ASCAP CENTENNIAL TO BE CELEBRATED AT
2014 SONGWRITERS HALL OF FAME INDUCTION CEREMONY
Previously Announced Inductees Include Ray Davies, Donovan,
Graham Gouldman, Mark James and Jim Weatherly
New York, NY- June 10, 2014 – The Songwriters Hall of Fame announced today that a musical celebration of the 100th anniversary of the founding of ASCAP will be a featured segment at the 45th Annual Induction and Awards Dinner slated for Thursday, June 12th at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City. The salute to ASCAP at the SHOF Dinner will be highlighted by the appearance of several surprise musical guests.
ASCAP (the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers), a performing rights organization, was founded on February 13, 1914 in New York, to licensing and distribute royalties for the non-dramatic public performances of the copyrighted works of its members
ASCAP’s charter members included Irving Berlin (“Alexander’s Ragtime Band”), Jerome Kern (“Old Man River”), George M. Cohan (“Give My Regards to Broadway”), James Weldon Johnson (“Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing”) and Victor Herbert (“Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life”), who was the driving force behind the establishment of the Society. Since then, ASCAP has been home to many of the greatest names in American music, past and present — from Duke Ellington to Katy Perry, George Gershwin to Jay-Z, Leonard Bernstein to Beyoncé, Marc Anthony to Alan Jackson, and Henry Mancini to Hans Zimmer. Over the years, the lion’s share of Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees have been members of ASCAP. Today, ASCAP members comprise more than 500,000 U.S. composers, songwriters, lyricists and music publishers of every kind of music. Through agreements with affiliated international societies, ASCAP also represents hundreds of thousands of music creators worldwide.
Inductees at this year’s event include Ray Davies, Donovan, Graham Gouldman, Mark James and Jim Weatherly. The prestigious Johnny Mercer Award will be presented to Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, Doug Morris will be honored with the Hitmaker Award and Dan Reynolds (of Imagine Dragons) will receive the Hal David Starlight Award. Del Bryant will be presented with the Visionary Leadership Award. The 2014 Towering Song Award will be presented to “Over the Rainbow,” written by Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees Harold Arlen & E.Y. Harburg, and published by EMI Feist Catalog, Inc.
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 and scholarships. 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. The list includes Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil, Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller, Eddie Holland, Lamont Dozier & Brian Holland, Smokey Robinson, Albert Hammond, Desmond Child, Paul Williams, Hal David & Burt Bacharach, John Fogerty, Bob Dylan, Isaac Hayes & David Porter, Richard & Robert Sherman, Carole King, Gerry Goffin, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Jon Bon Jovi & Richie Sambora, Sir 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, Diane Warren, Paul Anka, Stevie Wonder, Bob Seger, Steven Tyler & Joe Perry and Leonard Cohen among many others.
Full biographies and a complete list of inductees are available at the Songwriters Hall of Fame’s Virtual Museum at http://songwritershalloffame.org/. Joining online is quick and easy: http://songhall.org/join
Ticket Information:
Tickets for the Songwriters Hall of Fame event begin at $1000 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.
