The 2015 class of wordsmiths to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame includes a cowboy, a blues legend and two Deadheads. Toby Keith, Willie Dixon and the partnership of Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter will all be welcomed to the hall during a ceremony June 18 in New York City. Cyndi Lauper, Bobby Braddock and Linda Perry are among the other inductees, Rolling Stone noted.
Garcia and Hunter collaborated on some of the Grateful Dead's most beloved songs like "Casey Jones," "Dark Star" and "China Cat Sunflower." Hunter also linked up with Bob Dylan for the folk legend's 2009 release Together Through Life. It is an appropriate time to honor the duo, considering a month after the ceremony surviving members of the legendary jam band will reunite for three shows in Chicago.
Dixon was one of the driving forces behind many Chess Records artists in the 1950s and '60s. He wrote hits for Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf and Little Walter that went on to be re-recorded by The Doors, Led Zeppelin and B.B. King. Perry, like Dixon, has primarily built a career on writing tunes for other artists. She penned "What's Up?" for her group 4 Non Blondes before having success with big tunes like "Beautiful" for Christina Aguilera and "Get the Party Started" for Pink.
Interestingly enough, Braddock, also known primarily as a songwriter for his genre, wrote Keith's 2001 hit "I Wanna Talk About Me" in addition to tunes recorded by George Jones and Billy Currington. Keith has also proved to be a fine writer, penning "Beer for My Horses" and "As Good as I Once Was," among others.
Lauper is credited as a co-writer on the fan-favorite "Time After Time," but she did not contribute to her biggest hit "Girls Just Want to Have Fun."
