New York, NY (Top40 Charts) The Women Songwriters Hall of Fame (WSHOF), founded to honor women whose body of work represents the best of the heritage and legacy of modern American music, will pay homage to ten noteworthy female songwriters on June 25, 2021.
The stellar event taking place at the opulent Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, DC, will celebrate some of music's finest songwriters and composers in a magnificent moment to mark their careers and classic songs. The first five announced honorees bring an arsenal of artistry, along with hits covering the last five decades of popular music, to their induction.
Roberta Flack, known for such giant gems as "Killing Me Softly (With His Song)" and "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," which made her the 1st artist in music history to win back-to-back Grammys for Song of The Year (only U2 and
Billie Eilish have since joined her) composed "Be Real
Black For Me" with
Donny Hathaway and "And So It Goes" with Dr. Maya Angelou.
Singer/songwriter
Valerie Simpson wrote and recorded hits for decades with husband and recording partner Nick Ashford, including "Ain't No Mountain High Enough (Marvin Gaye/Tammi Terrell, Diana Ross)," "
I'm Every Woman" (Chaka Khan and later Whitney Houston) and the masterpiece "Solid," which became a worldwide, chart-topping smash hit.
Tawatha Agee, known to the world of soul music for her sultry vocals on the hits "Juicy Fruit" and "You, Me and He," with R&B/Funk/Jazz giant
James Mtume, also composed songs for saxophonist Gary Bartz and co-wrote the
Stephanie Mills/Teddy Pendergrass hit "
Two Hearts".
The all-female band Klymaxx owned the 80's with monster radio classics such as "Meeting In The Ladies' Room," "The Men All Pause," the R&B/pop smash "
I Miss You" and the timeless women's anthem "Divas Need Love Too".
The songbird Deniece "Niecy" Williams, with her sparkling soprano, brought life and success to songs like "It's Gonna Take A Miracle" and the hit pop song from the movie 'Footloose' "Let's Hear It For The Boy". She penned some of her most noted and revered songs including "
Silly" as well as the most sampled and covered "Free."
These five women will be joined by five others as The Women Songwriters Hall of Fame commemorates and acknowledges the female songwriter, who has gone remarkably unrewarded by the music industry that should be lauding and applauding these trailblazers.
The event will be executive produced by Janice
McLean DeLoatch, founder of WSHOF, who is a noted songwriter, author and TV/radio personality in her own right. The WSHOF not only celebrates these established women songwriters but also serves as a resource for developing new songwriting talent through workshops, showcases and scholarships.
The Women Songwriters Hall of Fame came into existence to salute these women and many others whose talents stand solidly beside their male counterparts, but whose acknowledgement is so lacking that Billboard and even fashion magazines have done feature stories on the subject.
On June 25th 2021 - at The Museum of Women in the Arts - that all changes, forever.
Website - www.womensongwritershalloffame.org
