About the Songwriters Hall of Fame

A museum that sings...

That was the dream of the founders of the National Academy of Popular Music/Songwriters Hall of Fame, the organization dedicated to recognizing and honoring the accomplishments and lives of those men and women who create the popular songs that serve as the soundtrack of our lives. These are the songs heard and enjoyed on recordings, in concerts, in movies and on radio, television and the Internet, both in our country and around the world.

The most important ongoing goal and a key component of this organization's agenda is to establish a permanent, state-of-the-art museum in New York City to highlight the achievements of songwriting greats and acknowledge their rightful place in our culture. The facility will also serve as a resource and center of study for scholars, aspiring songwriters, students and music lovers young and old to learn about our musical heritage.

The Songwriters Hall of Fame is already in possession of a marvelous collection of songwriter memorabilia which is safely tucked away awaiting a new home where it will be proudly displayed. In 1999, Howie Richmond, who co-founded the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1969 with fellow publisher Abe Olman and songwriting great Johnny Mercer, gave a generous grant specifically earmarked for the development and construction of a state-of-the-art website that will feature interactive tools to showcase the accomplishments of the honorees and awardees and provide valuable information to the songwriting community. This website will launch, at this address, in early 2002.

Like popular music itself, the Songwriters Hall of Fame embraces a broad spectrum of styles, from Big Band to Rock, from Country to Broadway to R&B to Jazz and all other music genres. The Songwriters Hall of Fame has inducted over 300 music creators from every era dating back to Stephen Foster. The honorees range from George and Ira Gershwin to Hank Williams, from Duke Ellington to Bruce Springsteen, from Carole King to Stephen Sondheim.

While the Songwriters Hall of Fame honors and highlights the accomplishments of established songwriters, its umbrella organization, the National Academy of Popular Music, serves the up-and-coming songwriter via an extensive program of workshops, showcases, open mics and networking meetings, along with other support services.

There has never been a better time to become a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame/National Academy of Popular Music. Dues-paying members are eligible to vote songwriters into the Hall of Fame and participate in all of our activities and events. Our support services are growing every day and, as Chairman Hal David has said, "the underlying goal of the Songwriters Hall of Fame is to make as many people as possible aware of the value of the songwriter, the great part that songs play in our everyday lives, and the incredible contributions of songwriters. The idea of a national museum for popular music has been discussed and explored for years and I will do everything in my power to make it a reality."

Join us at the Songwriters Hall of Fame/National Academy of Popular Music in our quest to preserve and honor the legacy of our great songwriters and build our musical future. Your generosity, along with that of other friends of music, is the key to making the Songwriters Hall of Fame museum a reality.