The Songwriter’s Hall of Fame announced the nominees for its 2026 class last week. In all, 33 artists were recognized for their achievements. The Hall divides its honorees into two categories: one is designated for non-performers. Many of these writers have released music, and many have served as producers for other artists, but they are not primarily known as performers themselves.
The second category is for songwriters who are also major recording artists. These are the names that the public is likely to know.
Last year, funk legend George Clinton, prolific Beach Boys songwriter and singer Mike Love, and three members of the Doobie Brothers – Tom Johnson, Michael McDonald, and Patrick Simmons – represented the performers. Bert Berns, Ashley Gorley, Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, and Tony Macauley came from the non-performing side.
I’m guessing you are more likely to know the first set of names than the second.
If I had a vote for the Songwriters Hall of Fame
The membership of the Songwriters’ Hall of Fame will have a little more than a month to consider this year’s nominees and then cast their ballots for induction. Each member can vote for as many as three nominees (songwriting teams count as a single entity) in each of the two categories. In recent years, the Hall has generally inducted six individuals or groups.
Two years ago, a total of eleven writers were honored because all four members of R.E.M. went in as a single unit, as did both members of Steely Dan.
I am not considered an industry professional. Apparently, neither my heartfelt tribute to songwriting legend John Prine nor my spirited unmasking of the worst number one songs in Billboard history is enough for some people. But I’m OK with that. When it comes to music, I recognize that I am more of a listener than a creator.
But these pages do allow me to pretend. Therefore, here is who I would be voting for if I did, in fact, have a vote to determine the inductees in the 2026 Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Non-performers
Terry Britten and Graham Lyle
You have to love how eclectic Britten and Lyle have been. Britten, who began his career in Australia, and Lyle, a Scot, carved out their own careers as pop performers and songwriters before coming together to craft some titanic 1980s hits.
Britten penned the psychedelic pop shuffle “Always” for Cliff Richard in 1969 as well as Richard’s signature hit “Devil Woman.” Lyle co-wrote a number one UK hit for Jim Diamond – the classic power ballad “I Should Have Known Better.”
That same year, they teamed up to write the monster, Grammy-winning song of the year “What’s Love Got to Do With It” for Tina Turner. It was the start of a very fruitful relationship. Turner included compositions by the team on her next several albums, resulting in a couple of Number 2 hits, “We Don’t Need Another Hero” and “Typical Male.”
But they were far more than Tina Turner’s writers. Lyle wrote top-of-the-charts country tunes while Britten created singles for artists as diverse as Celine Dion and Dusty Springfield. They were very impressive on their own. Together, they were magic.
Christopher “Tricky” Stewart
Stewart’s work as both a writer and producer helped define hip hop and soul music in the 21st century. Since he typically was credited along with several other writers, it can be hard to determine exactly what he contributed to the process, but his record of achievement is stunning. Begin with the double-barreled sensation of Rihanna’s “Umbrella” in 2007 and Beyonce’s “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” (20080)
Actually, you could stop there, too. Those two songs are enough. But Stewart helped create so much more. His production credits are vast, but he has also co-written major songs for artists as diverse as Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, and Usher. In 2023, he co-wrote Tyla's debut single “Water.”
Jeffrey Steele
This one is tough because there are at least three country music songwriters who are deserving of the honor. One of the grand old men of the country scene, Bob McDill, is on the ballot. As is Larry Weiss, who grew up in Queens but still wrote “Rhinestone Cowboy” for Glen Campbell.
But I’ll go with Steele. In addition to writing a slew of hits for his own band Boy Howdy in the early ‘90s, Steele penned major successes for Rascal Flatts, Tim McGraw, and Montgomery Gentry (the great country rocker “Gone”). And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Steele has written too many songs to count for some of country and pop’s biggest stars.
Performers
David Byrne
When music fans hear that David Byrne is up for the Songwriters’ Hall of Fame, the reaction is always the same. Why isn’t he in already? Beats me. As the primary songwriter of the Talking Heads, Byrne wrote or co-wrote songs in the 1970s and ‘80s that redefined rock and roll.
Fans and the music press alike were guilty in the early days of discounting the contributions of Tina Weymouth, Chris Frantz, and Jerry Harrison. They certainly were instrumental in creating the unique Talking Heads groove that helped create new wave and then move past it in short order. But Byrne was the driving force.
Since the breakup of his most famous band, Byrne has continued exploring, either on his own or in collaboration with the likes of Brian Eno and Annie Clark. He has dived into world music, he has focused on various creative instrumentation, he has written soundtracks and experimental pieces.
He has three-fourths of an EGOT and, at 73, has just released a new album. Who is the Sky may not threaten his early Talking Heads work, but from the opening notes of “Everybody Laughs” to the dramatic scope of “Moisturizing Thing,” David Byrne shows he remains an elite songwriter.
Harry Wayne Casey
The only potential problem with putting Harry Wayne Casey into the Songwriters HOF is the fact that his longtime writing partner Richard Finch is not nominated with him. Together, Casey and Finch helped make disco the dominant sound of American music in the late 1970s.
I am assuming that Finch's recent legal troubles -- he served a seven-year term for having illegal sexual contact with a 17-year-old male -- explain his absence.
Casey was the vocalist and keyboard player, and Finch was the bass player in KC and the Sunshine Band. They began as a successor to the more fun-loving side of Sly and the Family Stone, but by their self-titled second album, the Florida ensemble began carving their own brand of infectious dance pop with the back-to-back punch of “That’s the Way (I Like It)” and “Get Down Tonight.”
They also wrote songs for others – most notably “Gimme Some” for Jimmy “Bo” Horne and number one hit “Rock Your Baby” for George McCrae.
Taylor Swift
In 2019, Yankees relief pitcher Mariano Rivera became the first and only player to be unanimously voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. That’s because self-important keepers of the castle enjoy their little slices of control. I’m sure there are those who will not vote for Taylor Swift in her first year of eligibility. Haters gonna hate.
But be real. Even if you don’t like Swift, how can you deny she is among the greatest, most influential songwriters in pop music history? I’ll just leave it at that. Nothing really more to say.