Kevin Bacon, the star of Footloose, and Deniece Williams, who had a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Let’s Hear It for the Boy” from that iconic film, will be on hand when Dean Pitchford, who wrote the screenplay and co-wrote all of the songs from the 1984 blockbuster, is inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame on Thursday, June 13, at the Marriot Marquis Hotel in New York City.
Bacon will appear in tandem with his brother Michael Bacon as The Bacon Brothers. “Let’s Hear It for the Boy” brought Williams a Grammy nomination best pop vocal performance, female and an invitation to perform on the Oscars in 1985, where the song was nominated for best original song.
Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban, who had career-defining hits with songs co-written by Hillary Lindsey, will also be on hand as she is inducted into the SHOF. Underwood won a Grammy for best female country vocal performance for “Jesus, Take the Wheel.” Urban was nominated for best country solo performance for “Blue Ain’t Your Color.” Lindsey also won Grammys for best country song for co-writing both songs.
Missy Elliott will be on hand as Timbaland (Timothy Mosley) is honored. Mosley cowrote four of Elliott’s top 10 hits on the Hot 100: “Hot Boyz,” “Get Ur Freak On,” “Work It” and “Gossip Folks.”
El DeBarge will be on hand as Diane Warren receives the Johnny Mercer Award, the organization’s highest honor. The group DeBarge’s 1985 smash “Rhythm of the Night” was one of Warren’s first hits, and brought her the first of a remarkable 15 Oscar nominations for best original song.
Other performers who will be on hand to present or perform at Thursday’s event are Trey Anastasio, Cary Barlowe, Andra Day, Jason Isbell, Nile Rodgers and Paul Williams. Rodgers is chairman of the SHOF. Williams is on the board of directors. Both veteran songwriters are past SHOF inductees.
Inductees at this year’s event, not already named, are R.E.M. (Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Michael Stipe) and Steely Dan (Donald Fagen and the late Walter Becker). SZA will receive the Hal David Starlight Award.
The SHOF doesn’t reveal in advance who is on hand to honor who. These are educated guesses, given the strong connections between these performers or presenters and these honorees.
Tickets for the Songwriters Hall of Fame event begin at $2,000 each, and are available through Buckley Hall Events, 914-579-1000 and SHOF@buckleyhallevents.com. Net proceeds from the event will go toward Songwriters Hall of Fame programs. The Songwriters Hall of Fame is a 501(c)3 organization. The non-deductible portion of each ticket is $215.
A songwriter with a notable catalog of songs qualifies for induction 20 years after the first commercial release of a song.
