Credit: Marc HauserJohn Mellencamp once sang, “Never wanted to write no pop songs,” but now the veteran roots rocker will be receiving a prestigious honor for doing just that.
Mellencamp is among the artists who have been chosen for induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame this year. The 66-year-old singer/songwriter has penned more than 20 top 40 hits during his long career, including “Jack and Diane,” “Small Town,” “Crumblin Down,” “R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.,” “Paper in Fire” and “Pink Houses.” He was inducted into Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2008.
Also being inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2018 are four members of the legendary funk/soul group Kool & the Gang — Robert “Kool” Bell, Ronald Bell, George Brown and James “JT” Taylor — as well as prolific pop songwriter Allee Willis, R&B and rap hitmaker Jermaine Dupree, country artists Alan Jackson and “Whisperin'” Bill Anderson, and country and pop songwriter Steve Dorff.
“The 2018 roster of Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees is a prodigious representation of creators of cross-genre hits, certain to resonate with everyone,” say Songwriters Hall co-chairs Kenneth Gamble & Leon Huff and president/CEO Linda Moran.
“Each year, the slate of songwriters we induct is more diverse and illustrative of the history and contributions that we strive to acknowledge and honor.”
For information on tickets for the Songwriters Hall of Fame event, visit SongHall.org.
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