Taylor Swift was among six songwriters inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame at a gala held Monday in a crowded ballroom of artists, writers and country music figures. Joining her in the class were Lyle Lovett, Shawn Camp, Lee Thomas Miller, Bruce Channel and J.I. Allison.
Swift signed her first publishing deal in Nashville at 14. About 22 years and 14 Grammys later, she received her second hall of fame induction this year. "I knew from the time I wrote my first song that even if it couldn't be my career, it would be my passion," she said.
She told the audience she absorbed lessons from other writers like a sponge. Among them were how to work through writer's block and how to write about the human condition, even when a writing partner was hungover or going through a divorce.
Swift recalled that her mother regularly collected her from high school and took her to a publishing house on Nashville's Music Row. There she shared her emotions with one of her first co-writers, Liz Rose. She later met Nathan Chapman, who produced her self-titled debut album in 2006, released 20 years ago this month.
Swift went on to reach a far wider audience beyond country music. She credited her ability to "genre hop" to the songwriting fundamentals she learned in Nashville. "I'm so incredibly honored to be inducted into this sacred club," she said.
Brad Paisley, one of the first major artists to take her on tour after her debut, introduced her as "the voice of a generation." He joked that Swift "went to Brad Paisley High School" while touring with him at 17. Swift said Paisley took a prank too far in 2007 by filling her bus with thousands of crickets. "For months I couldn't sleep. Just chirp, chirp, chirp," she said. Lainey Wilson also performed a bluegrass version of "Love Story," from Swift's second album, "Fearless," with fiddle and stand-up bass.
George Strait, the celebrated "King of Country Music," received the Career Maker Award. A Country Music Hall of Famer, Strait is known for choosing strong songs from other writers and taking them to the top of the country charts over five decades. Standing among songwriters on stage, he kept his remarks brief. "They made my career," Strait said. "I didn't make theirs."
Lovett used his speech to name the mentors, artists and writers who gave him a chance. "I am humbled just to be in the room with these amazing Hall of Fame songwriters and amazing recording artists," he said. "It is such a privilege to be able to go through your life and do what you want to do."
The other inductees were recognized for their catalogs. Allison, who died in 2022, played in Buddy Holly's band The Crickets and co-wrote "That'll Be The Day" and "Peggy Sue." Camp, a multi-instrumentalist, co-wrote "Two Pina Coladas" for Garth Brooks and "How Long Gone" by Brooks & Dunn, along with hits for Blake Shelton and Strait and many bluegrass songs. Channel co-wrote "Hey! Baby!," which appeared in "Dirty Dancing" and became a country hit for Anne Murray. Miller co-wrote "You're Gonna Miss This," performed by Trace Adkins, and "In Color," performed by Jamey Johnson.
