Artists get nods for songwriters hall
Bryan Adams, R.E.M., Blondie, Snoop Dogg, Gloria Estefan, Heart and the Doobie Brothers are among the nominees for the 2023 Songwriters Hall of Fame, part of a dazzling list of talented acts who left their mark on country, pop, rap, Broadway, post-punk, Latin and New Jack Swing.
The ballot includes the musical theater duo of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, who wrote “Ragtime” and “Anastasia,” as well as soul-jazz vocalist Sade, whose 1980s soft rock hits include “Smooth Operator” and “The Sweetest Taboo.”
Two veteran rock stars are also nominees: Patti Smith, whose songs include “Because the Night” and “Dancing Barefoot,” and Steve Winwood, whose hits include
“Higher Love” and “Roll With It.” Country star Vince Gill is once again a nominee, having first made the ballot in 2018.
Eligible voting members have until Dec. 28 to turn in ballots with their choices of three nominees from the songwriter category and three from the performing-songwriter category.
Nominees who work behind the scenes include Glen Ballard, who helped write Alanis Morissette’s 1995 album “Jagged Little Pill” and was involved in the recording and writing of Michael Jackson’s albums “Thriller,” “Bad” and “Dangerous.” Veteran songwriter Tom Snow, country songwriter Dean Dillo and the duo of Bobby Hart and Tommy Boyce are also nominated.
The nominee list includes Teddy Riley, the singer, songwriter, and producer credited with creating New Jack Swing and its top anthems like Bobby Brown’s “My Prerogative” and Keith Sweat’s “I Want Her,” and
Liz Rose, who co-wrote many songs with Taylor Swift, including “You Belong with Me” and “White Horse.”
The Songwriters Hall of Fame was established in 1969 to honor those creating popular music. A songwriter with a notable catalog qualifies for induction 20 years after the first commercial release of a song.
Noah to launch comedy tour:
On Monday, Trevor Noah, host of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show,” announced his 2023 Off the Record Tour, a 28-city stand-up comedy run that will launch mere weeks after he signs off his news-satire program.
Noah, whose final “Daily Show” episode is set for Dec. 8, will kick off his tour Jan. 20 in Atlanta, tour producer Live Nation said. Live Nation said he plans to announce international dates at a later time.
Nilsson song rights sold:
Music company BMG has acquired Grammy winner Harry Nilsson’s song publishing catalog, along with artist and writer revenue streams, in a deal with the singersongwriter’s estate, the company confirmed this week. Financial terms were not disclosed. Nilsson was known for tunes such as “Everybody’s Talkin’,” “Coconut” and “Gotta Get Up,” and also released two successful albums in the 1970s. He died of a heart attack in 1994 at age 52.
Nov. 16 birthdays: Actor Joanna Pettet is 80. Actor David Leisure is 72. Actor Miguel Sandoval is 71. Actor Marg Helgenberger is 64. Singer Diana Krall is
58. Actor Harry Lennix is
58. Actor Lisa Bonet is 55. Singer Bryan Abrams is 53. Actor Martha Plimpton is
52. Actor Maggie Gyllenhaal is 45. Comedian Pete Davidson is 29.