A new class of inductees in the Songwriters Hall of Fame as the institution’s 2025 class includes George Clinton, the Doobie Brothers (the trio of Tom Johnston, Michael McDonald, and Patrick Simmons), Ashley Gorley, Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, Tony Macaulay, and the Beach Boys’ Mike Love. The induction ceremony will take place on Thursday, June 12, at the New York Marriott Marquis.
Chic’s Nile Rodgers, who is the chairman of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, remarked in a press release: “The foundation of the music industry exists because songwriters compose great songs. Without them, there is no recorded music, no concert business, no fans, or merchandising; it all starts with the song and the songwriter. We are therefore very proud that we are continually recognizing some of the culturally most important writers of all time and that this year’s slate represents not just iconic songs, but also diversity and unity across genres and ethnicity. These songwriters have enriched the lives of billions of listeners the world over. It’s our honor to honor them.”
Doobie Brothers are twice in the news: The band has announced a new album, Walk This Road, which comes out on June 6. It’s the first Doobie Brothers studio album to feature Michael McDonald since 2014’s Southbound.
George Edward Clinton is/was bandleader of the iconic Parliament-Funkadelic collective (which primarily recorded under the distinct band names Parliament and Funkadelic), developed an influential and eclectic form of funk music during the 1970s that drew on Afrofuturism, psychedelia, and surreal humor.
Clinton is regarded, along with James Brown and Sly Stone, as one of the foremost innovators of funk music. He was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.
