New York.
Category 2 – CONTEMPORARY SONGWRITER/ARTISTS
STEVEN CURTIS CHAPMAN
The most awarded artist in Christian music history, Steven Curtis Chapman grew up in Paducah, Kentucky, where he learned to play guitar at a young age by hanging out in his father’s music store. Following a brief college career as a pre-med student, Steven moved to Nashville to pursue music. The 1987 release of his debut album, First Hand, launched a flood of awards for his self-penned hits, including “His Eyes” (the GMA’s 1989 Pop/Contemporary Song of the Year), “His Strength Is Perfect” (the GMA’s 1990 Inspirational Song of the Year), “The Great Adventure” (the GMA’s 1993 Song of the Year and Pop/Contemporary Song of the Year), “Go There With You” (the GMA’s 1994 Pop/Contemporary Song of the Year), “Heaven In The Real World” (the GMA’s 1995 Pop/Contemporary Song of the Year), “Let Us Pray” (the GMA’s 1998 Pop/Contemporary Song of the Year) and “Dive” (the GMA’s 2000 Pop/Contemporary Song of the Year). Other award-winning songs from Steven’s catalogue include “I Can See The Hand Of God” by The Cathedrals (the GMA’s 1990 Southern Gospel Song Of The Year) and “Voice Of Truth” by Casting Crowns (the GMA’s 2005 Inspirational Song of the Year). One of the most-honored artists in the history of Christian music, Steven is a 10-time winner of the GMA’s Songwriter of the Year award (1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998 and 2009), as well as NSAI’s 1999 Songwriter/Artist of the Year. A four-time BMI Christian Songwriter of the Year (2001, 2003, 2004, 2010), he is the first Christian music songwriter to receive the BMI Icon Award (2022). In 2023, “Don’t Lose Heart” became his 50th self-penned #1 single as an artist.
BRAD PAISLEY
Brad Paisley was born and raised in Glen Dale, WV. He received his first guitar from his grandfather, who taught him to play at eight years old. At age 13, Brad wrote his first song, which he performed publicly, and which eventually led him to an eight-year stint performing on Wheeling’s Jamboree USA. After high-school graduation and two years at West Liberty State College, Brad was awarded a fully paid ASCAP scholarship to Belmont University in Nashville where he majored in music business. A week after graduating from Belmont, Brad signed as a writer with EMI Music Publishing. Following cuts by David Kersh, David Ball and Tracy Byrd, Brad signed with Arista Nashville and soon began to record his own songs. As an artist, he has placed 33 self-penned Top 20 songs on the Billboard charts, including 15 #1s and 14 more in the Top 10. Among those compositions are “He Didn’t Have To Be,” “Alcohol,” “I’m Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin’ Song),” “Celebrity,” “Ticks,” “Letter To Me,” “Then,” “This Is Country Music,” “Water,” and his duet with Carrie Underwood “Remind Me.” A member of the Grand Ole Opry since 2001, Brad was ASCAP’s 2004 Country Songwriter/Artist of the Year. He was NSAI’s Songwriter/Artist of the Year in 2002 and 2005.
PHIL VASSAR
Phil Vassar was born in Lynchburg, VA. During college, he began playing piano and singing in local clubs. Moving to Nashville, Phil found the going slow until 1997 when some of his initial songs were recorded by Blackhawk, Skip Ewing, and The Sons of the Desert. Then in 1998, Phil’s songs started gaining traction as singles for a variety of artists. During the next two years, he garnered six chart-topping hits from Collin Raye, Alan Jackson, Jo Dee Messina (including the #1 “Bye, Bye”) and Tim McGraw (including the #1 “My Next Thirty Years”). During that time, he was named NSAI’s 1998 Songwriter of the Year and ASCAP’s 1999 Country Songwriter of the Year. In late 1999, Phil signed a record deal with Arista Nashville. Released the following year, his debut album generated the self-penned hits “Carlene,” “Rose Bouquet,” “Six-Pack Summer,” “That’s When I Love You” and “Just Another Day In Paradise,” Phil’s first #1 as an artist. Propelled by that success, he was named ASCAP’s 2001 Country Songwriter/Artist of the Year. Other hits by Phil as an artist include “American Child,” “In A Real Love” and “Last Day Of My Life.” He was named NSAI’s 2006 Songwriter/Artist of the Year.
LUCINDA WILLIAMS
Born in Lake Charles, LA, Lucinda Williams began writing songs at age six, playing guitar at age 12 and performing on stage at age 17. Dropping out of college to pursue music full-time, she played venues in Austin and Houston before moving to Jackson, MS, in 1978 to record her first album of cover songs. Her second album featured all original songs and her landmark self-titled third album produced three hits. The first, her breakout “Changed The Locks,” reached #16 Rock in 1988 and would become a #20 Rock hit for Tom Petty nearly a decade later. The second, “The Night’s Too Long,” became a #20 Country hit for Patty Loveless in 1990. The third, “Passionate Kisses,” became a #4 Country hit for Mary Chapin Carpenter and earned Lucinda the 1994 Grammy for Best Country Song. By 2001, she charted again as an artist with the #9 Alternative hit “Essence.” She earned AMA nominations for her songs “Righteously” (2003), “Are You Alright?” (2007) and “East Side Of Town” (2015). She earned Grammy nominations for “Come On” (2007), “Kiss Like Your Kiss” (2010) and “Man Without A Soul” (2020). Lucinda was awarded the 2011 Americana Music Association (AMA) Lifetime Achievement Award (songwriting) and the 2022 BMI Troubadour Award. In 2021, she was inducted into the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame.
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