FILE – George Clinton appears at MusiCares Person of the Year honoring Jon Bon Jovi in Los Angeles on Feb. 2, 2024. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)
By Maria Sherman
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — George Clinton, The Doobie Brothers, Ashley Gorley, Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, The Beach Boys’ Mike Love and Tony Macaulay make up the 2025 Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees — an inspiring mix of funk, rock, R&B, country and beyond.
Is there funk without George Clinton? Is there groove? From Parliament/Funkadelic to his solo work, Clinton is an innovator of American popular music — a long overdue inductee heard on timeless hits (like “Atomic Dog” and “Give Up The Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker)”) but also across the songs of Kendrick Lamar, Tupac, OutKast, Dr. Dre, Busta Rhymes, Missy Elliot, De La Soul and beyond.
Previously, Clinton was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. He received the lifetime achievement award at the Grammys in 2019.
The Doobie Brothers — the inducted members are Tom Johnston, Michael McDonald and Patrick Simmons — are known the world over for their roots-y rock ‘n’ roll, particularly for their No. 1 hits “What A Fool Believes” and “Black Water.” They went into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2020.
Ashley Gorley is an unmistakable name in the world of country music, with 80 No. 1 radio singles to his name. Recent credits include the honky-tonk stomp “I Had Some Help” by Post Malone and Morgan Wallen.
The class of 2025 also includes The Beach Boys’ Mike Love, who joins his bandmate Brian Wilson in the Hall; Wilson was inducted in 2000.
Groundbreaking producer Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, whose touch is heard across countless R&B and pop hits, will also be inducted, as will legendary English songwriter Tony Macaulay, known for such classics as The Foundations’ “Build Me Up Buttercup” and ‘Baby Now That I’ve Found You.”
The 2025 Songwriters Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held on June 12 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City.
“The foundation of the music industry exists because songwriters compose great songs,” Songwriters Hall of Fame chairman Nile Rodgers said in a statement. “Without them, there is no recorded music, no concert business, no fans, or merchandising; it all starts with the song and the songwriter.”
Last year’s inductees included Steely Dan, R.E.M., Timbaland, Hillary Lindsey and Dean Pitchford. At the induction ceremony last summer, R.E.M. stunned attendees by reuniting for an acoustic version of their alt-rock hit, “Losing My Religion.”
The Songwriters Hall of Fame was established in 1969 to honor those creating popular music. A songwriter with a notable catalog of songs qualifies for induction 20 years after the first commercial release of a song.
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