David Bellamy (The Bellamy Brothers), Al Anderson, Liz Rose, Dan Penn and Victoria Shaw were officially inducted as the newest members of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame (NaSHOF) on Wednesday evening (Nov. 6) during a star-studded Gala at Music City Center in Nashville, Tennessee.
The late Tony Joe White was also inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in the legacy category, which was specifically designed to honor Hall of Fame-worthy candidates who have passed away.
Six New Members Inducted Into Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame
The six new members were welcomed into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and presented with a Manny Award (short for Manuscript) during the 54th anniversary NaSHOF Gala, where this year’s inductees were celebrated alongside their friends, family and many esteemed members of the country music community.
“Tonight, we welcomed six more extraordinary songwriters into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame,” Rich Hallworth, Board Chair of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Foundation, shared. “It was gratifying to present them with this highest of honors in front of family, friends, and well-wishers from all facets of the music industry during Nashville songwriting’s most legendary night.”
Anderson and Rose were inducted into the songwriter category, Shaw was recognized in the veteran songwriter category, Bellamy was inducted as a songwriter-artist, and the late White joined in the Legacy category.
After an opening performance from The Wildcards and remarks by Hallworth and NaSHOF Executive Director Mark Ford, music historian and NaSHOF Board member Robert K. Oermann spoke about the late Tony Joe White.
Tony Joe White
To celebrate the late Tony Joe White’s induction, Nikki Lane (Americana artist) and Kenny Vaughn (member of Marty Stuart’s band, The Fabulous Superlatives) took to the stage to perform White’s rock ‘n roll classic, “Polk Salad Annie.” Following their performance, the late Swamp Fox’s son, Jody White, accepted the prestigious honor on behalf of his late father.
Jody White reminisced fondly about his late father’s college days at the University of Tennessee, his upbringing in Memphis, and the memorable parties he hosted with the Blues Brothers and other famous Memphis icons. He spoke proudly of his father’s remarkable career, and he even boasted of how great a songsmith he was. He also revealed that his father left behind a plethora of photos, videos and music in a storage unit that he is working to make available to the public for viewing.
“When thinking about this, I had to ask myself, ‘What was it that made Tony Joe a great songwriter worthy of this Hall of Fame?’ And yeah, he wrote with Tina Turner and Elvis and lots of famous people, but the story with him, I think, is very different. I thought it was his ability to not only cross genres… He would write a Country song one day and then have a drum machine making a dance song the next, and then he’d do a blues record following [and] he did whatever he wanted. He was all over the place, but it was his ability to bring in different emotions in his songs [and] he didn’t write all sad songs, he didn’t write all party songs,” Jody White said.
Tony Joe White was best known for writing hits such as songwriter/artist behind songs such as “Roosevelt And Ira Lee,” “Willie And Laura Mae Jones,” “Take Time To Love” and the classic “Rainy Night In Georgia,” which has been recorded by a multitude of artists from Brook Benton to Hank Williams Jr. Other artists who have hit with Tony Joe songs include Elvis Presley with “I’ve Got A Thing About You Baby” and “For Ol’ Times Sake,” Tina Turner with “Steamy Windows” and “On Silent Wings,” Ray Charles with “3/4 Time” and John Anderson with “Mississippi Moon.”
Liz Rose
Hillary Lindsey then took to the stage to pay tribute to her fellow “Love Junkies,” Liz Rose, referencing her as “a fire that can’t be put out.” Little Big Town delivered a stunning acoustic rendition of “Girl Crush” in honor of Rose’s induction before presenting her with the coveted Manny award.
“I still believe that the most important thing about this job and this love is that you never know everything,” Rose shared from the stage. “I still try to learn something in every write and every room, and I will always let the heart of the song lead the way. I’ll never give up on that.”
Liz Rose is best known for writing hits such as Taylor Swift’s “Tim McGraw,” “Teardrops On My Guitar,” “You Belong With Me,” “All Too Well (10-minute Version) and “White Horse” as well as Gary Allan’s “Songs About Rain,” Parker McCollum’s “Burn It Down” and Miranda Lambert’s “It All Comes Out In The Wash,” Little Big Town’s “Girl Crush,” among many others.
Al Anderson – “Big Al Anderson”
Hall of Fame member Vince Gill, accompanied by Glenn Worf and Carolyn Dawn Johnson, honored their longtime co-writer Al Anderson with a performance of a fan-favorite album cut, titled “Some Things Never Get Old,” at the request of Anderson. Sharon Vaughn then presented Anderson with the prestigious honor, and he and GRAMMY-award winning songwriter Tia Sillers joined her friend onstage to accept the award.
Sillers detailed Anderson’s prolific career and graciously thanked his collaborators on his behalf. “Looking back, I can see that getting sober just traded one addiction for another. I funneled all of my obsession into making music and crafting songs. I could have written 24/7 if you would’ve left me. It’s such an honor. It’s been such a great ride, and it ain’t over. I just cut 16 songs yesterday. I’m Big Al Anderson!” Anderson then took the mic to say, “I’m blessed to be here, and I can’t tell you how fun it was writing with all of these people,” he shared. “It’s a beautiful thing to write songs. You just can’t beat it. It’s the shit.”
Al Anderson wrote songs such as “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 and Martina McBride.
Dan Penn
Hall of Fame member Gretchen Peters was on hand to present Dan Penn with his high honor. Jazz vocalist and The Voice alum Wendy Moten, accompanied by Kevin McKendree, honored Penn with a special performance of his classic ode to cheating, “The Dark End Of The Street,” originally made popular by James Carr.
“When you co-write with somebody, you have a good time, and it ends up in a song. Through the years, I’ve been blessed to have written with great writers—many of whom have been inducted. It was the community of writers, musicians and engineers in Nashville that made it possible for me to continue writing and recording after I moved here from Memphis. It’s been an incredible life,” Penn said in front of the star-studded crowd.
Dan Penn wrote songs such as “Is A Bluebird Blue” by Conway Twitty, Aretha Franklin and Barbara Mandrell’s “Do Right Woman, Do Right Man,” James Carr and Archie Campbell and Lorene Mann’s “The Dark End Of The Street,” and more.
David Bellamy (The Bellamy Brothers)
Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member Larry Gatlin took the stage next to boast about David Bellamy before welcoming John Anderson to perform a cover of The Bellamy Brothers’ “Redneck Girl.”
Bellamy was then given the Manny award and graciously thanked his peers, fellow songwriters and his wife.
“This is a great honor. Being inducted into the Hall of Fame is pretty much a dream come true for me! Songwriting has always been my favorite part of the music business,” he stated before announced a Bellamy Brothers World Tour.
Bellamy was best known for writing hits as part of The Bellamy Brothers as well as “Sugar Daddy,” “Dancin’ Cowboys,” “For All The Wrong Reasons,” “Redneck Girl,” “I Need More Of You,” “Kids Of The Baby Boom,” “Old Hippie” and more.
Victoria Shaw
The evening closed out with the final inductee of 2024: Victoria Shaw. Gary Burr praised Shaw and introduced a special, one-of-a-kind performance from country music icon and longtime friend Garth Brooks to honor Shaw.
Brooks recalled how he first met Shaw and the moment he knew they would be friends forever before performing three songs, including “A Friend To Me,” “She’s Every Woman” and “The River.” Shaw, overcome with emotion and gratitude, then took to the stage to share an acceptance speech. She began by thanking her family, friends and fellow inductees and songwriting peers, specifically acknowledging Liz Rose and her recent collaborator Jeannie Seely.
“I love writing with new artists and I love writing with classic artists, because I learn from all of you. I’m so appreciative, humbled and filled with so much gratitude to be here… it’s mind-blowing.”
Victoria Shaw was best known for writing hits such as Brooks’ “The River” and “She’s Every Woman,” “Too Busy Being In Love” by Doug Stone, “I Love The Way You Love Me” by John Michael Montgomery, “We Don’t Have To Do This” by Tanya Tucker, Ricky Martin and Christina Aguilera’s “Nobody Want To Be Lonely,” and many more.
Additionally, the evening featured a touching tribute performance of Kenny Chesney’s “Wherever You Are Tonight” from Gary Burr and Mike Reid in honor of nine Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame members and songwriting legends who have died in the last year, including Wayland Holyfield, Mark James, Will Jennings, Toby Keith, Kris Kristofferson, Dave Loggins, Hugh Prestwood, Bill Rice and Billy Edd Wheeler.
Since the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame inception in 1970, the hall has honored many of Music City’s most sought after songwriters, including Dolly Parton, Keith Urban, Loretta Lynn, Hank Williams, Hank Williams Jr., Willie Nelson, Toby Keith, Garth Brooks and many others.
For additional information on the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, visit their official website at www.NashvilleSongwritersFoundation.com.
