R.E.M. and Steely Dan to be inducted into Songwriters Hall of Fame
The Songwriters Hall of Fame have announced their latest set of inductees, which includes R.E.M.’s Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Michael Stipe as well as Donald Fagen and Walter Becker from Steely Dan.
The full class of 2024 is completed by Timbaland and Hillary Lindsay, who are classified as “non-performing” songwriters. The ceremony for the Songwriters Hall of Fame is scheduled to take place at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City on June 13th.
In a statement, chairman Nile Rodgers said: “We are … very proud that we are continually recognising some of the culturally most important songwriters of all time and that the 2024 slate represents not just iconic songs but also diversity and unity across genres, ethnicity and gender, songwriters who have enriched our lives and literally enriched music and the lives of billions of listeners all over the world.”
To be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, artists need to have commercially released their first song over 20 years ago.
Acts who were snubbed this year include Blondie’s Debbie Harry, Chris Stein and Clem Burke, Tracy Chapman, George Clinton, Heart’s Ann Wilson and Nancy Wilson, plus Public Enemy’s Chuck D and Flavor Flav.
Tickets for the event are priced at $2,000, with proceeds from the event going towards programmes run by the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
While R.E.M. have been split up for over a decade, their induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame will bring them back into the same room once again. However, chances of a reunion remain extremely slim as Stipe continues to work on his debut solo album.
Last year, Stipe spent a week at the legendary Electric Lady Studios in Greenwich Village in New York, but due to external matters, development on the LP stalled.
During an interview with the New York Times in December, Stipe revealed: “I have a deadline now. I could keep working on this record for a decade and let my insecurities get the better of me. We can say … that I finished the songs.”
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out Music Newsletter
All the latest music news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.