NEIL DIAMOND TO RECEIVE PRESTIGIOUS
JOHNNY MERCER AWARD
AT THE 2018 SONGWRITERS HALL OF FAME GALA EVENT
Previously Announced Inductees Include: Bill Anderson, Steve Dorff, Jermaine Dupri, Alan Jackson, Robert “Kool” Bell, Ronald Bell, George Brown & James “JT” Taylor p/k/a “Kool & The Gang,” John Mellencamp and Allee Willis
Sir Lucian Grainge to Receive Howie Richmond Hitmaker Award
Sara Bareilles to Receive Hal David Starlight Award
JUNE 14, 2018 – NEW YORK CITY
New York, NY – March 20, 2018 – The Songwriters Hall of Fame announced today that Neil Diamond will be the 2018 recipient of the esteemed Johnny Mercer Award at the 49th Annual Induction and Awards Dinner slated for Thursday, June 14th at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City.
The Johnny Mercer Award, the highest honor bestowed by the Songwriters Hall of Fame, is exclusively reserved for a songwriter or songwriting team who has already been inducted in a prior year, and whose body of work is of such high quality and impact, that it upholds the gold standard set by the legendary Johnny Mercer. Neil Diamond was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1984.
“Having always been the consummate wordsmith, Neil Diamond has honed the craft of the hook to a fine art, and his storied performances are gifts to people of all ages, genres and backgrounds,” said SHOF Co-Chairmen Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff.
SHOF President & CEO Linda Moran commented; “Neil is the quintessential songwriter, having been on the world radar for decades with anthemic songs that speak to everyone. We are so pleased to be presenting him with the prestigious Johnny Mercer Award.”
Throughout an illustrious and wide-ranging musical career, Neil Diamond has sold more than 130 million albums worldwide and has dominated the charts for more than five decades with 38 Top 40 singles and 16 Top 10 albums. Before becoming one of the most noted and successful recording artists in the world, Diamond’s early recognition came as a songwriter.
His recorded songs have become a part of the fabric of America’s songbook with a wide range of international hits that include “Solitary Man,” “Cherry, Cherry,” “Girl, You’ll Be A Woman Soon,” “I’m A Believer,” “Red Red Wine,” “Holly Holy,” ‘Thank The Lord For The Night Time,” “Sweet Caroline,” “Kentucky Woman,” “Brother Love’s Travelling Salvation Show,” “Cracklin’ Rosie,” “I Am…I Said,” “Song Sung Blue,” “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers” (with Barbra Streisand), “September Morn,” and “Heartlight,” among many others.
Diamond has won a GRAMMY Award, a Golden Globe Award, the Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award, and a Kennedy Center Honor, and has been inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriter’s Hall Of Fame. In 2009, he was honored as MusiCares® Person Of The Year and in 2018, was awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Past Johnny Mercer Award recipients have included songwriting giants: Alan Menken, Lionel Richie, Van Morrison, Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, Elton John and Bernie Taupin, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, Phil Collins, Holland-Dozier-Holland, Paul Anka, Dolly Parton, Kris Kristofferson, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, Carole King, Billy Joel, Jimmy Webb, Hal David and Burt Bacharach, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, Paul Simon, Alan and Marilyn Bergman, Stephen Sondheim, Cy Coleman, Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne.
Inductees at this year’s event include Bill Anderson, Steve Dorff, Jermaine Dupri, Alan Jackson, Robert “Kool” Bell, Ronald Bell, George Brown & James “JT” Taylor p/k/a “Kool & The Gang,” John Mellencamp and Allee Willis. Sir Lucian Grainge to receive Howie Richmond Hitmaker Award. Sara Bareilles to receive Hal David Starlight Award.
About The Songwriters Hall of Fame:
The Songwriters Hall of Fame celebrates songwriters, educates the public with regard to their achievements, and produces a spectrum of professional programs devoted to the development of new songwriting talent through workshops, showcases, scholarships and SHOF/NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development Master Sessions. West Coast educational activities are held at The GRAMMY Museum, which hosts the permanent Songwriters Hall of Fame Gallery, and at the University of Southern California. Out of the tens of thousands of songwriters of our era, there are approximately 400 inductees who make up the impressive roster enshrined in the Hall of Fame. To qualify for induction, a songwriter must be a published writer for a minimum of 20 years with a notable catalog of hit songs. The list of inductees include Kenneth Gamble & Leon Huff, Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil, Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller, Eddie Holland, Lamont Dozier & Brian Holland, Smokey Robinson, Paul Williams, Hal David & Burt Bacharach, Billy Steinberg & Tom Kelly, Bob Dylan, Isaac Hayes & David Porter, Carole King, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Jon Bon Jovi & Richie Sambora, Elton John & Bernie Taupin, Brian Wilson, James Taylor, Don Schlitz, Bruce Springsteen, Phil Collins, Alan & Marilyn Bergman, Loretta Lynn, Jimmy Webb, Van Morrison, Kris Kristofferson, Dolly Parton, Garth Brooks, Diane Warren, Paul Anka, Stevie Wonder, Steven Tyler & Joe Perry, Mac Davis, Leonard Cohen, Ray Davies, Donovan, Cyndi Lauper, Desmond Child, Mick Jones & Lou Gramm, Chip Taylor, Elvis Costello, Marvin Gaye, Nile Rodgers & Bernard Edwards, Lionel Richie, Bill Withers, Neil Diamond, Jay Z, Tom Petty, Toby Keith, Max Martin, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Berry Gordy, Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds and Robert Lamm & James Pankow among many others.
Full biographies and a complete list of inductees are available on the Songwriters Hall of Fame website at https://www.songhall.org. Joining online is quick and easy: https://www.songhall.org/join.
Ticket Information:
Tickets for the Songwriters Hall of Fame event begin at $1,500 each, and are available through Buckley Hall Events, 914-579-1000. Net proceeds from the event will go toward the Songwriters Hall of Fame programs. Songwriters Hall of Fame is a 501(c)3 organization. The non-deductible portion of each ticket is $170. Contributions, for which no goods or services are received in exchange, are fully tax-deductible as provided by law.
