Bobby Braddock, Toby Keith To Join Songwriters Hall of Fame

Revered Nashville songwriter Bobby Braddock and country superstar Toby Keith are headed to the Songwriters Hall of Fame in New York. They will be inducted along with Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia (posthumously), Cyndi Lauper, Linda Perry and Willie Dixon (posthumously). The organization’s 46th Annual Induction and Awards Dinner is slated for Thursday, June 18 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City.

Bobby Braddock

“Our 2015 lineup of inductees represents the rich diversity of American musical styles—rock, country, blues and pop—that have captivated the world over the past six decades,” said SHOF President & CEO Linda Moran. “Each one of these brilliant music creators have written instantly recognizable classics, songs that are both of their time and timeless. Our Annual Awards Gala is sure to be unforgettable.”

Braddock and Keith were among the nominees named for possible inclusion into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in October 2014.

Bobby Braddock is one of the most successful country music songwriters of all time. He grew up in Florida, traveled the South as a rock and roll musician, and became a songwriter in Nashville in the mid-1960s. He is the only living person to have written number one country hits in five consecutive decades, penning songs for artists such as Willie Nelson, Nancy Sinatra, Jerry Lee Lewis, T. G. Sheppard and many more. With 13 No. 1 hits, his songs have become country music standards, including favorites such as, “D.I.V.O.R.C.E,” recorded by Tammy Wynette, “Golden Ring,” the duet sung by George Jones and Tammy Wynette, Tracy Lawrence’s “Time Marches On,” and Toby Keith’s 2001 hit, “I Wanna Talk About Me.” “He Stopped Loving Her Today,” sung by George Jones, has led most surveys as the best country song of all time. In 2001, Braddock embarked on a new career as a producer, discovering singer Blake Shelton and making several No. 1 records with him. Braddock’s most recent No. 1 was Billy Currington’s, “People Are Crazy.” He is a member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2011, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and received the annual BMI Icon Award. In 2012, he received the ACM Poet’s Award. He has received six CMA Song of the Year nominations, winning twice. He has received a total of 30 BMI airplay awards, and nine “Million Air” awards for songs that received at least one million performances each.

Toby Keith

Toby Keith has been one of the most consistent self-directed songwriters and hit makers of his era. From his first No. 1 smash, “Should’ve Been A Cowboy” to “How Do You Like Me Now?!,” “Who’s Your Daddy,” “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American),” “Beer For My Horses,” and “I Love This Bar,” his success is strongly due to his songwriting, which includes having written No. 1 songs every year for 20 consecutive years. It has powered an astounding succession of hits, to the tune of more than 85 million BMI performances. He has been honored with the Nashville Songwriters Association International’s Songwriter/Artist of the Decade distinction and is a three-time BMI Country Songwriter/Artist of the Year. His albums have sold more than 40 million copies, and his tours have drawn more than one million fans each year for the last 14 years. Keith also helps sick children and their families in his native Oklahoma through the Toby Keith Foundation and the cost-free home, the OK Kids Korral. He also supports US troops by participating in USO Tours throughout the world.

Tickets for the Songwriters Hall of Fame event begin at $1,250 each, and are available through Buckley Hall Events, by calling 914-579-1000. Net proceeds from the event will go toward the Songwriters Hall of Fame programs. Songwriters Hall of Fame is a 501(c)3 organization. The non-deductible portion of each ticket is $170.

For more on the other inductees, click here.