John Anderson, Paul Craft, Tom Douglas & Gretchen Peters Picked for Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame
The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame has announced its 2014 inductees, with four of Music City's top tunesmiths being selected for induction this October.
Being named to the Hall of the "Class of 2014" are John Anderson, Paul Craft, Tom Douglas, and Gretchen Peters.
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"Here in Nashville where the music industry has always been built on a foundation of great songs written by legendary songwriters, each year only a few are elected to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame," said Pat Alger, who serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors for Hall of Fame. "This year we are very pleased to welcome the class of 2014: Tom Douglas and Gretchen Peters in the songwriter category; Paul Craft in the veteran songwriter category and John Anderson as our songwriter/artist."
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Florida native Anderson moved to Nashville in 1971, while still in his teens. Signing to Warner Brothers in 1977, Anderson scored as a singer and a songwriter with records like "Swingin," "Seminole Wind," and "I Wish I Could Write You A Song." He also co-wrote John Rich's "Shuttin' Detroit Down."
Born in Memphis, Paul Craft is known as one of the dominant writers in Bluegrass music, with cuts by the Osborne Brothers, Earl Scruggs, and Ralph Stanley. However, he has written mainstream country hits for acts such as Mark Chesnutt, Gail Davies, Bobby Bare, and T. Graham Brown. He also penned Ray Stevens' massive novelty hit "It's Me Again, Margaret."
Tom Douglas — a one-time advertising salesman — moved to Nashville in the early 1980s — only to find no success awaiting him. He and his wife moved to Dallas, where he sold real estate. However, his pen kept writing. In 1993, he finally scored with "Little Rock," a hit from Collin Raye. The hits haven't stopped yet, with cuts from Martina McBride, Lady Antebellum, and Tim McGraw. He won the CMA Song of the Year trophy in 2010 for "The House That Built Me," as recorded by Miranda Lambert.
Gretchen Peters was born in New York, and moved to Colorado as a child. She moved to Nashville in 1987, and first achieved success in 1991 with George Strait's "The Chill Of An Early Fall." There were more hits to come – with cuts by Faith Hill, Patty Loveless, and Trisha Yearwood. Her best known composition (perhaps) might very well be 1994's "Independence Day," a hit for Martina McBride.
The four new inductees will join the 192 existing members of the elite organization when they are officially inducted during the 44th Anniversary Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Dinner & Induction Ceremony on Sunday, October 5th at the Music City Center.
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