Everybody loves ABKCO

[lukpac]

Songwriters set to take a bow at Hall of Fame

By Susan Butler
Sat Jun 10, 7:05 AM ET

Perhaps it is the melody that hooks the mind. Maybe the words touch an internal chord, forming a tear or spreading a smile. Whatever makes a song connect for the first time, the inevitable question from the casual listener is, Who is singing that song? Rarely does one ask, Who wrote that song?

For many years, songwriters and their publishers rarely saw their names on records. Even today, these creators are often the faceless reasons for the success of countless artists, producers and others. Unfortunately, they say, they are sometimes treated like second-class citizens. That is why the Songwriters Hall of Fame, which inducts its class of 2006 in New York on June 15, is so special and so essential.

"We're honoring the underlying reason for the whole music business -- the song," says Hal David, chairman/CEO of the Hall of Fame and the lyricist partner of Burt Bacharach. "When it's all said and done, the one thing that is there in the beginning and remains always is the song. We have fantastic artists over the years, but it's always the song."

Following are the latest entrants into the Hall of Fame.

THOM BELL, INDUCTEE

Thom Bell's groundbreaking productions with acts like the Delfonics, the Spinners, the O'Jays, the Stylistics and others have retained timeless appeal. Considered a principal architect of the influential "Philly Soul" sound, he co-wrote the Stylistics' most memorable hits, including "Stop, Look and Listen" and "Betcha by Golly Wow." He co-composed such Spinners hits as "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love" and "One of a Kind Love Affair" as well as the Spinners/Dionne Warwick duet "Then Came You."

Bell, a two-time Grammy Award winner, also arranged such O'Jays classics as "Back Stabbers," "Love Train" and "For the Love of Money."

MAC DAVIS, INDUCTEE

Mac Davis is one of America's most popular entertainers. In 1965, he began composing songs recorded by such artists as Glen Campbell and Lou Rawls. Elvis Presley recorded Davis' songs including "Memories," "In the Ghetto" and "A Little Less Conversation."

Davis landed a record deal in 1970, releasing the charting single "Whoever Finds This, I Love You." Two years later, he scored a No. 1 pop hit with "Baby, Don't Get Hooked on Me." His success in the 1980s included four consecutive top 10 country hits. In 1990, Davis performed the title role in "The Will Rogers Follies" on Broadway.

WILL JENNINGS, INDUCTEE

Will Jennings has touched emotional chords since his music career began in the 1970s. His collaborations led to such memorable songs as Barry Manilow's "Looks Like We Made It" and Steve Winwood's Grammy Award-nominated "Higher Love."

"Up Where We Belong," composed with Jack Nitzsche and Buffy Sainte-Marie for the film "An Officer and a Gentleman," won a 1982 Academy Award. In 1991, Jennings paired with Eric Clapton to pen the touching "Tears in Heaven." Another Oscar balanced his mantel in 1997 with Grammy and Golden Globe Awards for "My Heart Will Go On," the theme to "Titanic" composed with James Horner and performed by Celine Dion.

SYLVIA MOY, INDUCTEE

Sylvia Moy found her true calling in the Motown sounds. She was part of the creative team that wrote such classics as "My Cherie Amour" for Stevie Wonder and "It Takes Two" for Marvin Gaye.

As the first female record producer at Motown, Moy has earned six Grammy Award nominations. She has written theme songs for such TV shows as "Blossom," "The Wonder Years" and "Growing Pains." She has also been involved with the theme music for movies including "It Takes Two" and "Mr. Holland's Opus."

HENRY COSBY, INDUCTEE

Hank Cosby, a gifted saxophonist, producer and songwriter, teamed up in 1962 with 11-year-old Little Stevie Wonder to write "Fingertips." A later live recording of the song launched the prodigy's groundbreaking career.

Cosby co-wrote such enduring songs as Wonder's "Uptight (Everything's Alright)" and Smokey Robinson & the Miracles' "Tears of a Clown." He teamed with Wonder on a number of hits like "I Was Made to Love Her." He also worked in various capacities with the Supremes, Marvin Gaye, Gladys Knight & the Pips, the Temptations and others. He died in 2002 at 73.

KRIS KRISTOFFERSON, JOHNNY MERCER AWARD

Kris Kristofferson's songs have a deep appeal that express passion, yearning and social concerns with a directness that belies their poetry. He is honored by the hall of fame with the Johnny Mercer Award, presented to a previously inducted songwriter whose quality of work upholds the gold standard set by the legendary Mercer.

Less than one year after the Rhodes Scholar took a job as a janitor for Columbia Records while trying to break into the music business, he forever changed country music songwriting. Songs like "Me and Bobby McGee," "For the Good Times" and "Sunday Morning Coming Down" were recorded by icons Janis Joplin, Ray Price and Johnny Cash, respectively. Three Grammy Awards and 17 top 40 albums later, more than 450 artists have covered Kristofferson-penned tunes.

PETER, PAUL & MARY, SAMMY CAHN LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Peter, Paul & Mary came together as the civil rights movement was taking shape in the 1960s, reclaiming folk music's potency as a social, cultural and political force. They are this year's recipients of the Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award, presented to pioneers whose work over a lifetime has inspired the music community.

Peter Yarrow, Noel (Paul) Stookey and Mary Travers have engaged four generations with indelible hits like "If I Had a Hammer," "Cruel War," "Where Have All the Flowers Gone," "500 Miles," "Lemon Tree" and "All My Trials." Their recordings of Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind," Gordon Lightfoot's "Early Morning Rain" and John Denver's "Leaving on a Jet Plane" were major milestones in their careers. "Puff (the Magic Dragon)," co-written by Yarrow and Leonard Lipton, went on to be an enduring children's classic.

JOHN MAYER, HAL DAVID STARLIGHT AWARD

John Mayer is a songwriter with a unique vision, a virtuoso guitarist and an expressive singer. He is very much of his time, but he also possesses a healthy respect for the performers and music creators who have preceded him. He will receive this year's Hal David Starlight Award, presented to a gifted songwriter in the early years of his or her career, whose original songs are making a significant impact in the music industry.

Mayer's 2002 album, "Room for Squares," included such hits as "Your Body Is a Wonderland," "Why Georgia" and "No Such Thing." Mayer's next studio effort, "Heavier Things" in 2004, included the Grammy Award-winning song of the year, "Daughters."

ALLEN KLEIN, ABE OLMAN MUSIC PUBLISHERS AWARD

Allen Klein started his career as an accountant, entering the music business through a friendship with publisher Don Kirshner. In 1962, he met Sam Cooke and soon became his manager. At one time, Allen managed both the Beatles' Apple Corps and the Rolling Stones. Klein will receive this year's Abe Olman Music Publishers Award, presented to the publisher whose songs have garnered global recognition and whose work has furthered the career of songwriters.

Klein's company, ABKCO Music & Records, has become one of the leading independent treasuries of copyrights and master recordings. The music publishing division holds more than 2,000 copyrights, including songs composed by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, Sam Cooke, Bobby Womack, Ray Davies and Pete Townshend.

Reuters/Billboard

[taylorrichards]

Just make sure that nobody mentions this to Bill Wyman. He'd be sick if he found out that people are bestowing awards to Klein. This is in reference to Wyman's mentions of his dwindled bank account back in the day under Klein's tutelage in his books he's written.

[barrympls]

Just goes to show how unimportant the Songwriters HOF and the Rock and Roll HOF are.

Along with the Grammys.

They're all run by idiots who couldn't tell the difference between Patti Page and Pere Ubu.

[Jeff T.]

Klein is one of the last remaining living managers who scooped up thier clients assets lock stock and barrel in the name of "protecting" them.

But he did fail to get all four Beatles signatures on the piece of paper that would have sealed his biggest deal ever. And he did do hard time in the slammer for some of his accounting/tax bookwork.

But what a coop, to be able to get the Stones Decca material, masters and publishing, he had to be fairly bright anyway.

[barrympls]

Klein is one of the last remaining living managers who scooped up thier clients assets lock stock and barrel in the name of "protecting" them.

But he did fail to get all four Beatles signatures on the piece of paper that would have sealed his biggest deal ever. And he did do hard time in the slammer for some of his accounting/tax bookwork.

But what a coop, to be able to get the Stones Decca material, masters and publishing, he had to be fairly bright anyway.

and ruthless.