Country icon Loretta Lynn was inducted by fellow country star Lee Ann Womack, who performed Lynn’s hit “You Ain’t Woman Enough (to Take My Man).” Lynn performed her autobiographical song and #1 country hit “Coal Miner’s Daughter.” She then went on to break the rules and treat the audience to an impromptu version of “Don’t Come Home A-Drinkin’ (With Lovin’ on Your Mind).”

Oscar-, Golden Globe- and Grammy-winning composer and lyricist Alan Menken was inducted by his long time collaborator, Tim Rice, after pop star Natasha Bedingfield gave a beautiful performance of Menken’s “Colors of the Wind.” Menken then went on to perform a medley of Disney fan favorites, including “Under the Sea,” “A Whole New World” and “Little Shop of Horrors,” among others.

John Sebastian, leader of the ’60s hit group The Lovin’ Spoonful, was joined by fellow Lovin’ Spoonful member Steve Boone and performed a rocking medley including “Lovin’ You” and “You Didn’t Have To Be So Nice.” Sebastian was honored with a performance by the Naked Brothers, 10-year-old Alex and 13-year-old Nat Wolff, and was inducted by one of SHOF’s 2007 esteemed inductees, Irving Burgie.

Anne Murray was the recipient of the newly renamed Howie Richmond Hitmaker Award, which is specifically tailored for artists or "star makers" in the music industry who have been responsible for a substantial number of hit songs for an extended period of time, a perfect way to describe Murray’s long career. Murray was presented with her award by Randy Goodrum, who penned her smash song, “You Needed Me,” which she said was the greatest song she’s ever recorded, and thanked the hallowed hall with a soaring performance of the song.

Milt Okun, founder of the highly successful independent publishing company Cherry Lane Music, was the recipient of the Abe Olman Publisher Award this year. He was honored with a performance by the first artist he ever signed, Tom Paxton, and the most recent artist he has signed, Madi Diaz, who sang a duet, both on guitars, of “Leaving on a Jet Plane.”

The legendary Paul Anka was honored with the Johnny Mercer Award, one of the most prestigious special awards of the evening and reserved for previous inductees. John Legend, who was the recipient of last year’s Hal David Starlight Award, wowed the crowd with his own special rendition of Anka’s “Put Your Head on My Shoulder.” Anka then brought the house to its feet and the show to a resounding conclusion with an indelible performance of “My Way.”

Also honored during the evening’s ceremonies were songwriters Desmond Child, Albert Hammond and John Rzeznick.

Nozuka’s compose-by-numbers approach came to an abrupt end at age 15, after the singer experienced his first heartbreak. Consumed by pain, Nozuka penned a bittersweet ballad that heralded his creative awakening. Entitled “Supposed To Grow Old,” the song’s mature lyrics provide insight into the lovesickness that unlocked Nozuka’s expressiveness: “Lock the pictures away, hide the letters too/anything to get my mind off you… there's no way that you could have forgotten all of the memories I thought we shared /we were supposed to grow old.”

“That was at the start of my real writing,” said Nozuka. “… it was real, you know what I mean?”

Today, nearly three years after that musical epiphany, Nozuka is winning international accolades for his courtly original songs, including fan favorites like “Don’t Listen To a Word,” “Mr. Therapy Man” and “After Tonight.” Initially released in Europe in 2007, Nozuka’s debut album, Holly, showcases the singer’s urgent tenor voice, which combines the lounge-soul sensibilities of John Legend with the dreamy vocal mannerisms of the late Jeff Buckley.

Holly was an immediate hit with critics. In an enthusiastic 4-star review, the BBC described Nozuka’s album as, "eleven impressive pieces of thoughtful acoustic-soul . . . filled with understated melodies, minimal production and an interesting, sometimes dark take on song-craft.” The UK-based Q Magazine called Nozuka’s album, “superior acoustic soul.”

Now, with the recent U.S. release of Holly, stateside fans can finally hear what all the shouting is about. While many of his troubadour peers hide behind frilly metaphors, Nozuka delivers sentimental lyrics like “a day without you is a day without the sun” with soulful urgency. Like the blues singers of yore, Nozuka seems to understand that simple lyrics and deep-felt performances trump arty contrivance.

The son of a Japanese father and an American mother, Nozuka grew up gorging on the sounds of Motown, Lauryn Hill and various pop, rap, jazz and reggae artists. In his mid-teens, Nozuka became a regular on the Toronto coffeehouse/club scene. A recent graduate of Toronto’s Etobicoke School of the Arts, he hails from a creative family. His mother, actress Holly Sedgwick, is the sister of TV/movie star Kyra Sedgwick, while his brothers are r&b singer George Nozuka and actor Philip Nozuka.

This apparent inborn ability helps explain Justin Nozuka’s ease on stage. Having performed on bills with greats like John Cale, Crowded House and Ziggy Marley, Nozuka speaks of the stage with almost churchly reverence. “It’s like a sacred place,” the Canadian wunderkind says. “When I’m on stage… I’m in my own world.”

BMI songwriting greats Don Black, Bobby Weinstein and the late Teddy Randazzo were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame on June 7 during the gala SHOF Annual Awards Show, held at the Marriot Marquis hotel in New York City.

In addition to the induction of Black, Weinstein and Randazzo, peerless BMI songwriter Dolly Parton was honored with the prestigious Johnny Mercer Award, reserved for a songwriter who has already been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in a prior year and whose body of work is of extraordinarily high quality and impact; legendary BMI publisher Don Kirshner received the Abe Olman Publisher Award for Lifetime Achievement; and John Legend was presented with the Hal David Starlight Award, which honors songwriters already making an impact with their songs in the early years of their careers.

The Hal David Starlight Award, created in 2004, was renamed in honor of the SHOF Chairman for his longtime support of young songwriters. The Hal David Starlight Award recipients are gifted songwriters in the early years of their careers who are making a significant impact in the music industry via their original songs. John Legend joins the prestigious company of Rob Thomas, Alicia Keys and John Mayer as past recipients of the Hal David Starlight Award.

The astounding success of John Legend comes as no surprise to the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2002, the Hall recognized the then-named John Stephens, awarding him with its Abe Olman Scholarship for Excellence in Songwriting as the BMI-sponsored artist that year. He had already been attracting attention in Philadelphia, where he was going to the University of Pennsylvania, making his own music and, eventually, playing and writing with such artists as Alicia Keys, Kanye West, Twista and Janet Jackson. West, a collaborator and friend since the two were introduced in 2001, became a John Legend champion, signing him in 2003 as the first artist to his G.O.O.D. Music, Columbia Records-distributed label.

In 2004, Legend stepped into the solo spotlight as a premier singer-songwriter-pianist-performer in his own right with his debut album Get Lifted. Driven in part by the hit singles "Ordinary People" and "Used To Love U," Get Lifted was a critical and commercial triumph, earning Legend eight Grammy nominations. He took the statue home for Best New Artist, Best Male R&B Vocal Performance ("Ordinary People") and Best R&B album, and Get Lifted went on to sell more than three million copies worldwide. No stranger to winning Grammys, this year he claimed his fourth and fifth Grammy award for Best R&B Vocal Performance for his most recent album, Once Again, and for Best R&B Performance by a Duo Or Group for his collaboration with Van Hunt and Joss Stone on the Sly Stone Tribute album, Family Affair.

Commenting on the award to Legend, Hal David said, “John Legend is an outstanding, talented songwriter. He is well-deserving of the Starlight Award, not only shining as a writer with a unique vision, but as an expressive performer as well. We recognized John’s talent in his earlier years, and we are now pleased to honor him with this prestigious award.”

Tickets for the Songwriters Hall of Fame begin at $1000 each, and are available through Buckley Hall Events, (212) 573-6933. Net proceeds from the event will go towards the Songwriters Hall of Fame programs.

Pictured after the panel are (front row): Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy, Dallas Austin, Kara DioGuardi, Sean Garrett and L.A. Times’s Ann Powers; (back row): Butch Walker, BMI’s Catherine Brewton, Jeffrey Steele, John Legend and BMI’s Del Bryant

The panel was moderated by BMI Writer/Publisher Relations VP Catherine Brewton and Los Angeles Times Chief Music Critic Ann Powers. In addition to discussing their craft and answering questions about the business of songwriting, each panelist performed one of their hit songs for the enthusiastic crowd.

Jeffrey Steele, Butch Walker and Sean Garrett

BMI’s Catherine Brewton, L.A. Times’s Ann Powers and Dallas Austin

John Legend

Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy performs

Dallas Austin

Kara DioGuardi

Patrick Stump performs Fall Out Boy’s “This Ain’t A Scene, It’s An Arms Race”

Photos by Lester Cohen/WireImage

FOUR AWARDS
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Best Rock Performance by Duo or Group with Vocal
Best Rock Song
Best Rock Album
Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package

TWO AWARDS
George Benson
Best Pop Instrumental Performance
Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance

Michael Brecker
Best Jazz Instrumental Solo
Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album

Chick Corea
Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group
Best Instrumental Arrangement

The Flaming Lips
Best Rock Instrumental Performance
Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical

Kirk Franklin
Best Gospel Song
Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album

Gnarls Barkley
Best Alternative Music Album
Best Urban/Alternative Performance

John Legend
Best Male R&B Vocal Performance
Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals

T.I.
Best Rap Solo Performance
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration

Carrie Underwood
Best New Artist
Best Female Country Vocal Performance

John Williams
Best Score Soundtrack Album
Best Instrumental Composition

OTHER WINNERS
Yolanda Adams
Best Gospel Performance

Pepe Aguilar
Best Mexican/Mexican-American Album

Christina Aguilera
Best Female Pop Vocal Performance

Chente Barrera y Taconazo
Best Tejano Album

The Black Eyed Peas
Best Pop Performance by Duo or Group with Vocal

Randy Brecker
Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album

T Bone Burnett
Best Compilation Soundtrack Album

Enya (PRS)
Best New Age Album

Peter Erskine
Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album

Béla Fleck & the Flecktones
Best Contemporary Jazz Album

Dave Fridmann
Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical

Bob Gaudio
Best Musical Show Album

Vince Gill
Best Male Country Vocal Performance

Osvaldo Golijov
Best Classical Contemporary Composition

Bill Harley
Best Spoken Word Album for Children

Van Hunt
Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals

Israel & New Breed
Best Traditional Gospel Album

Al Jarreau
Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance

Klezmatics
Best Contemporary World Music Album

Krayzie Bone
Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group

Will Lee
Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album

The Bryan Lynch/Eddie Palmieri Project
Best Latin Jazz Album

Maná
Best Latin Rock, Alternative or Urban Album

OK Go
Best Short Form Music Video

Joss Stone (PRS)
Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals

Jimmy Sturr and His Orchestra
Best Polka Album

Irma Thomas
Best Contemporary Blues

Los Tigres Del Norte
Best Norteño Album

Ike Turner
Best Traditional Blues Album

Julieta Venegas
Best Latin Pop Album

Doc Watson
Best Country Collaboration with Vocals

Pharrell Williams
Best Rap Song

Wolfmother (APRA)
Best Hard Rock Performance

With five wins out of five nominations, the country trio shook off the anti-Bush backlash and took the stage to pick up three of the night’s top awards—Record and Song of the Year for “Not Ready to Make Nice” and Album of the Year for Taking the Long Way—as well as Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal and Best Country Album.

Funky foursome the Red Hot Chili Peppers, whose Stadium Arcadium double-disc set was named Best Rock Album, took home a total of four trophies that also included Best Rock Song for the album’s single, “Dani California.”

American Idol alum Carrie Underwood came in with two, winning the coveted Best New Artist Grammy as well as Best Female Country Vocal Performance for her inspirational hit, “Jesus, Take the Wheel.”

Other double winners included “Crazy” duo Gnarls Barkley, Atlanta rapper T.I., neo-soul artist John Legend, r&b crooner George Benson, celebrated film composer John Williams and the late sax player Michael Brecker, who died Jan. 13.

Jazz innovator Al Jarreau joined Benson on the Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance win with their duet “God Bless the Child,” while gospel singer Yolanda Adams earned the Best Gospel Performance statuette for Victory. Singer Christina Aguilera‘s “Ain’t No Other Man” reeled in the Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

Also on the BMI winners list were soon-to-be BMI Icons Los Tigres del Norte, who won Best Norteño Album with their release, Historias Que Contar; Irish singer Enya (PRS), whose CD Amarantine was named Best New Age Album; country superstar Vince Gill, who picked up his 18th Grammy Award with a Best Male Country Vocal Performance win for “The Reason Why”; and heavy-hitters Wolfmother (APRA), whose song “Woman” earned the Best Hard Rock Performance trophy.

The Recording Academy also honored Eagles’ member Don Henley as the 2007 MusiCares Person of the Year during a gala dinner, concert and auction held at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Feb. 9, two days prior to the Grammy ceremony. Proceeds from the star-studded event went to MusiCares’ Financial Assistance Program, which assists musicians and others in times of financial, medical and personal need.

Scheduled to participate are top BMI songwriting talents including John Legend (JUST ADDED!!), Cee-Lo (Gnarls Barkley), Dallas Austin, Patrick Stump (Fall Out Boy), Sean Garrett, Kara DioGuardi, Butch Walker and Jeffrey Steele, who will join panel moderators Los Angeles Times music critic Ann Powers and Atlanta Writer/Publisher Relations VP Catherine Brewton. Attendees can expect an inside look at the songwriting process, featuring performances of hit songs by each panelist and a Q&A session on the business of songwriting and music.

R&B singer Chris Brown, neo-soul artist John Legend, "Crazy" duo Gnarls Barkley, Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Ne-Yo and rapper Yung Joc came in with two nominations apiece, with Legend, Brown and Ne-Yo vying for the Best R&B/Soul Single trophy.

Gnarls Barkley, whose release St. Elsewhere is up for Best R&B/Soul Album, Group, Band or Duo, will compete against the Pussycat Dolls for Best R&B/Soul Single, Group, Band or Duo.

Harlem rappers Webstar & Young B hope to collect the Best R&B/Soul or Rap Dance Cut award with their breakout single, "Chicken Noodle Soup," while gospel giant Kirk Franklin's Songs from the Storm, Volume I looks to beat Youth for Christ's The Struggle is Over for Best Gospel Album.

BMI's 2007 Soul Train Music Award nominees:

Best R&B/Soul Single, Male
Avant
"4 Minutes"
Chris Brown
"Yo (Excuse Me Miss)"
John Legend
"Save Room"
Ne-Yo
"Sexy Love"

Best R&B/Soul Single, Group, Band or Duo
Gnarls Barkley
"Crazy"
The Pussycat Dolls featuring Avant
"Stickwitu"

Best R&B/Soul Album, Male
Chris Brown
Chris Brown
Jamie Foxx
Unpredictable
John Legend
Once Again

Best R&B/Soul Album, Group, Band or Duo
Gnarls Barkley
St. Elsewhere

Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist
Lupe Fiasco
"Gotcha"
Ne-Yo
"Sexy Love"
Rick Ross
"Hustlin'"
Yung Joc
"It's Goin' Down"

The Michael Jackson Award for Best R&B/Soul or Rap Music Video
Busta Rhymes Featuring will.i.am & Kelis
"I Love My Chick"
Jim Jones
"We Fly High"

Best R&B/Soul or Rap Dance Cut
Webstar & Young B featuring The Voice of Harlem
"Chicken Noodle Soup"
Yung Joc
"It's Goin' Down"

Best Gospel Album
Kirk Franklin
Songs from the Storm, Volume I
Youth for Christ
The Struggle is Over

In addition to Legend, scheduled participants include BMI hit songwriters Cee-Lo (Gnarls Barkley), Dallas Austin, Patrick Stump (Fall Out Boy), Sean Garrett, Kara DioGuardi, Butch Walker and Jeffrey Steele. The panel will be moderated by BMI Writer/Publisher Relations VP Catherine Brewton and Los Angeles Times chief music critic Ann Powers. Each panelist will perform one of their hit songs as well as answer questions about the business of songwriting and music.

Three-time Grammy winner John Legend, formerly known as an in-demand studio session man, stepped into the solo spotlight in 2004 as a singer, songwriter, pianist and performer in his own right with his debut album, Get Lifted. Driven in part by the hit singles “Ordinary People” and “Used To Love U,” Get Lifted was a critical and commercial triumph, earning John an astounding eight Grammy nominations—he won Best New Artist, Best Male R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B album—and selling more than three million copies worldwide. With his new album, Once Again, he continues to craft intelligent, intuitive and sensual songs that showcase his pop/soul singer/songwriter abilities. Nominated in three Grammy categories this year (Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for “Save Room,” Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for “Heaven,” and Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for “Family Affair” [with Joss Stone and Van Hunt]), Legend will be performing at the 49th Annual Grammy ceremony with John Mayer and Corinne Bailey Rae.