Snoop Dogg, Sade and Gloria Estefan amongst Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees

CAPE TOWN – Seven music icons have become the latest inductees into the Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF) – which is considered to be the music industry’s highest honour.

“The music industry does not exist without songwriters delivering great songs first. Without them there is no recorded music, no concert business, no merch…nothing, it all starts with the song and the songwriter,” said SHOF chairman Nile Rodgers.

The institution recognises the work and lives of composers and lyricists who create music around the world.

Songwriters are only eligible for induction 20 years after their first commercial release.

Here are the inductees

Snoop Dogg

An entertainment industry mogul and entrepreneur, Snoop Dogg has reigned for nearly three decades as an unparalleled force who has raised the bar as a globally recognised innovator. He is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, record producer, DJ, media personality, businessman and icon.

Gloria Estefan
Having sold over 100 million records worldwide, Estefan has garnered eight Grammy Awards and an Oscar-nominated performance for the song Music Of My Heart. She also received an American Music Award for “Lifetime Achievement” and was inducted into the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame, she received the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, in 2015, President Obama honoured Emilio and Gloria Estefan with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honour, presented to individuals who have made meritorious contributions to the United States, to world peace, and cultural endeavors. In 2017, she became the first Cuban-American singer-songwriter to receive The Kennedy Center Honors.

Sade
Over an exceptional songwriting career spanning more than three decades, Sade Adu’s six albums have produced singles such as Your Love Is King, Smooth Operator, and _By Your Side. _ Sade has gone on to achieve number one albums across the world, collecting several Grammys, MTV Video Music Awards, and a BRIT Award along the way.

Sade. Picture/Instagram

Glen Ballard
Glen Ballard is a six-time GRAMMY award-winning songwriter and producer, an Olivier Award winner, and an Academy Award nominee. He co-wrote and arranged Man in the Mirror for Michael Jackson and co-wrote and produced the critically acclaimed Alanis Morrissette LP, Jagged Little Pill, one of the best-selling records of all time at 33 million sales worldwide. Among the artists, he has written songs for Wilson Phillips, Christina Aguilera, Dave Matthews, George Strait, Josh Groban, Quincy Jones, Aretha Franklin, Barbra Streisand, Aerosmith, Van Halen, Chaka Khan, Andrea Bocelli, Katy Perry, Ringo Starr, George Benson, Shakira, Idina Menzel, and many more.

Jeff Lynne
Best known as a founder and leader of Electric Light Orchestra, pop-rock luminary Jeff Lynne was a writer of such hits as Can’t Get It Out of My Head, Livin’ Thing, Mr. Blue Sky, and Don’t Bring Me Down. He wrote, arranged and produced virtually all of ELO’s string of 15 hit singles that rose to the Top 10 record charts in the UK 10 LPs during the 1970s and 1980s, including its most successful album, Out Of the Blue, a double LP.

Teddy Riley
Credited with the creation of the New Jack Swing genre where he fused hip-hop and R&B in his productions, Teddy Riley not only has had a seminal influence on modern-day R & B but on gospel music as well, both of which became more open to using rap and sound effects. Riley was also known for his consistency and drum ideas in his recordings.
With numerous number one hits and platinum albums, over his career, he has written or produced such songs as Michael Jackson’s Remember the Time, Keith Sweat’s Why Me Baby, Wreckx-N-Effect’s Rump Shaker, Bobby Brown’s My Prerogative, and Kool Moe Dee’s How Ya’ Like Me Now?

Teddy Riley. Picture: Twitter

Liz Rose
Rose was a frequent collaborator of Taylor Swift’s, co-writing 16 songs together, including the number one crossover hits Teardrops on My Guitar, You Belong With Me (which won the 2010 BMI Award for Song of the Year), Tim McGraw, White Horse (which won the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Country Song) and All Too Well to name a few. Most recently, Liz has been nominated for the 2023 GRAMMY Award for Song of the Year with All Too Well.

Liz Rose. Picture: Instagram