Songwriters Hall of Fame

Born David Robert Jones and changed it to Bowie in the 1960’s to avoid confusion with the Monkees’ lead singer Davy Jones. Was born on 1/8/1947 in London. His left pupil was paralyzed in a childhood fight resulting in an appearance of different-colored eyes. From 1964-1966 he recorded with the…

One of Walt Disney's most successful songwriting teams was that of brothers Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman. These incredible children’s film composers created the music heard in “Mary Poppins,” “The Jungle Book,” “Parent Trap,” “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,” “Aristocats,” and many more Oscar-nominated scores. The Shermans have won several…

John Fogerty’s enduring songs like “Proud Mary,” “Bad Moon Rising,” “Who’ll Stop The Rain,” “Lodi,” “Looking Out My Back Door,” “Run Through The Jungle,” “Centerfield” and “Fortunate Son” are now so firmly engrained in our collective consciousness they seem to have come to us from the American soil as much as from any one man. John Fogerty recorded many of his great songs as the leader of the now legendary band Creedence Clearwater Revival. CCR released nine Top Ten singles between 1969 and 1971, beginning with the classic "Proud Mary," and scored eight gold albums between 1968 and 1972. As a solo artist, Fogerty released an critically acclaimed eponymous album in 1975, and in 1984 released a Top Ten single, "The Old Man Down the Road," and a number one album, Centerfield. CCR was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, and in 1997, Fogerty released the Grammy Award-winning Blue Moon Swamp and the live album Premonition a year later. His most recent album, Déjà Vu All Over Again, was released in 2004. To this day, John Fogerty remains a genuinely great artist, one of the defining songwriters of our time.

As a founding member of the legendary Booker T and the MG’s, as well as an A&R man, producer and songwriter, Steve Cropper was involved in virtually every record issued by the seminal Stax recording label from the fall of 1961 through year end 1970. Some of his songwriting credits include the classics “(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay,” “Knock on Wood” and “In the Midnight Hour.” Cropper produced and played on sessions by the likes of Poco, Jeff Beck, Jose Feliciano, Yvonne Elliman, John Prine, Dreams and Tower Of Power. As a member of the original incarnation of the Blues Brothers, he recorded three albums with them, including the number one Briefcase Full of Blues. Over the past 20 years. Cropper has continued to be an in-demand musician and producer. His string-bending talents are showcased on CDs by Elton John, Paul Simon, Ringo Starr, Buddy Guy, Steppenwolf and Johnny Lang.

Isaac Hayes and David Porter were one of the most successful songwriting partnerships of the 1960s. After playing on several sessions for Otis Redding, Hayes was tapped to play keyboards in the Stax house band, and eventually established a partnership with songwriter David Porter. Under the name the Soul Children,…

Bill Withers’ music and lyrics have phenomenal accessibility and universal appeal. Withers was awarded his first Grammy award as a songwriter for “Ain’t No Sunshine,” in 1971. His classic composition “Lean On Me” went to #1 in 1972. Withers’ other classic compositions include the soulful “Use Me,” the hit song “Lovely Day” and the infectious “I Want To Spend the Night,” and the still-vibrant “Just the Two of Us” with Grover Washington, Jr. Withers was nominated for four Grammy’s for "Just The Two of Us" in 1981 and won the Grammy for songwriting for it. Withers received his ninth Grammy nomination and third Grammy as a songwriter in 1987 for the re-recording of "Lean On Me" by Club Nouveau. As evidence of their undeniable appeal, Withers’ songs have been recorded by hundreds of artists including Barbra Streisand, Michael Jackson, Aretha Franklin, Sting, Will Smith, Lionel Hampton, The Temptations, Tom Jones, Joe Cocker, Mick Jagger and Crystal Gayle just to name a few.