Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame To Begin Songwriter Showcases

The inaugural Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame (NaSHOF) songwriter series will feature Mac Davis, Tom Douglas and Allen Shamblin at City Winery on Tuesday, April 14 at 6:30 pm. The NaSHOF will showcase several songwriters nights in the coming months in an effort to raise funds, billed as “Hits From The Hall.”

“These three are always so gracious to lend us their talents, just as our friends at City Winery have been gracious to provide such a fantastic environment for experiencing music,” says Mark Ford, NaSHOF’s executive director. “We look forward to hearing a lot of classic songs and the stories behind them in the months to come.”

Tickets are $20 for downstairs seating; $30 for limited upstairs VIP seating, available Friday morning, March 20 at citywinery.com/nashville or by contacting the venue at 615-324-1010.

Since 1970, 196 of Music City’s top tunesmiths from all genres of music have been enshrined by the non-profit NaSHOF, which is dedicated to honoring Nashville’s rich songwriting legacy through preservation, celebration and education. In 2013, NaSHOF realized a long-held dream with the opening of its Hall of Fame Gallery, located in downtown Nashville on the first floor of the Music City Center (201 5th Ave. S.).

Davis, a 2000 inductee wrote Elvis Presley’s “In the Ghetto,” “Memories” and “Don’t Cry Daddy.” From 1974-76 he hosted and starred in his own musical variety TV series on NBC. He also acted in such movies as North Dallas Forty (1979), Cheaper to Keep Her (1980), The Sting II (1983) and Jackpot (2001). He played the title role in The Will Rogers Follies in 1992-93, both on Broadway and in the musical’s touring company. Davis received a star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1998 and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in New York in 2006.

Douglas, a 2014 inductee wrote Collin Raye’s CMA Song of the Year, “Little Rock,” “I Run To You” by Lady Antebellum earned the 2009 CMA Single of the Year and “The House That Built Me” (with Shamblin) by Miranda Lambert to earn the 2010 NSAI Song of the Year, CMA Song of the Year and the 2011 ACM Song and Single of the Year.

Shamblin, a 2011 inductee had his first country hit with Randy Travis’ “He Walked on Water.” He wrote Bonnie Raitt’s searing “I Can’t Make You Love Me.” Other Shamblin songs include “Don’t Laugh at Me” by Mark Wills, as well as Keith Urban’s “Where the Blacktop Ends,” John Michael Montgomery’s “Life’s a Dance” and David Ball’s “Thinkin’ Problem.”