Steely Dan's Walter Becker, left, and Donald Fagen perform at the 43nd Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland in 2009.The Associated Press
Steely Dan, R.E.M., Timbaland, Hillary Lindsey and Dean Pitchford will be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, an incoming class of musicians who have scaled the heights of country, classic rock, pop, hip-hop and alt-rock.
Steely Dan – co-founded by Donald Fagan and the late Walter Becker – finally get into the hall despite being a staple of classic rock with songs like Reelin’ in the Years, Do It Again and Hey Nineteen. They went into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2001.
R.E.M. – the inducted members are Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Michael Stipe – are behind such alt-rock hits as Losing My Religion, Everybody Hurts and It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine). And Nashville hitmaker Lindsey helped write Girl Crush for Little Big Town and Jesus, Take the Wheel for Carrie Underwood.
The class of 2024 also includes Pitchford, who helped Kenny Loggins with the megahit Footloose and also co-wrote Fame and Holding Out For a Hero, and producer-writer Timbaland, the mastermind behind Justin Timberlake’s SexyBack and Missy Elliott’s Get Yer Freak On.
On the ballot but unlucky this year were Public Enemy, Bryan Adams, George Clinton, Tracy Chapman, Blondie, Heart, The Doobie Brothers and David Gates.
Eligible voting members turned in ballots with their choices of three nominees from the songwriter category and three from the performing-songwriter category. The induction ceremony will be held on June 13 in New York City.
Last year’s inductees included Snoop Dogg, Gloria Estefan, Sade, Jeff Lynne, Glen Ballard and Teddy Riley. Some of those already in the hall include Carole King, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Elton John and Bernie Taupin, Brian Wilson, James Taylor, Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty.
The Songwriters Hall of Fame was established in 1969 to honour those creating the popular music. A songwriter with a notable catalogue of songs qualifies for induction 20 years after the first commercial release of a song.